Latino Coating: Think Twice Before Doing It.
I had never heard of the term Latino coating until recently. I had to look it up and when I did, I realized it was a new term for an old and far too common marketing concept. In the Forbes article, How CMOs Should Embrace Authenticity In Hispanic Marketing Beyond Latino Coating, Afdhel Aziz writes, “Latino Coating can be best described as a superficial marketing strategy that attempts to sprinkle Latino elements onto products, campaigns, or entertainment without a genuine understanding or respect for Latino culture. It's akin to a thin veneer of diversity, masking a lack of substantive engagement with the community it purports to represent.” It’s an easy enough thing to do and that’s where the problem lies.
As good marketers, we want to bring awareness to the brands we are promoting and we also want to be relevant to our target audiences. When we decide to take a short cut in our marketing campaigns without fully understanding what it means to market to Latino audiences, we are setting ourselves up for conveying the wrong message and much worse, alienating the market. As a Latina consumer, I am always keenly aware of how company’s and brands market to me and appeal to my bicultural identity. I can quickly discern what companies are authentic in their approach and which are not. And, I’m usually instantly turned off by those that didn’t seem to care to do it right.
Your attempt to connect with the Latino community with a Happy Cinco de Mayo post and a cool Spanglish phrase on your website will garner some attention from Latinos, just likely not the kind of attention you really want. Think twice before you hapharzadly “talk” to Latinos in your marketing. Taking the time to understand the diverse segments within our market, truly engaging with your target audience and creating meaningful and authentic messaging with the market in mind from the start, will go a long way to building the trust, loyalty and superfans you want. Do your due diligence and also look to partner with organizations that truly know the Latino market and can help you tailor your strategies to be as effective as possible. Doing the work the right way, pays off every time.
