One of the categories where Hispanics are influencing consumption patterns is at breakfast, according to Chicago-based NPD's NET (National Eating Trends) Hispanic, a year-long study that captures the in-home and away-from-home food and beverage consumption habits of Hispanics in the U.S. by level of acculturation. NET Hispanic reports that while non-Hispanics include non-toasted bread in two percent of their breakfast meals, 12 percent of Hispanics' breakfasts include non-toasted bread.
While non-toasted bread appears to be the breakfast carbohydrate of choice in Hispanic homes, other breakfast options are consumed less often compared to non-Hispanics' consumption. Hot cereal has a 10 percent share of non-Hispanic breakfast eatings, while that number for Hispanics is only 6 percent, and eggs are found more often on the table during breakfast in Hispanic homes than in non-Hispanic homes in the U.S.
"Our goal is to connect with Hispanic consumers in ways that allow them to experience the brands," said Joseph Vizcarra, Unilever's multicultural marketing manager. "We have many brands that over-index with Hispanics, so we try to meet their needs with the brands we promote. Programs are all tailored to specific audiences."
A far more important dimension of Vivemejor is its web site and Facebook page. In fact, Vivemejor is one of the largest Spanish-language Facebook communities of any sort catering to Hispanics, with more than 215,296 "likes" since its launch in November 2010. Unilever plans to step up the bilingual content online because that is what is trending, especially in terms of connecting with the younger Hispanic demographic via social media."
"This shift could bode well for bread makers and bakery departments, and they should make efforts to connect with Hispanics sooner rather than later," says Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst at NPD. "On the flip side, hot cereal marketers will need to appeal to this group in ways that differ from traditional efforts. For example, the warmth and convenience of hot cereal could be important aspects to highlight, as Hispanics are already consuming warm breakfasts at above average rates."
Dinner meal side dishes are another category that is being influenced by Hispanic consumption behavior, according to NET Hispanic. Hispanics eat rice more often at lunch and dinner compared to non-Hispanics; and in a time when side dish consumption has been declining across all major categories, both plain and flavored rice are being included in more meals as a side dish among the overall population.
Dining traditions play an important role in U.S. Hispanics' eating behaviors. When asked to describe how frequently Latino/Hispanic traditions are followed in their homes, 96 percent of Hispanic respondents indicated these traditions are followed always/often/sometimes when planning and serving meals for the household. In addition, dining traditions vary among each Hispanic group; for example, Cuban-Americans differ from Mexican-Americans in their eating patterns.
"There's no doubt about it -- Hispanics are a large and quickly growing group, and they will likely move the needle on national consumption trends over the next 10 years," says Seifer. "Marketers who wish to stay ahead of this growth should invest in understanding not only U.S. Hispanics' behaviors, but also the traditions they honor at the dining table."