I have never been prouder to be a Latina in PR. There is boundless potential for communicators, brands and agencies to delve into this transformative community force that is reshaping our nation’s fabric. I recently had the privilege of attending the virtual event, “Marching to Their Own Beat: The Ever-Growing Influence and Global Domination of Latino Culture.” Hosted by The Museum of Public Relations and featuring comms execs from The Biden Administration, Equis Research, Macy's, and Egami Group, it was the perfect way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month!
The inspiring panel discussion touched on the surging influence and economic prowess of the Latino population in the US. At 62 million, Hispanic Americans are now the largest minority group in the U.S., contributing $2.8 trillion a year to the U.S. economy. According to recent studies, if U.S. Latinos were in their own country, they would rank 5th in the world's gross domestic product (GDP), surpassing the GDP of France and the United Kingdom.
Latinos Breaking Barriers in the Communications Industry
The event kicked off by reiterating the importance of having these critical conversations and opening up a dialogue about bridging the gap and overcoming barriers to entry for Latinos in public relations. The event’s moderator and President of the Hispanic Public Relations Association, led a discussion on, despite the Latino community being the 5th largest GDP in the world, and the fastest-growing in the United States, significant investment in the community is continuing to lack.
“While we make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, we only account for 13% of the PR industry as a whole and a mere six percent at the senior, executive level,” said Sonia V. Diaz, event moderator and President of the Hispanic Public Relations Association and event moderator. “In a profession where knowing your audience is the first rule of engagement, it would make sense to have more, not less, of us in the room when it comes to building a strategic communications plan for our clients or our organizations.”
So, it was only fitting that Sonia then introduced the panel’s keynote speaker who made it his life’s work to address the deep-rooted issues that prevent Hispanic and Latino communities from achieving their full potential: Carlos Odio, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Equis Research. Equis’s mission is to create a better understanding of Latinos, innovate new approaches to reach and engage them, and invest in the leadership and infrastructure for long-term change and increased engagement. At its core, Equis (pronounced eh-keys, which is how the letter "x" is pronounced in Spanish) is meant to invoke Latinos as the X-factor in American politics and society. The X embodies the complex intersection of identities that point to the future of our country, as Equis aims to be a resource that develops actionable recommendations for practitioners seeking to engage the Latinx voter.
Latinos Gaining Momentum in the U.S.
Previously an advisor to progressive funders on civic engagement, advocacy, policy, and politics, Carlos served in the White House Office of Political Affairs acting as a liaison for Latino leaders, after working as Deputy Latino Vote Director for the 2008 Presidential Campaign. He spoke to a significant aspect of his role at Equis being focused on Latino leadership, representation, and media/digital innovation. Specifically, he shed light on the Latino Talent Initiative, which aims to secure more Latinos within government, advocating their campaigns from nomination through the finish line. Carlos spoke of how their work really aims to elevate Latinos across “all agencies of government, not just in the predictable roles where traditionally Latinos have been placed.” Most recently, Equis led a historic victory when the Senate confirmed Colombian-American economist, Adriana Kugler, as a Federal Reserve governor, making her the first Latina to join the Fed Board in its 109-year history!
“We [society] used to talk about Latino political impact only in the future tense, and the reality is, that is already happening,” Carlos exclaims. “If you look at the political map in this country (Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, etc.) there are several states that have been transformed by the growth of the Latino population. If you look at the Congressional map, more than ever, the Congressional districts are competitive because they have a large Latino presence. The Congressional Hispanic caucus is bigger than it’s ever been. As we head into the future, Latinos are going to be the last great wildcard in American politics.”.
How PR Professionals Can Engage Latino Media
At Equis, Carlos and his team focus on filling in the gaps of engagement with Latinos. Part of that is meeting Latinos where they’re at, where they’re spending time, going to get their news, etc. Part of that research involves testing media consumption and what messages are resonating. A great example he provided was with engaging in omnichannel outreach. For instance, Carlos noted that Latinos spend, on average, 20% more time on YouTube than non-Latinos and that their research showed that their interest in cable news is on the decline because they don’t believe those mediums are speaking to them. This is an example of meeting audiences where they’re at, since a lot of the clients that Equis worked with, initially, never even considered YouTube. Radio is another example. In a general sense, we hear that radio is on the decline- a dying medium. But for Latinos across the U.S., radio content is king. Troy Blackwell, Jr., Spokesperson, Biden Harris administration, joined the call for closing remarks to discuss the power of Latino media consumption.
“[Radio] spans socioeconomic status and generational differences,” Troy states. For example, the Latino Media Network, backed by Eva Longoria, raised 80 million dollars and bought 18 radio stations across 10 major cities. This is tremendous news and shows that radio is not dying among Latinos. According to Nielsen, between 2017 and 2022, 98% of U.S. Hispanics were tuning into radio each month, Troy continues. Between 2020 and 2022, we saw a 44% increase in Latino podcast audiences, and 1 in 5 adult TikTok users are Hispanic.
Looking Ahead to 2024
“Latino engagement is imperative for brand strategy; we are a community of over 16 million strong and at least 58% of Latinos are under the age of 34, which is a huge voting block,” Troy concludes. “With 2024 on the horizon, almost 35 million Hispanic Americans are eligible to vote, and 62% of the total growth of new voters are Latina.”
Hispanic Heritage Month is not only a time for reflection on where we have come as a people, and the critical attributes that we have given to this country, but also a time for us to look toward the future, at the areas where we are adding value to, and asking…what more can we add? There is so much more work to be done. At one point a guest speaker on the panel pointed out that research by Mckinsey reveals Latinos are collectively underpaid by 288 billion. As Troy mentioned, “Big problems demand big solutions, and big solutions need Latinos at the table.” In light of increasing spending power and evidence that Latinos are reshaping culture, setting trends, and accelerating positive social change across every industry sector, the panelists recommended that brands and communicators broaden the scope of our campaigns. Engage Hispanics with authenticity and give them a seat at the table. Show you are thinking about the Latino community, you understand them and their complexities, and you want to understand their worldview as well. For the brands that have done this, it “has paid off in spades.”
- Antonia Donato, Senior Account Executive