Spanish-language ad spending is on the rise—posting gains in just about every major product category in 2008. What is the best strategy to reach an audience whose language proficiencies and preferences range from Spanish-only through various degrees of bilingual skills to English-only? Language holds the key to success as a strong emotional link is forged with the Hispanic consumer when ads are rendered in their native language.

Savvy marketers in the U.S. have their eye on Hispanic consumers — with good reason: Hispanic Americans account for 50% of all potential new buyers entering the U.S. marketplace.
But reaching these consumers is no simple task, according to a new study released Monday by Nielsen PreView.
For one thing, America’s Hispanic population is far from homogenous.  Instead, Hispanics in the U.S. can actually be divided into three distinct segments: most acculturated, bi-cultural, and least acculturated.
“Bi-cultural” Hispanics account for 53% of the total Hispanic population in the U.S.  Members of this segment …

Trying to tap the U.S. Hispanic market?  Don’t underestimate the influence of children in Hispanic households, Doug Anderson, Vice President, Research & Development, Nielsen Consumer Panel Services, writes in the October issue of Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” online newsletter.
In households where adults speak English less well, children often wield significant influence on purchase decisions, from choice of category or brand to playing the role of negotiator with vendors, Anderson notes.  Overall, two-thirds of the Hispanics in the U.S. who speak only English are children.

According to Nielsen Online, 9.8% of active U.S. Internet users are Hispanic, The Miami Herald reported Monday.  In total, 16.9 million Hispanics were part of the active U.S. online population in July — up from 14.9 million users in July 2007 and 13.7 million users in July 2006.  
To take advantage of this burgeoning online Hispanic population, Telemundo will begin delivering its programming on websites and mobile phones globally, the Herald noted. 
The move reveals the growing importance of digital media in the Hispanic market, Peter Blacker, executive vice president Digital Media …

To promote its Pure Life bottled water, Nestle is launching its first Hispanic-targeted marketing campaign, Adweek reported Wednesday.
Nestle’s campaign will feature Univision talk show host Cristina Saralegui as the spokeswoman for the brand.
Adweek noted that Nestle spent $30 million on Hispanic network and cable TV ads in 2007 — up from $20 million in 2006, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
Read more about marketing to Hispanics in the U.S. in Nielsen’s “Consumer Insight” newsletter.