The majority of the Cuban population in the U.S. lives in Florida—and Puerto Ricans also tend to be in the eastern side of the States, in New York City, Orlando and even Chicago more to the west. But true to the dispersion of the Hispanic population, these groups have also spread out to other places, including Texas. 
 
In 2006 only 0.2% of Houston’s Latinos were Cuban—compared to the national average of 3.4% that same year—but this number is going up as more Cubans enter the U.S. through the Texas’ border, via Mexican territory, and many more relocate from California attracted by the state’s lower cost of living.

Houston’s Cuban community is growing. In fact, this past Sunday Cuban and Puerto Rican Houstonians celebrated the yearly PRC Festival with packed-crowds and a strong sponsor roster including Goya, Wal-Mart, Minute Maid, Bacardi and Wachovia.  

While the U.S. Census reports that California had the largest Hispanic population last year, Texas had the largest numerical increase. A small part of that trend it seems; is a larger number of Cuban Latinos calling Houston home.  

This week’s lead story on Advertising Age is a good read for any marketer. Written by the editor of American Demographics (part of the trade pub), the story provides a good summary of what is going on with consumer demographics and the data paints a very interesting picture for any brand seeking to forge a lasting relationship with today’s changing consumer landscape. While it is no secret that the U.S. is increasingly diverse, the piece examines just how by even comparing population metrics among regions. From this, two big statements emerge for those of us who work in and with multicultural and/or Hispanic markets: the Latina mom, as covered on this blog before, is young and part of a very influential segment and teens (particularly in the South) show the greatest ethnic diversity. Also, the piece talks about the challenges of reaching the new consumers by traditional research means since many are now connected by cellphones and very adept at screening calls and protecting themselves from intrusions. (It goes to far as to suggest the CMO may soon have a new team member solely focused on consumer segmentation.) This is more pronounced among Hispanics who largely rely on cellphones as their #1 communication tool, making it an even more elusive group.

At the end of the piece, writer Peter Francese makes five conclusions about what is a ‘must know’ for the top 5 segments he covers and two pertain to our day to day work: immigration and new faces. His counsel is brief and in summary encourages brands to engage on the immigration debate and embrace new cultures. This is really at the heart of success, paired with cultural sensitivity, the desire and ability to adapt to changing tastes, and an understanding that consumers have changed and are continuing to change FAST and only those brands that remain relevant will thrive. What do you think?

After a brief and non-intended hiatus from blogging, I have been meaning to comment on recent news about how Hispanics are being affected by the current economic situation. A story in the Miami Herald caught my eye recently because Hispanics leaving the country due to economic prospects became news– a departure from the news that continually document the reasons why Hispanics continue to reach U.S. soil. Previously, a USA Today story from mid May stated that Hispanics are being among the hardest hit by the downturn due to the housing slump and how it affects them on two fronts: less construction jobs, less houses to put as collateral to fund a business. Then, last week, the Pew Hispanic Center came out with its own report that points to the weakened construction industry as the lead culprit of the 6.5% unemployment rate among Hispanics– almost 2% more than the national rate at this stage. The report also shows a decline in wages, and a contrast between Latino men and women in the workforce– the latter’s overall participation has declined sharply. Now, keeping in mind that the Hispanic buying power is the equivalent to the Mexican economy, these stats should be considered as a metric of the health of the consumer pocketbook and more importantly, the purse. Women continue to make most of the buying decisions in the U.S. Hispanic household, and if they are feeling the pressure more than other groups, their cautious shopping habits will be increasingly pronounced.

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Official Census figures are not due for another couple of years, but a new study from the Pew Hispanic Center released yesterday made projections about what the face of America will look like by 2050 and it’s plenty diverse. According to the research powerhouse, Hispanics will continue to be the fastest-growing demographic group and will make up almost 30 percent of the total population– a change from the current 15 percent. Still the youngest group in the nation, still with younger, larger families, the Hispanic boom will not cease. In fact, the study predicts that if current population trends are to continue, the Hispanic demographic will triple in size. Also, the study predicts white, non-Hispanics will make up 47% of the population, effectively becoming a minority group. Among its predictions, Pew also states that one in five in the nation will be an immigrant.

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Many marketers have come to learn by heart the leading Hispanic clusters in the nation– those with burgeoning established communities, growing spending and political power. But the Hispanic population continues to spread across the entire nation, with used-to-be emerging markets such as Atlanta now making it to the top 10 lists among some researchers. A couple of weeks ago I read an interesting piece in Hispanic Market Weekly that cited recent Arbitron data on the 20 fastest growing Hispanic markets in the nation. At the top of the list: Charlotte, with a 20% population growth in just a year.

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