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Leading the Change Day 3: Embracing Insights & Measurement to Drive Growth
Key LTC Insights:
- Perseverance, passion and purpose will help drive grit — in successful marketing and in life
- Staying true to your brand’s mission and identity will lead to measurable results, even if you have to be agile with tactics along the way
- Consistency matters — brands that have staying power in the Hispanic space see outsized results
During her Leading the Change day three discussion, Grit author Angela Duckworth explained how applying grit leads to excellence: “On your way to your goals, you have to try, try, try. But the key is to have an experimental mindset. Ask yourself: What can I do differently and better?”
This setup was appropriate for an afternoon focused on insights and measurement — the backbones of strategic marketing. Without them, thoughtful plans and focused learning can’t exist. With them, you have opportunity as wide as your grit will take you.
Joining Duckworth as day three speakers were Google Pixel’s Natasha Aarons and Salvador Maldonado, The NPD Group’s Marshal Cohen, Verizon’s Karna Crawford, and a panel of researchers featuring Civic Science’s John Dick, Nielsen’s Matt Krepsik, and EDO’s Kevin Krim.
Here’s what we learned about insights and measurement relevant to Hispanic marketing.
Use Research to Define your Target and Approach
When Pixel targeted Hispanics with a reach and awareness campaign in 2017, it was an informed decision. Research showed Hispanics were optimal consumers because they were more likely to upgrade their smartphones within four to six months. Hispanics also represented one-third of Pixel’s potential total audience.
Research also drove how they approached the market. Maldonado explained that testing banner ads with formal and colloquial Spanish showed the latter was two times more impactful. Linking those informal messages to Spanish-language landing pages resulted in conversion rates three times higher than English.
Verizon agreed that research opened up the market for them. “We reach most of America but saw that we had an opportunity for greater growth amongst millennial Hispanics,” shared Crawford. That focus helped them zero in on music and sports, community-based executions, and ideas that honored the segment’s digital and multilingual reality.
“Data is how we found our way in, and what teaches us what’s working and not working. Lean into it,” said Crawford.
Be Consistent and Test and Learn Your Way to Growth
The Pixel team built on its knowledge as it iterated over three years of Latin Grammy partnerships and Spanish-language centric executions. Maldonado shared that Google’s top-down commitment now calls for a defined budget allocation for multicultural audiences across the largest brands.
Verizon continues to bring Hispanic passions to life with extended media buys and exclusive experiences like big name Latin stars at a Brooklyn warehouse. “Be in and show up,” said Crawford. “We show up in sports and music across audiences. That’s who Verizon is as an experience brand.”
EDO’s Krim counseled clients to stay on TV when the pandemic hit. “You have to be present, but you also have to react.” Those brands who stayed on Spanish-language TV from March-June had higher search engagement (+19%) in July-August than those who sat on the sidelines.
Stay Agile with Your Strategies
Our panel of researchers agreed that an increase in demand for agility from clients is the number one thing that’s changed post-COVID. It means clients are working hard to understand their consumer’s pandemic reality.
“Everything we thought we knew about consumers has been turned on its head,” commented Dick.
Krim applauded industries like automotive and restaurants who were quick to adjust creative to lead with empathy and solutions. Messaging that offered at-home lease extensions and refinancing and curbside pickup experienced greater search engagement.
In the end, he said, you want consumers to feel: “I understand the position you’re in. We’re here for you.” Research allows that to be true.
Look to Hispanics as a Source of Optimism
According to Dick, many of the now prevalent COVID trends — like online shopping and food delivery — we saw first with Hispanic consumers. That’s likely because Hispanics are concentrated in areas hit by the virus early. Their response set the stage.
Cohen shared other Hispanic nuances: shopping continues to be a family event, they hit the stores more often, they buy more products per trip, and they tend to shop at bigger retailers.
“Hispanic consumers respond better to brands than non-Hispanics,” added Krepsik. It’s a trend we’ve seen over the past three-to-five years, and COVID hasn’t changed it.
Multiply the Optimism
The great news is that there’s a lot to be optimistic about.
“Consumers are shopping, just not in the same manner and time frame,” shared Cohen. “Holiday shopping will happen earlier and online, and Hispanics are a big part of that.” Use this as an opportunity to market early and keep consumers aware of what’s in stock and when inventory is low.
Categories where Hispanics outperform the market include auto, electronic, beauty, pet, home improvement, toys, and sports equipment.
Optimism is also what Verizon was striving for when it unleashed its Bad Bunny and Uforia Music pop up concert on the streets of NY. The Puerto Rican artist performed on a flatbed truck from the Bronx, through Manhattan, with the last stop at Harlem Hospital where he delivered meals to frontline workers. The event garnered 11 million views and was watched and shared in over ten countries. Not bad, at all.
