BY STEPHEN MACAIS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MULTICULTURAL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS 

There is no better time to learn about what drives Hispanic and Latin American consumers, and appreciate the complexities embedded in the DNA of this community, than Hispanic Heritage Month….or is it Latinx Heritage Month? Latino Heritage Month? Latin@?

That’s a dynamic conversation with no one ‘right’ answer, but as this consumer base continues to evolve, brands must know how to properly adapt and follow them in that journey.  With the U.S. Hispanic consumer making up 19% of the population^[1] and controlling a total of $1.5 trillion in buying power^[2], it’s vital to understand that what makes the Latinx culture so rich is the diversity of its people and the intricacies that are built into its foundation. A perfect example of this is the discussion surrounding the use of Hispanic vs. Latino/a vs. Latinx vs. Latin@. Where younger generations are more likely to embrace and adopt the use of Latinx to describe their identity, their parents and grandparents are used to identifying as Hispanic or identifying by their country of origin (Mexican, Salvadoran, etc.). So, which one is it, and is it too risky to engage with the variations?

Beyond the terminology, activating around a tentpole as culturally significant as Hispanic Heritage Month requires insight into its history. This nationally-recognized holiday, which runs from September 15 to October 15, celebrates the history, culture, and contributions made by Latinx people in the U.S. Between September 15-22, many Latin American countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica and more celebrate their independence. Día de la Raza, a holiday recognized in many Latin American countries that honors the people, tradition and cultures that were destroyed due to European colonization, also falls within this 30-day period on October 12.

Although Hispanic means ‘Spanish-speaking’ and is often associated with Spanish colonialism and the exclusion of indigenous groups, Hispanic Heritage Month also celebrates Latinos who might not necessarily speak the language, but have roots in any Latin American country. As a result, more people are adopting ‘Latinx Heritage Month.’

Tapping into this audience doesn’t just mean translating marketing materials to Spanish, or enlisting a notable Latinx personality to be the face of a new product. The backbone of a successful Hispanic/Latinx outreach campaign involves an understanding that this audience is not monolithic. It also requires access to experts that recognize that a Mexican who shows up to a Salvadoran Christmas gathering might be surprised by the type of tamales they see on the table.

This community is made up of people who have varied cultural experiences, come from different ethnic backgrounds, and even speak different languages. Brands who succeed at engaging them and telling their stories recognize these differences, and leverage them to create campaigns that make them feel represented.

Approaching a new market can be scary for brands, but we ensure to equip clients with the confidence that when it comes to the Hispanic market, it’s not about reinventing the wheel.

In the next 5 years, finding a way to appeal to this audience will be naturally built into campaigns, as Hispanic/Latinx Americans are the largest minority in the United States^[3] and will be 21.1% of the U.S. population by 2030^[4]. As the numbers show, the audience has always been there, it’s just a matter of shifting perspective.

^[1] Total Annual Spending by U.S. Hispanic Households To Reach $978 Billion in 2020 – Higher Than Any Other Minority Consumer Group (Claritas, 2020)

^[2] 2020 will be the year of the Hispanic (Hispanic Online Marketing, 2020)

^[3] Hispanics in the US Fast Facts (CNN, 2020)

^[4] 3 ways that the U.S. population will change over the next decade (PBS News Hour, 2020)

BY MEILANI WEISS, EVP BRAND INTEGRATION

THE 2020 EMMY AWARDS BROADCAST LIVE—NOT PRE-RECORDED—ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, FROM THE STAPLES CENTER IN LOS ANGELES AND NOMINEES’ HOMES AROUND THE WORLD.

The energy will certainly be different, with host Jimmy Kimmel at the Staples Center with the crew and very few special guests at the venue, and about 140 camera feeds going into the production.

This year’s ceremony will be the first where award attendees and home viewers will have essentially the same experience (give or take a ring lighting rig to make the nominees’ watch parties more broadcast-ready). In recent talk show appearances, nominees have discussed what they’ll wear to the ceremonies from their living rooms, and viewers who love television can make a night of it as well—whether in their own living rooms or in socially-distanced outdoor viewing parties.

Viewers may also have extra curiosity in the awards show this year, simply from not seeing their favorite actors, writers, directors, and other creative talent in so long. With filming on scripted series halted for months and 2020/2021 premiere dates delayed and in flux, this Emmys ceremony provides an opportunity to see our favorite talent let their more authentic selves shine through, without the long schedule that attending an awards show traditionally entails. And, perhaps, we’ll also see a nominee’s family, pets, or interior decorating decisions steal the spotlight.

For his part, Kimmel is used to improvising hosting duties by now, and has proven adept at producing compelling content during quarantine.While the quality of remotely-produced projects this year has drastically varied in quality, the experience can also lend an intimacy to a broadcast which otherwise may not draw much enthusiasm this year. And as the ceremonies themselves are reimagined by necessity, the Outstanding Series nominees serve as a bellwether of longer-term industry trends.

The OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES category includes a range of tone and distributors, from “Dead to Me” (Netflix) to “The Good Place” (NBC), “Insecure” (HBO) to “Schitt’s Creek” (CBC/Pop TV) to “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX, a major partner with fellow Disney-controlled service Hulu). As streaming series tend to have fewer seasons overall, HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is by far the longest-running series nominated, though on its own anomalous schedule.

For OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES, the nominees represent the most critically-celebrated with dedicated fans: “Better Call Saul,” “The Crown,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Killing Eve,” “Ozark,” “Stranger Things,” “Succession”—and Star Wars series “The Mandalorian.” Notably, none of the series are from the major broadcast networks, and Disney+ being represented—with a Star Wars spinoff series no less—is perhaps as good a sign as any of the paradigm shift of the last few years, and how difficult it is for broadcast series to break through in awards season beyond individual contributions.

As we look to Sunday, September 20, not knowing exactly what to expect, I’m more intrigued in the Emmy Awards than in previous years—from how Kimmel and his production team invigorate the show, to what the list of eventual award-winners says about the industry’s priorities.