What Do Changing Demographics Mean for Marketers?

A key component in public relations is understanding your client and their audience and knowing how to create and manage communication between them. The 2010 census reveals a significant increase of the Hispanic population in the United States. With Hispanic Heritage Month approaching, author Greg Beaubien highlights the impact the growing Hispanic population will have for marketers.

Beaubien identifies the following statistics:
"The 1990 census revealed that African Americans were the largest majority, making up 12 percent (29 million people) of the population. Meanwhile Hispanics made up only 9 percent of the population (22 million people). But by the end of 2010 there will be 30 percent more Hispanics than African-Americans living in this country — a total of 50 million Hispanics and 38 million African American, according to projections. And, adding significance for marketers, studies show that 62 percent of Hispanics are under the age of 34."

This information is crucial in understanding who is making up American households in 2010, a significant factor for marketers and public relations practitioners when communicating with their clients' audiences. Public relations practitioners should be mindful of the changing demographics and shape their message to communicate with the growing Hispanic population. According to household designer and author Issac Mizrahi, "Experimentation, pilots, and control programs are the best options for marketers." Mizrahi also says to account for multi-generational households when targeting the Hispanic market.

The numbers indicate that America is changing, so it is likely that we will begin seeing companies accounting for the growing Hispanic demographic through changes in the way they communicate with the public. To learn more about this topic or to see the original article please click here.