Marketers Should Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Year-Round

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!  I originally wrote this blog in 2018 and revisited it last year. At the time I wrote it, soccer superstar Lionel Messi had recently moved to La Ligue’s Paris Saint Germain. Now in 2024, the soccer virtuoso calls Florida home, and he is making history in the field and a ton of money outside of it thanks to a seemingly endless list of brands thirsting to sign him up for their commercials.

Back in 2018, I wrote about Marketers’ tentative and often tepid attempts at connecting with the Hispanic Community:

Lionel Messi is by far the greatest soccer player of this generation. His skill, poise, leadership on the field, and accuracy will go in the soccer history books as being unparalleled. Many will argue Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player, but we do not want to engage in endless, futile back and forth.

Let’s get back to soccer and one of its biggest stars of this day and age: if Messi is the greatest player and Argentina is such a powerhouse in the world of this sport, how come they fare so poorly (repeatedly) in the World Cup? The answer may be that superb individual talent is no match for a collective effort, where all team players compete with the same level of commitment to win the game.

You may ask, “What does Argentina losing the World Cup have to do with celebrating Hispanic heritage?” Well, how some marketers treat Hispanic Heritage Month, in particular, has a lot more in common with this soccer story than you think, especially those marketers who are in the business of creating a loyal customer base; and let’s face it, everyone should be! Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated during September 15th through October 15th.

You see, to expect that Argentina will win the World Cup simply because they have Messi [And on this one, History eventually sided with me as Argentina crowned itself the as World Champions thanks to an incredible lineup of phenomenal soccer players] is the equivalent of thinking that companies and marketers can sustainably (and profitably) connect with US Hispanic consumers simply by ‘reaching out to them’ only around or during Hispanic Heritage Month.

I don’t suggest here that brands shouldn’t do anything for Hispanic Heritage Month; the argument I make, and what you should know, is that if your efforts to reach this community are exclusive to Hispanic Heritage Month, you should be rethinking your strategy very seriously, lest the reward of your efforts be ephemeral, meaningless, and inconsequential… or lacking entirely!

If the majority -or even worse, all- of your strategy for Hispanics focuses on Hispanic Heritage Month:

• You’ll be putting all your eggs in one basket. And we all know how that goes.
• The Hispanic/Latina/Latino community will surely take notice, but they will also likely call you out on it.

Our CultureBeat team is often asked by our clients and friends,

“What are the best times to invest in marketing to Hispanics?”

Or

“What other occasions are there to connect with the Latino consumers?”

The most impactful and honest answer we can give is: ALWAYS! 24/7 and year-round. And, while consumers want authentic and relevant representation, and for organizations to be genuine about their efforts, sometimes even a small action goes a long way. Even a cultural wink becomes a good reason to embrace a brand’s effort to do things right.  But, to do it right, you need to invest in knowing these audiences, their needs, their aspirations, and their culture.

Here’s a few pieces of cultural low hanging fruit that you should think about and hopefully see as a starting point or continuation to your efforts:

• Salvadoreans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Nicaraguans, and Costa Ricans kick off the Independence Day Celebrations in Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15. Here are some of the most iconic dishes from each country that make us feel warm and fuzzy when others learn about them and like them:
  • El Salvador: Pupusas
  • Costa Rica: Gallo Pinto
  • Guatemala: Pepián
  • Honduras: Baleadas
  • Nicaragua: Nacatamal
• Mexico celebrates its independence day a day after, September 16^th (although it took place many years before Central America’s), but the most iconic celebration most are familiar with is on the eve of Independence day on the 15^th, and it is commemorated each year with nationwide celebrations in Mexico and in many communities in the US with the very patriotic “Viva México” and the ringing of the same bell that Hidalgo used when claiming independence.
• Chile goes next, and they celebrate their independence on September 18^th. But curiously enough, September 18^th is when the Chilean nation established its First National Congress (back in 1810);the actual formal declaration of independence came a few months later.  Did you know that Florida and California are home to the largest Chilean communities in the US?

Why is Hispanic Heritage Month in September?

Why September? The largest Hispanic group in the U.S. by nationality and heritage is that of Mexican origin and, in September, Mexicans celebrate their emancipation from Spain (starting in 1810). Similarly (although it happened many years later, 1821 to be precise) the Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) also celebrate their independence from Spain. And, Chile, Cuba and Brazil also celebrate their independence milestones in September and October. So, it makes sense to focus the remembrance of Hispanic Heritage around this time of the year, just like it makes sense to say “Happy Birthday” on someone’s birthday! However, the pride, energy, sacrifices, accomplishments and contributions of Hispanics don’t stop in September/October. They carry their identity pridefully all year-round.

Back to soccer… I had really hoped Argentina would rise as world champion in 2018…but the greatest milestone and soccer success anyone could even reach finally came in 2022. I hope your company and your brand’s success is also achieved, and a good place to start is getting to know us a bit better.