LOS ANGELES (By Jennifer Ordonez, Newsweek) May 25, 2005 - Politicians in search of Hispanic votes, listen up: put away those Spanish-English dictionaries.

It wasn't long ago that Republicans and Democrats alike would brush up on their high-school Spanish before stumping in Hispanic neighborhoods. These days, however, politicos looking to connect with the growing pool of Hispanic voters might do well to take a cue from Hollywood and corporate America. As Hispanic spending power steadily rises, grocery stores, movie studios and clothing companies are paying close attention to the $636 billion-plus market. What they're discovering is that Hispanic-Americans, particularly young spenders between the ages of 14 and 34, want to be spoken to in English, even as they stay true to their Hispanic identity. "They're doing it their way," says Christy Haubegger, a Los Angeles agent who specializes in Hispanic and ethnic markets. By combining what she calls "Hispanic values" (a strong emphasis on family and religion, for example) with "traditional American aspirations" (i.e., buying a new car and going to college), she says, these young consumers are "creating this new identity that says 'I can have the best of both worlds'."

Consider Si TV, a 24-hour cable channel targeted to young Hispanics, which launched in February 2004 and is now in 10 million households. Its motto: "Speak English. Live Hispanic." Si TV viewers "aren't calling their homeland in Mexico. They're calling their homeboys up the street," says Jeff Valdez, co-founder and chairman of the Los Angeles-based network. Those homeys, meanwhile, are stopping by to eat mami'scooking while tuning in to Si TV shows like "Urban Jungle," a reality series in which nine "really suburban" (read: mostly Anglo) kids share a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in a poor Hispanic neighborhood in L.A. The once pampered participants must perform jobs often filled by immigrants, like cleaning houses in Beverly Hills or selling oranges on a freeway exit. "They get in there and live life as an immigrant and find that it's not always a party," Valdez says. "Hispanics want to see their lives on TV. It's the simple concept of validation of self."

No longer are companies simply translating Hispanic ad copy into Spanish to appeal to Hispanics. Sometimes things got lost in translation. According to the Lansing State Journal, Coors's "Turn it loose" campaign translated into "Sueltalo," or "Let it loose," as in diarrhea, before the company quickly changed the slogan to "Won't slow you down." Now some retailers are tailoring their inventories to the audience. Kmart launched a line of household goods inspired by Mexican singer Thalia. Pulaski Furniture Corp. introduced Casa Cristina, a furniture line with "bold carvings" from Spanish-language TV personality Cristina Saralegui. And Sears this fall will unveil Hispanica Life, a "Hispanic inspired" women's apparel line. So what might inspire a Hispanica to open her wallet? Sears is betting on tropical colors, faux-fur prints, lots of spangles and sizes befitting "curve conscious" chicas with an "active lifestyle and a unique sense of self."

Sears and the others may want to proceed with caution, some retail analysts say. A recent study found that Hispanic shoppers "don't want to be segregated," says Candace Corlett, of market-research firm WSL Strategic Retail. "They choose the same stores for the same reasons and go with the same frequency" as non-Hispanics. Clothing retailer Men's Wearhouse learned that the hard way. In 2003, the company launched its Eddie Rodriguez stores, a "lifestyle" and clothing chain targeting Hispanic men. By the end of this year, all six stores will be closed. Consumers said "no" to the concept. And that's the same in Spanish and English.