My family and I just came back from a vacation in the U.K., where we went to introduce my six-month old son to extended family and friends. My husband is from England, right outside London, and just moved to this country when we married a few years ago. I am second generation Hispanic, born in the U.S. to a Mexican father and American mother.

When I visit the U.K., the world sees me as American. Here in the U.S., the world sees me as Hispanic. Which got me thinking, how will my son be identified, and more importantly, how will he identify himself?

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, only six percent of first-generation Latinos report using the term “American” first or only to describe themselves, whereas more than a third of second-generation Latinos (35 percent), and more than half of third-generation or higher Latinos (57 percent), identify themselves as “American” first or only.

For marketers, especially those trying to reach Hispanic youth, the question of identity can be tricky. According to a mun2 study, today’s Latino youth see themselves first as simply youth, then second by their Latino identity.

The most important rule in marketing is ’understand your audience.’ As the Pew and Mun2 research show, it’s not enough to segment Hispanics by age, or even generation. The diversity of the Hispanic market requires that marketers dig deeper and examine such drivers of behavior as identity, values and beliefs.

Will my son, a third-generation, multicultural Latino, identify with his Mexican roots? Chances are good that he will. Nearly half of the Hispanic youth surveyed by Mun2 said they have a desire to form a stronger connection to their Latino culture. I hope my son is one of them.

The best line I ever heard about identity comes courtesy of comedian Patti Vasquez. A comedy club manager once asked her “Hey Patti, what are you?” “My father is Irish and my mother is Mexican,” she replied. “Oh, now I got it,” exclaimed the manager, “that makes you a Leprechaun-o!”