Rise Of The Latina And The Virtue of Vanity

‘‘The Rose Sheet’’
www.TheRoseSheet.com
www.TheRoseSheet.com
‘‘The Rose Sheet’’
Rise Of The Latina And The Virtue of Vanity
Elle Morris
Editor’s note: There is a tendency in today’s beauty market
to appeal to Latin American consumers via a one-size-fits-all
approach, representing a disservice to the demographic as well
as to businesses, which may be
missing out on a growing and
diversified opportunity, according to LPK Inc.’s Elle Morris.
In this exclusive article contributed to “The Rose Sheet,” the VP
and managing director of key
global accounts at LPK offers a
personal perspective on the
Latina experience in the U.S. and
provides insight into the opportunity before marketers based
on research LPK leverages in its
global brand-building work.
M
People are usually shocked to hear I’m Latina. What they
don’t realize is that Latinas are of all different races and
cultural backgrounds – Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican,
South and Central American – and, thus, are varied in
appearance, with different complexions, hair textures
and body sizes.
August 4, 2014
The future of beauty is increasingly social, and social
beauty is about supporting a space for community and
peer validation. Successful brands will create these
spaces using various social-media platforms, providing
accessibility to a spectrum of mobile devices and allowing tech-loving Latina consumers to express our identities across multiple touchpoints. Competitive brands will
seek us out as influencers and leverage peer-to-peer recommendations and the power of social credentialing.
Hereditarily, I am Latina – Cuban. And I am American, a
direct descendant of the Mayflower Pilgrims.
My daughter is Latina, with brown skin, brown eyes and
kinky black hair. She is Cuban. She is African American.
She is a Mayflower descendant, and she’s also the descendant of slaves. She is the face of the future America.
“Beauty brands must reconsider
how they’re talking to us. The
blanket identifiers and stereotypical
beauty ideals that oversimplify our
backgrounds, needs and lifestyles will
only alienate us.” – Latina, mom and
LPK exec Elle Morris
Today, one in six people in the U.S. are Latino. We’re the
largest and fastest-growing population in the U.S. We’re
also ripe for spending. With a median age of just 27 years
(vs. 42 years for non-Hispanic whites) and a 152% growth
rate in households earning $75,000 or more annually from
2000 to 2012, we command a projected $1.5 trillion in
spending power next year, representing a jackpot for savvy
marketers and a wakeup call for those behind the curve.
Elle Morris is an unapologetic beauty
junkie with beauty in her blood. As vice
president and managing director of
key global accounts at LPK, she pulls
from her Latina heritage and extensive
travels to impart an inherent understanding of how beauty varies across
cultures. Follow this passionate aesthete on Twitter (@ElleMorrisCinci)
or Instagram (@thisbeautyjunkie), or
email her at [email protected].
ish colonial towns across the West Indies and Central
and South America centuries ago. We thrive on communication and, perhaps more importantly, validation from
each other. So it’s only natural that we have become a
prominent force in today’s social media-driven marketplace. Social media is today’s plaza, and I’m your most
relevant case study. (Check me out on Twitter, Instagram
or LinkedIn.)
y name is Maria Elena de la Vera Cruz Morris –
aka Elenita to my Cuban family, and Elle to my
Anglo friends and colleagues. I am Latina. But you
wouldn’t know that just by looking at me, with my fair
skin, red hair and green eyes.
[Editor’s note: In her analysis, Morris draws on data from the
U.S. Census Bureau, the Pew Research Center, Nielsen Holdings N.V., Mintel Group Ltd. and Forbes, among other sources.]
So, why should the beauty industry care? Latinas spend
three times as much as non-Hispanic women on beauty
products, and there are deep-rooted cultural influences
that have and will continue to drive these purchases.
As Latinas, we are born and raised with a cultural imperative
to look good. In America, the word vanity has a very negative connotation, one of self-involvement. I can’t tell you how
© 2014 Informa Business Information, Inc., an Informa company. All rights reserved.
LPK's Elle Morris with daughter Mia
many times I’ve been made to feel guilty or ashamed just for
taking care of myself.
In Latin culture, on the other hand, vanidad is a positive attribute. It means putting your best self forward.
That’s why I’m not surprised when I read statistics like
“90% of Latinas believe personal appearance says a lot
about a person,” or “wearing makeup and looking good
is essential to 69% of Hispanic women, compared with
46% of the general population.” Looking our best is a
great point of pride for us.
And this virtue of vanity transcends income level. When
it comes to spending on ourselves, there is no limit. Or as
I like to say, “My face has no budget.” It’s an investment.
What’s more, Latina beauty consumers equate high cost
with quality and effectiveness. And today, we have more
money to spend. In the past 10 years, the percentage of
Latinas earning more than $50,000 annually has skyrocketed, growing more than 200%. Today, more than 12% of
U.S. Latino households have annual incomes of more than
$100,000. So there is a huge opportunity for the luxury
beauty market, one that remains largely untapped.
Social Media Is “Today’s Plaza”
Another thing about us Latinas, we’re incredibly social.
We have a strong sense of shared community – a legacy
from our ancestors, who gathered in las plazas of SpanUnauthorized photocopying is prohibited by law. That validation from our sisters is so important to us
because they get it. A compliment from a fellow Latina
means much more to me than flattery from the opposite
sex. Because I know it’s not just superficial praise – it’s a
genuine appreciation for the effort I’ve put into looking
my best.
It all comes back to the virtue of vanity. Smart beauty
brands will capitalize on that insight and tell stories that
celebrate presenting your best self. And luxury beauty
brands will win by offering meaningful solutions for Latinas, who are willing to spend more for the best.
Most importantly, beauty brands must reconsider how
they’re talking to us. The blanket identifiers and stereotypical beauty ideals that oversimplify our backgrounds,
needs and lifestyles will only alienate us. Because we
don’t all have café con leche skin and J. Lo booties. We’re
freckled, kinky-haired, blue-eyed and black-skinned. We’re
complex and constantly evolving. Brands that want to
connect with us and win in the new Latina-driven market
will embrace a more modern view – one that celebrates
the many faces of today’s Latina.
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August 4, 2014