What #Goyaway Means for Hispanic and Multicultural Marketing in 2020

Public support for the Trump Administration risks serious consumer backlash across multicultural segments. Here’s what brands need to know about multicultural politics in 2020.

On July 9, 2020, in a White House event with other Hispanic leaders, Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue said he felt “truly blessed” to have a leader like President Trump.

Soon after, liberal Hispanic political figures like Julián Castro and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter with the hashtags #Goyaway and #BoycottGoya to call for a boycott of Goya Foods. Anti-Trump Republican strategist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas also weighed in, encouraging her Twitter followers to support alternative Hispanic heritage brands like Badia and Conchita.

It is unclear what effect this will have on Goya’s popularity with Hispanic consumers or other segments; what is clear, however, is that the controversy merits a closer look at the politics of U.S. multicultural consumers.

In June 2020, Collage Group asked a nationally representative sample of over 2300 respondents where they stood on personal ideology and, for our 18+ respondents, who they intend to vote for in the presidential election this November.

And it’s the latter question that probably motivated President Trump’s meeting yesterday with Hispanic leaders like Unanue. Our research shows that multicultural consumers, including the Hispanic segment, have a decisive preference for presumptive democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Black consumers have the strongest support for Biden, with 71% intending to vote for the Democratic front-runner come November. A little over half of the Hispanic and Asian segments say they will most likely vote for Biden as well. These within-segment majorities may seem fragile, but it holds a solid lead over the mere 20 percent of Hispanic and Asian consumers who plan to vote for President Trump.

Additionally, we see no indication in our data that Hispanic Acculturation or heritage country influences these voting intentions. While Hispanic consumers of Mexican and Cuban heritage do tend to be more conservative, and those of Puerto Rican or South American heritage tend to be more liberal, these patterns do not show up in Hispanic 2020 election preferences.

This may be because most Hispanic consumers perceive the Trump Administration to have had a negative impact on their personal lives. From our most recent data on racism in the United States, we see that 70 percent of Hispanic consumers agree that discrimination against the Hispanic/Latino community has gotten worse since the 2016 election.

Overall, Hispanic consumers today tend to be less conservative, but not necessarily more liberal, than the White segment. Asian consumers as well are less likely to be conservative than White consumers, and they are also more likely to identify as moderates. The Black segment, however, is significantly more likely to identify as liberal.

So, what can brands do with this information? First, recognize that President Trump is deeply unpopular with multicultural consumers. Any signals of support for the Trump Administration threatens substantial backlash across multicultural communities. For the Hispanic community specifically, President Trump’s history of anti-Hispanic sentiment and action has turned off consumers who historically share a preference for conservative politics.

At the same time, you need to recognize that most multicultural consumers do not actively identify with liberal politics either. To best navigate the coming months, you need to identify the specific issue areas multicultural consumers want brands like you to act.

Learn more about Collage Group’s hispanic marketing insights

Discover More Insights

Consumer Spotlight: LGBTQ+ and Women Passion Points

May 10, 2021

How do Women and LGBTQ+ consumers feel about movies and food? Our latest Passion Points research provides a multi-dimensional view.

Five Consumer Insights for Cinco de Mayo

April 29, 2021

Cinco De Mayo is an invitation for various forms of celebration among American consumers. Here are 5 insights about the Hispanic segment that speak to their views on the holiday.

Fundamentals of Generational Marketing: Passion Points

April 26, 2021

What matters most to American consumers across generational segments? Collage Group’s latest study reveals their preferences towards movies, food, music and travel.

Case Study By Industry | Alcoholic Beverages

April 22, 2021

A leading global portfolio of alcoholic beverage brands sought to deepen their understanding of culture. Collage Group’s insights revealed a key set of cultural principles that could be applied to boost multicultural engagement across their portfolio of brands.

Principles for Engaging Younger, More Diverse Consumers: Deep Dive into Gen Z

April 16, 2021

One in five Americans are part of this generation and it is the second largest: at 75.6 million people, Gen Z is only slightly smaller than the Millennial generation at 75.8 million. Read on the learn why these younger consumers, now 8-to-23 years old, are highly invested in their beliefs and passions, and orient toward inclusion and diversity not seen in older generations.

Fundamentals of Multicultural Marketing: Passion Points

April 14, 2021

What matters most to American consumers across racial and ethnic segments? Collage Group’s latest study covers major Multicultural Passion Points your brand can act on immediately.