Gabriel Flores de Tippit & Moo
For Gabriel Flores, creative director of Tippit & Moo, the increasing ethnic diversity in the United States, as revealed by new data from the 2020 Census, will lead to a redefinition of the Hispanic identity. “We’ll need different ways to understand who is Hispanic, what it implies and what defines being an American,” he said. With regard to the industry and specifically to big advertisers, Flores describes two kinds: those that understand the potential of establishing a relationship with the Hispanic community and those that don’t. “The first can jump in right now to exploit the feeling of belonging that Latin American immigrants need so desperately. When that audience feels appreciated and part of a long-term integration project, they’ll react favorably. Always,” Flores said. The creative director advises brands to stop seeing the Hispanic community as an underdeveloped monolith with very little purchasing power: “People are generally aware of the growing birth rate, but the Census also tells us that the level of Latinos with higher education degrees has increased by 30 percent in recent years. That means they have access to better jobs and consequently to higher incomes. It is often said that those who are really living the American dream are Latinos. Which is true. They are fast climbing the socioeconomic ladder. The growth is there. As it is for whatever advertiser in whatever industry.”He recalls that it was previously quite unusual to see a “Jimenez” or a “Gonzalez” on a company’s management team. “That’s history now,” Flores said. “We’re currently seeing more integrated communication strategies targeting this audience, precisely for the potential it offers. Thanks to Hispanic purchasing power and the power of their influence, we’ll see a growing number of brands joining in the effort to attract and hang onto Hispanic customers.”
