Acculturation Effects on Preference for English and Spanish-Language TV Commercials Among Hispanic Audiences of Mexican Descent

The growth of the U.S. Hispanic population and its purchasing power over the past twenty years continues to be monitored closely by corporate interests anxious to gain market share and brand loyalty of the segment that now represents the largest minority group in the country. Marketers continue to look for competitive advantages in effectively communicating targeted messages to Hispanics in order to increase revenues and profits. This study focused on the historically dominant mass-reach medium of television and explored concepts of acculturation theory to examine the effects of acculturation sub-dimensions on TV commercial language preference and attitudes among Hispanic audiences of Mexican descent. Defined by its geography and bi-national history, the area along the Southwest U.S.–Mexico border in which the study was conducted provided a rich representation of Hispanic individuals, predominantly of Mexican descent, who belong to three different consumer groups that consume both English- and Spanish-language media: the fully-acculturated Hispanic, the partially-acculturated Hispanic, and the non-acculturated Hispanic. By examining a sample of this population under the illumination of previous research literature, the study sought to explore relationships between language use, ethnic identity, and TV commercial language preference and attitude. Moderating effects of gender, generation in the host culture, and bilingualism are also examined. Discussion of findings and the study\u27s limitations are presented and the implications for future research are outlined