Hispanic Heritage Month 2024: Engagement Highlights

Published 08 October 2024

Author

3 min read

With Hispanics accounting for 91% of recent US population growth (Brookings, 2024), forging affinity with these consumers is crucial for brands. Standout campaigns marking this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) reveal how brands as diverse as Walmart and the National Football League are connecting with this fast-growing demographic.

Key Stats

General

$3.78tn	In 2024, US Latino purchasing power is estimated at $3.78tn, growing 2.5x faster than that of non-Latinos
91%	Hispanics are driving US population growth, accounting for 91% (3.2 million) of the nation’s population gain between April 2020 and July 2023
65.2m	The Hispanic population of the US reached 65.2 million in July 2023, or 19.5% of the total population
40%	Hispanic Americans are more likely to describe themselves as avid sports fans (40%) than Black Americans (34%) or white Americans (29%)
14%	In the US, interest in football among Hispanic audiences is growing – Super Bowl viewership increased from 10% of the total audience in 2016 to 14% in 2024
>39m	The National Football League says it has one of the largest Latino fan bases in American sports, amounting to more than 39 million
39%	Nielsen finds that Hispanic sports fans are 39% more likely to recommend a company and 37% more likely to feel loyal to a brand if it sponsors a sport they follow
+1hr	A core audience for telecom brands, the US Hispanic population spends nearly one hour more each week on social networking sites on smartphones than the general US population

NFL Highlights ‘Cross-Border Pride’ for Growing Fandom: With more avid sports fans than any other US cohort (Statista, 2024), Hispanic Americans are increasingly interested in football: Hispanic Super Bowl viewership has grown from 10% of total viewers in 2016 to 14% this year (Nielsen, 2024).

Nurturing these fans, a National Football League (NFL) commercial titled Cross-Border Pride spotlights two players – Isiah Pacheco and Cairo Santos – connecting with their roots by visiting fans in Puerto Rico and Brazil, respectively. The strapline, “I’m from here, I’m from there”, references the bicultural identity felt by many Latine Americans (for more, see Brands Speak to Bicultural Identities in Cultural Diversity Campaigns: Autumn 2023). The NFL’s focus beyond the 50 US states aligns with its aim to capture more global fans. In September, the league played its first regular-season game in South America (in Sao Paulo).

A second commercial also features Cuban-American player Chris Olave and Mexican American Will Hernandez. Housed on the NFL’s year-round Por la Cultura (For the Culture) microsite, the ads will air throughout the NFL’s 2024 season.

NFL, Isiah Pacheco

NFL

NFL, Isiah Pacheco

NFL

Walmart Taps Niche Creatives for Collabs: Pushing into an unexpectedly premium space with notable creative credibility, Walmart’s Nuevolution Project sees it collaborate with two Hispanic creatives: Roberto Lugo, a ceramicist whose work is in several American museums; and Alex Ordonez, co-founder of LA-based streetwear label Wish Me Luck.

A video hosted on YouTube and Instagram features the latter visiting his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut (where more than half the population is Latino). In it, he discusses the rising creative influence of Hispanic Americans and the meaning behind his collection, Dreamers from the Motherland (the term ‘dreamers’ also references undocumented immigrants who’ve grown up in the US, but lack permanent protections). “[The collection symbolises] those who pursue their aspirations while honouring their heritage,” he explains. “I didn’t have much growing up, but I always made things happen”. Product tags feature Ordonez’s photo and an explanation of the collab.

A second video depicts Philadelphia-based artist Lugo visiting the city’s art museum, which owns his work, discussing how his Walmart partnership will make his art more accessible while pushing back against the negative stereotype that Hispanic Americans are not part of the art world.

Wish Me Luck x Walmart

Verizon’s ‘Textspañol’ Microsite: Noting that Latinos spend much more time than other Americans on social media and messaging services, US telecoms giant Verizon created a brief online compendium of text-speak used by Spanish speakers (for instance, “salu2” means “saludos”, or greetings).

Dubbed ‘Textspañol’, the microsite features bright, child-like illustrations by Mexican-American artist Humberto Cruz and a downloadable sticker pack. Cruz also features in a video promoting the activation, posted to Verizon’s Hispanic-specific Instagram account. Consumers can text in suggested entries and take a Textspañol quiz.

“Slang is an essential part of cultural expression and a very powerful form of representation,” observes Daniel Gonzalez, creative director at US-based Latine media brand Remezcla, speaking generally on engaging this audience.

Verizon

Adidas’ Subtle Commemorations: Adidas timed two collaborations around Hispanic Heritage Month without mentioning the month itself to position them as core marketing activities rather than one-offs. Promoting a new shoe designed with Puerto Rican singer and longtime collaborator Bad Bunny, it posted a short Instagram Q&A with the musician in Spanish (97k likes to date). And for New York Fashion Week (September 6-11), it launched a collection with Mexican-American designer Willy Chavarria (named American Menswear Designer of the Year in 2023). Chavarria dedicated half his show, which featured a mariachi band, to the collab – which includes jerseys reading “Chicano” (an ethnic identity among Mexican-Americans).