Latin_KNOW: The Latino Marketing Report

New Forrester Report: Latino Tech Adoption

Fascinating new data from Forrester Research in their report, "Three Critical Factors Determine How Hispanic-Americans Buy And Use Technology".

I recommend reading the entire release, but here are some highlights:

Forrester found that Hispanics embrace technology, but prefer portable communication and music devices over PCs, home theaters, and video game systems. While fewer Hispanics are online compared to non-Hispanics, those who do go online are more likely than other groups to engage in entertainment activities like listening to Internet radio or downloading music and movies.

• Forty-one percent of Hispanics visit music sites, versus 18 percent of non-Hispanics.

• Sixty-one percent of Hispanics use email compared to 97 percent of non-Hispanics.

• Twenty-three percent of Hispanics said they watch Internet video versus only 17 percent of other American consumers.

Business Wire            READ MORE

Search Marketing Targeting Latinos: A Question

James Gross asks an important question on his blog. What are your answers?

Mine is, as I told James:

I think it's as simple as the way non-Latinos are targeted via search marketing, by context. Find out what Latinos are searching for on the web and make suggestions. For instance, if I type in "Direct TV" on Google, I get an ad for "direct tv para todos". I'm not being targeted because I was looking for something Latino in particular, but I am being served up something that may be of interest to me. Gathering data on what Latinos look for on the web (which people tend to be saying lately is home improvement, shopping, etc.) and using that data to market Latino-specific products, like the DirectTV example, or point them in the direction of your Latino-focused advertising.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

News: U.S. Hispanics' Online Use Surges

Lots of news today in the world of Latino marketing. According to AdAge.com, the new AOL/Roper Hispanic Cyberstudy is revealing some extremely compelling trends among Latinos online, and defying what has been said in the past -- that Latinos are significantly behind in terms of being online and engaged. From Laurel Wentz's article today, some intriguing highlights:

"Hispanics are rapidly catching up online with the general market and are surpassing non-Hispanics in areas like listening to and downloading music and instant messaging. And even English-speaking Hispanics take notice of online ads in Spanish."

" Slightly more Hispanics -- 52% -- who use the Internet at home have a broadband connection, compared to 50% of the general online population."

30% of Hispanics surveyed who say they speak English and Spanish equally well agreed with the statement that they “pay more attention to ads when they’re in Spanish than when they’re only in English.”

This data makes a very good case for something I brought up in previous post: search engine marketing aimed at Latinos. Marketers are lagging in this area, and if you believe the data cited here, missing out big time.

AdAge.com                       READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Article: Chatting, Home Repair Are Hot Spots for Latinos Online

According to the Marketing y Medios article below, an AOL study shows Latinos are online in throngs and beat their non-Latino counterparts in time spent in chat rooms, on IM and on message boards. The study says they are also big into coupons and researching home repair projects online before making purchases. According to AOL:

"Having a home is part of the American dream, and the Internet is allowing Hispanic consumers to not only find their homes but also remodel it and build it to suit their expectations," says Peter Blacker, vice president of international and multicultural for AOL Media Networks.

I'm sure there's truth in that statement to some extent, but it's a random comment in the context of an article about internet behavior. Latinos tend to be DIYers, and I think that's more of an explanation than saying they are living out their American dreams and home improvement fantasies via the internet. Marketers are always trying to romanticize data when it comes to Latino consumers. They don't feel the need to create these back stories when talking about the mainstream American consumer. I guess they think it makes it more compelling or more digestable for the general public. I think it's just plain weird.

Chatting, Home Repair Are Hot Spots for Latinos Online
July 14, 2005
By Cara Marcano

Hispanic consumers with Internet access at home are more likely than their general-market counterparts to use instant messaging and chat rooms, and are increasingly using the Web to print out coupons for not only big-ticket items but also for basic household consumer goods.

That is according to the not-yet-released AOL Latino/Roper Public Affairs 2005 U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy, which will be available on Monday.

Moreover, Hispanics online, it seems, love any and every bit of information on home repair. Some 41 percent of Hispanics planning on home improvements said they go online first and print out what they want to do and take that into the store with them, rather than going into the store cold, the study says.

"Having a home is part of the American dream, and the Internet is allowing Hispanic consumers to not only find their homes but also remodel it and build it to suit their expectations," says Peter Blacker, vice president of international and multicultural for AOL Media Networks.

Marketing y Medios                    READ MORE