Beer Brands Increasingly Targeting Latinos

Big beer brands like Budweiser, Heineken and Crown are increasingly targeting Latinos in their marketing because, as Latinos grow in population, they comprise a higher percentage of the drinking population. The Wall Street Journal published an interesting story today noting this fact, in part the story said:

The scramble comes as the U.S. beer industry appears to be headed for a third-straight year of declining sales volume, in part because high unemployment has damped the spending power of its core customers—men ages 21 to 34.

But the rivalry also reflects the long-term importance of Hispanic consumers. By 2030, Hispanics will account for 23% of the nation’s legal-drinking-age population, up from 16% in 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau forecasts. According to surveys by Crown Imports—whose brands include Corona Extra, the top-selling imported beer in the U.S.—Hispanics also tend to consume more beer on occasions when they drink than do non-Hispanics.

This gets even more interesting when you consider there are both domestic and international competitors for these Latino beer drinkers. If you recall, we reported that while Latinos tend to drink about 75% domestic brands, the rest of the pie has yet to be fully divided.

Which helps explain why Anheuser-Busch spent $56 million, 10% of its media, on Latino marketing last year and MillerCoors spent $45 million, or 11.4%. Yeah, yeah, the $1 trillion-plus Latino market in the U.S. But I thought it was also worth noting that Latinos are just making up a bigger percentage of drinkers, too, since the wine industry is also courting Latino customers this makes the most sense.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD