Fox Targets the Hispanic Market with New Version of Paranormal Activity Four

This week, I've decided to implement a bit of a shift in the direction of my blog, away from politics, and toward something that ties in closely with what I've been learning in my Hispanic marketing class.

According to a Fox News Latino article, Paramount's Paranormal Activity will be the latest in a string of Hollywood attempts to woo the elusive Latino audience. A Latino version of Paranormal Activity 4 (which opened about a month ago) will be released next year. The reason behind this sudden interest in Hispanic viewers? According to the article, Latinos attend films almost twice as much as any other group, making up 25 percent of moviegoers (at only 16 percent of the population) (Sager, par 5).

It's worth noting that the text we are reading for class, "Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Consumer," provides a slightly altered statistic; "Hispanics account for 21 percent of tickets sold, while they constitute about 17 percent of the population (Korzenny 315)."

Additionally, the article points out that Hispanics are more likely to attend a film's opening weekend when records are made, making them an even more desirable target for savvy marketers.

In light of the information I've gained this semester from my class, I'd like to take a stab at analyzing some of Paramount's marketing efforts outlined in the article.

Subject Matter: "Latino and Catholic Themes Based on Paranormal Mythology"

While it's unclear how this would be carried out, I don't know how effective this strategy would be. While a Latino audience will likely be more familiar with the themes presented in the movie, it is debatable whether they will be more scared of them. What makes a scary movie is often the unknown; while Latino audiences may appreciate the cultural recognition, they may be too familiar with the subject matter to be genuinely scared.

Advertising in Both Spanish and English:

While the movie will be in English, this tactic makes sense based on what I've studied so far. There are many who may watch the movie in English, while they may prefer to consume media in Spanish. Additionally, some messages appealing to the shared culture of the target and those in the film may be lost in an English-language ad.

Analysts also explain the wisdom of marketing to this group to the increased spending power of Hispanics (Sager, par 12). My book would say that these Hispanics, having become acculturated, are more inclined to participate in the American economy.

While Fox appears to be doing everything right as they target this group, based on my studies I recommend that they continue to study the Hispanic market and avoid using generalizations or assumptions to inform their advertising efforts. In addition, because there is such variety within this market, Fox should be flexible when determining what media to use.