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.

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Comments

[Cara Fletcher]

Home improvement is an issue everyone is talking about and it's normal to be one of the hot spots in the Internet.

[Faux Wood Blinds Gal]

Enjoyed reading your post about hispanics and home improvements site. Just this year we were discussing converting our blog to help out in this market. Thanks for the information.