Nativa conducted an independent Hispanic market research and competitive analysis of three major dental insurance brands: Delta Dental, Cigna Dental, and Humana Dental.
The objective was simple: understand how effectively each brand is reaching, serving, and building trust with Hispanic consumers across the full customer journey.
Nativa developed a Cultural Competency Scoring Report, with each brand scored on a 7-point scale across seven key areas of the Hispanic consumer experience:
This scoring framework made it possible to look beyond whether a brand simply had Spanish-language initiatives and instead assess how consistently cultural relevance was carried across the customer experience. The analysis highlighted where brands were leading, where important gaps existed, and where competitors were leaving opportunities open.
This research created a more complete view of the category, showing not only what each brand was doing to reach Hispanic consumers, but also how those efforts compared competitively and how Hispanic audiences were responding.
Nativa built a standardized Cultural Competency Scoring Framework so each brand could be evaluated using the same criteria, weighting, and review process.
Each of the seven categories contributed up to 1 point toward a maximum score of 7.0, with more detailed indicators scored within each category.
For example, Website Functionality weighted Spanish-language content most heavily, while also evaluating Spanish search visibility, language accessibility, and Hispanic imagery. Website Resources assessed Spanish educational content, FAQs, plan information, and Hispanic-focused resources.
Nativa then applied channel-specific criteria across the rest of the framework:
Each subcategory was weighted based on its relevance to the consumer experience, allowing the analysis to distinguish between brands with isolated Hispanic initiatives and those providing a more consistent experience across multiple touchpoints.
The result was a repeatable competitive benchmark that made strengths, gaps, and areas of opportunity easy to compare across Delta Dental, Cigna Dental, and Humana Dental.
The analysis highlighted a broader opportunity across the dental insurance category: Hispanic consumers are still underserved in several key areas of the customer journey, creating room for brands to invest more intentionally in Spanish-language resources, culturally relevant marketing, community engagement, and customer support.
Cigna Dental ranked strongest overall, driven by its Spanish-language website experience, resources, and community engagement. Humana Dental performed especially well in Spanish-language resources, customer service, and Hispanic share of online conversation, while Delta Dental stood out for community engagement and positive Hispanic sentiment.
A few of the strongest findings:
The research demonstrated that strong Hispanic marketing is not defined by one Spanish webpage or campaign. The biggest opportunities emerge when brands connect digital accessibility, culturally relevant marketing, community presence, customer service, and consumer sentiment into one consistent experience.
Connecting Brands with Hard-to-Reach Audiences Through Data-Driven Insights & Culturally Relevant Content
