Unless your product is singularly germane to Hispanic culture, you may not spend much time targeting specifically to the U.S. Hispanic populace. That may be a mistake. New research shows that the economic impact of this market is on the rise. Hispanics are active, engaged, and ready to spend online.

In the May 2012 Advertising Age Insights Trend Report, “Cultural Connection” was the major trend. While Hispanic Americans identify strongly with the American culture they know so well, they also maintain strong ties to their roots. For digital marketers, measuring that “self-identity” can be a challenge, but not one that can’t be overcome.

Efforts are well underway. Retailers are establishing Hispanic food aisles in their grocery stores, and brands are choosing Latino actors for their ads. Recently, the Milk Processor Education Program behind the famed “got milk” campaigns released a new collection of print, TV, and online ads as part of “The Breakfast Project” initiative. The ads feature Latina actress Salma Hayek as the organization’s first bilingual spokesperson.

In February, the United States Postal Service (USPS) announced it would be enhancing its multilingual website to provide a more “complete” and “personalized” experience for Spanish-speaking users. And earlier this month, Telemundo Media and movie content and ticketing site Fandago embarked on a journey to launch Fandago Cine, what the companies are calling, “the first comprehensive and dedicated digital offering designed to reach U.S. Hispanic movie fans.” The site is scheduled to go live later this year.

The purchasing power of U.S. Hispanics last year reached $1.1 trillion, reports say, and right along with the size of the population, it will only continue to grow. So how does a brand go about broaching a relationship with this coveted audience? Here are five easy ways to get you started.

Do your research. Since 2009, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has maintained a Hispanic Research Working Group. Look for new reports (the 2011 study can be found here), or join the group yourself in order to stay abreast of news and trends.

Establish knowledge-sharing partnerships. Few companies are as well equipped to teach you how to engage with Hispanics through digital media than the digital media properties themselves. Seek out partnerships with properties that have cultivated an expertise on the subject, such as Telemundo Media, AOL Latino, and Batanga, and let them help you experiment online to determine what kind of culturally relevant message works best for your brand.

Look for new opportunities. With so many companies eager to establish brand loyalty among Hispanic consumers, new placements are cropping up all the time. In addition to the potential of fresh sites like Fandago Cine, a new teen Spanish language reality series called “Sayulita Life” stands to provide integrated branding opportunities both online and off. Marketing entertainment company Hollywood Branded says the Puerto Vallarta-based show will resemble a Mexican “Laguna Beach” and will air on MTV and VH1 stations come August. Media buyers with Spanish-speaking 18-25-year-olds in your sights, take note.

Don’t overlook social media. It may not come as a surprise to learn that Hispanic Millennials (aged 18 to 34) rely on social media more than non-Millennials (aged 35 and older) do, but in fact, both demographics can be found on the sites en masse. According to the Ad Age report, 86 percent of Hispanic Millennials use Facebook compared with 47 percent of non-Millennials. And it gets better: marketers can now target Hispanics through self-serve Facebook advertising, as ClickZ recentlyreported (Facebook has about 7.7 million U.S.-based Hispanic users aged 18 and over to date).

Leverage cross-media marketing. One of the most interesting barometers for digital engagement among potential consumers is always their willingness to engage with brands online. In this sense U.S. Hispanics certainly don’t disappoint. The same Ad Age report finds that 55 percent of those Hispanic consumers for whom family, heritage, and community are particularly important go online to research a product after seeing a TV spot. Forty-four percent have scanned a mobile tag or barcode, while 36 percent are likely to click on a mobile ad.

Hispanic consumers in the U.S. represent a highly valuable audience for digital marketers. They’re ready to speak to our brands online. It’s time we put more effort into creating campaigns that speak to them.

via 5 Ways to Target U.S. Hispanics Online | ClickZ.

Moms are at the center of their family’s offline life, so it’s little surprise that they’re also at the center of many of the biggest trends online as well. Whether to look up the latest product reviews or to connect with friends, families, and even brands through social networks, American moms are particularly active and influential online.

Social Networking

American moms use social media frequently, with nearly three out of four moms visiting Facebook during March 2012. When using social media, moms are 38 percent more likely to become a fan of or follow a brand online, and moms who blog are more than twice as likely to follow brands and celebrities compared to the online average.

Moms visit blogs more often, and are 27 percent more likely to visit Blogger and 26 percent more likely to visit WordPress.com than the general online population. In fact about one in three bloggers are moms, and 52 percent of bloggers are parents with kids under 18 in their household.

Shopping and Surfing

To help save time and money, many moms shop online; moms are 35 percent more likely to shop for clothes, 50 percent more likely to buy toys, 29 percent more likely to buy music, and 23 percent more likely to purchase e-books online within the past 30 days. When browsing the web Pinterest is an increasing popular as well, with almost 5 million American moms visiting the site, representing more than a third of their unique visitors from home computers during March 2012.

According to an earlier study by NM Incite, at least half of moms use social media via mobile devices, compared to 37 percent of the online population. Overall 54 percent of moms own smartphones (among US mobile subscribers), keeping them connected with family and friends.

To learn more about the digital habits of moms, sign-up for Nielsen’s upcoming webinar, The American Media Mom: Always-On, In Control, and Changing the Rules for Marketers

via Infographic: The Digital Lives of American Moms | Nielsen Wire.

UPDATED!!  RSVP at the event page: http://www.meetup.com/Marketing-to-Multicultural-Consumers/events/56401822/

Presenting: The Latino Opportunity – why the biggest brands are serious about Latinos.

Come hear whey the biggest brands are serious about understanding and appealing to the growing Latino consumer segment.

Featuring:

• Monica Gil, Nielsen Media Research – Senior Vice President in charge of Latino Strategic Outreach, and
• Ageda (Aggie) Garcia, Coca Cola – Multicultural Marketing Lead

Agenda:

• First, Nielsen Media will present an overview of the Latino market including the very latest data on media usage and digital habits
• Then Coca Cola will present its perspective how and why this segment is so critical to their efforts
• Q&A – bring your questions!

Speaker Bios:

MÓNICA GIL, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Government Relations

Mónica Gil is senior vice president of public affairs and government relations for Nielsen, a global provider of information and insights, located in 100 countries. In this role, Ms. Gil works extensively with elected officials, community leaders and Nielsen’s media, entertainment and consumer businesses to promote the company’s education, philanthropic, government and public affairs initiatives related to multicultural consumers.  Ms. Gil also manages Nielsen’s national Latino Strategic Outreach.

Prior to joining Nielsen, Ms. Gil served as a senior member of Antonio Villaraigosa’s 2001 Los Angeles mayoral campaign team, and in 2005 was part of his historic and victorious mayoral campaign. She has also served as press secretary for the Speaker of California State Assembly where she conducted media outreach efforts and organized citywide awareness events. Her communications expertise includes a role as senior vice president for Greer, Margolis, Mitchell & Burns (GMMB), a public policy, advertising and public relations firm, where she developed comprehensive media plans and grassroots coalition efforts for a range of clients. She was also director of public affairs and community outreach for the Los Angeles market’s Telemundo stations KVEA and KWHY, where she managed philanthropic efforts for Telemundo and served as the principal liaison for community outreach in the area.

She was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s “100 Influentials” and one of “The Most Powerful and Influential Latinos in Entertainment” by The Imagen Foundation in 2011.  She was also recognized as one of Los Angeles’ “Women Making a Difference” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.  

Ms. Gil is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.  She received her Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California, School of Public Administration. Ms. Gil serves on the Girls Scouts National Board of Directors, The Getty House Foundation, and Friends of the National Museum of American Latino.

Ageda “Aggie” Garcia, Multicultural Marketing Lead, Coca-Cola Refreshments

Ageda “Aggie” Garcia is the Multicultural Marketing Lead for the West and Northwest Regions at Coca-Cola Refreshments, a division of the Coca-Cola Company. She is currently responsible for multicultural marketing for both regions in large stores, small stores and food service/on-premise channels.

Her work includes providing insights, strategic development and commercialization of multicultural marketing initiatives.  Aggie joined Coca-Cola in 2006.

Aggie began her career in marketing with EMI Latin/ Capitol Records as the National Marketing Manager.  She then joined the Universal Studios Hollywood marketing and promotions team as the Sr. Manager of promotions and Corporate Sponsorships.

Aggie received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton in International Business with a minor in Chicano Studies. Aggie is a native of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley).

Psssst.  Beehive Group worked with BPG to develop the tagline “Latinos Live Here.”  Pretty cool to have it backed up by Sofia Vergara!

A surprise appearance by Sofia Vergara and performances by Shakira and Pitbull ensured attendees stayed alert as Univision today held its 2012 upfront event for advertisers and media. Univision repaid that attention by revealing details of its UVideos Digital Network, the cornerstore of a significant commitment to digital content that includes original content, second-screen experiences, and on-demand access to broadcast programming.

Univision’s advertising head David Lawenda feigned shock when Modern Family star Vergara (pictured) joined him on stage, asking what she was doing there. Echoing the network’s tagline, “Latinos Live Here,” she earned cheers when she replied, “I may work somewhere else, but this is where I live.”

Getting back to the actual news, UVideos will be accessible through game consoles, smartphones, tablets and connected TVs when it comes out of beta this summer. It also will include social capabilities such as TV check-ins, social streams, alerts and bonus content, and will be integrated with Facebook. Users can choose either Spanish- or English-language versions.

Among the exclusively digital programs will be three originals that Univision is calling webnovelas, the online equivalent of its telenovela dramas: Vidas Cruzadas and No Me Hallo, which have broadcast counterparts, and an untitled project starring Kate del Castillo. Del Castillo, who also stars in Vidas Cruzadas and had a recurring role in Showtime’s Weeds, soared in popularity following her role in the Fox Searchlight/Weinstein movie Under the Same Moon, the highest-ever grossing Spanish-language U.S. theatrical release.

Univision’s upfront presentation was held in New York City and was be hosted by Univision president and CEO, Randy Falco; Univision Networks president Cesar Conde; and president of Advertising Sales and Marketing, David Lawenda.

“Today, at least 20 percent of marketers’ target market is Hispanic, so what was once considered a niche is now an undeniable, mainstream growth opportunity,” Falco said, remarking on how much has changed over the network’s 50-year history.

Lawenda said that Univision has 94 percent live viewership, 68 percent unduplicated reach, and viewers who visit the network’s online presence twice as often as any other network. Besides which, he added, “Our millennial-heavy audience is a full generation younger than the audiences of the ‘Big Four’ networks.”

via Even Vergara couldn’t upstage Univision’s digital upfront.

Hispanics are early technology adopters, with high spending expected on devices and content

Hispanics are early adopters of both tablets and smartphones, and also more likely than whites to go online using mobile devices. All of that activity will add up to a sizeable pile of cash for device retailers and app stores in 2012. According to December 2011 research by advisory firm Zpryme, adult US Hispanics will spend $17.6 billion on mobile tech devices in 2012, a 30% increase over the previous year. It also estimates that Hispanics will spend $501.1 million on mobile apps by the end of the year.

via Hispanics to Spend $500 Million on Mobile Apps in 2012 – eMarketer.

According to a new Nielsen report on the Hispanic consumer, the U.S. Hispanic population is the largest minority segment and growing at a dramatic rate towards ethnic plurality (the coexistence of numerous ethnicities and races with no one segment in the majority), which has already occurred in the most populous states and is beginning to occur among the U.S. baby population.

The Executive Summary of the report shows that:

• Latinos are a fundamental component to business success, and not a passing niche on the sidelines
• Rapid Latino population growth will persist, even if immigration is completely halted
• Latinos have amassed significant buying power, despite perceptions to the contrary
• Hispanics are the largest immigrant group to exhibit significant culture sustainability and are not disappearing into the American melting pot
• Technology and media use do not mirror the general market but have distinct patterns due to language, culture, and ownership dynamics
• Latinos exhibit distinct product consumption patterns and are not buying in ways that are the same as the total market

Over 52 million strong, Latinos are impacting every aspect of the national landscape including popular culture, the workforce, consumerism, politics and American national identity, says the report. The Hispanic market’s size, growing clout, and buying power of $1 trillion in 2010 and $1.5 trillion by 2015 shows that Latinos are no longer just a sub-segment of the economy, but a prominent player in all aspects of American life.

The Hispanic market offers unique growth prospects within our borders, says the report. If it were a standalone country, the U.S. Hispanic market buying power would make it one of the top twenty economies in the world. What’s more, the per capita income of U.S. Hispanics is higher than any one of the highly coveted BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Despite the recession, U.S. Latino households that earn $50,000 or more are growing at a faster rate than total households.

Between 2000 and 2011, Hispanics accounted for more than half of the U.S. population increase with slightly greater growth than that of all other non-Hispanics combined. Hispanics will contribute 60% or higher of all population growth over the next five years. Even though immigration is down sharply, Hispanics continue to experience dynamic growth. In fact, Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic segment expected to grow 167% from 2010 to 2050, compared to 42% for the total population

While the overall U.S. population is graying, the Latino population remains young and the primary feeder of workforce growth and new consumption. Over 60% of the U.S. Hispanic population is under age 35, and 75% is under age 45.

The median age of the Latino population is 28 years old, nearly ten years younger than the total market median age of 37 years. Given that the age for a new homebuyer is between 26 and 46 years old, Latinos will become a force in residential purchasing over the next ten years.

Because of Latinos’ favorable demographics and increasing economic buying power, IBISWorld has identified seven economic sectors expected to benefit most from Latino demographic change:

1. Residential buying, food (grocery and restaurants)
2. Retail (especially clothing and electronics)
3. Education (higher education and technical schools)
4. Financial services
5. Transportation (automotive and airline)
6. Entertainment industry
7. Media industry

Nielsen notes particularly that In the U.S., Hispanic consumers’ usage rates of smartphones, television, online video, social networking and other forms of entertainment make this group one of today’s most engaged and dynamic populations in the digital space.

Hispanic mobile users send or receive 941 SMS (text) messages a month, more than any other ethnic group.  They also make 13 phone calls per day, 40% more than the average U.S. mobile user.

Social is another platform where Latinos are especially active and rising in numbers.  During February 2012, Hispanics increased their visits to Social Networks/Blogs by 14% compared to February 2011.  Not only are Latinos the fastest growing U.S. ethnic group on Facebook and WordPress.com from a year ago, but also Hispanic adults are 25% more likely to follow a brand and 18% more likely to follow a celebrity than the general online population.

Other digital findings from the report include:

• Hispanic video viewers are 68% more likely than non-Hispanic White viewers to watch video on the Internet, and 20% more likely to watch video on a mobile phone
• Hispanics outpace all ethnic groups in mobile downloads of music and pictures
• Hispanics are less likely to have Internet access at home compared to the U.S. average (62 % and 76%, respectively), but have increased home broadband use by 14% over the past year, which is higher than the 6% growth of broadband use in the general market

via MediaPost Publications Hispanic Market Impacts National Landscape Significantly 05/08/2012.

Good article from Latino Rebels explains why if you’re going to try to do ethnic markting, you might want to have some cultural experts on your team.

Why do major American brands, in their unending quest to tap into the “Latino craze,” miss the mark more often than not with their campaigns? One friend of our boss said it best when they were discussing the Mike’s Hard Lemonade “Be Mariachi’d Cuatro de Mayo” campaign: this is all about being “willingly ignorant.”

Screen Grab from Mike’s Hard Lemonade Ustream Channel

Mike’s, a product we actually buy and drink on those summer nights when we don’t want beer, is a quirky brand, but today, they took their quirkiness just a bit too far with their 5-hour live stream of an ‘improv mariachi” band. The result? No más Mike’s Hard Lemonade for the Rebeldes.

The idea, from the sound of it, was clever: people submit their ideas for songs and the quirky “improv mariachi” band would sign them. Yet, there is an idea and then there is execution of the idea. For one thing, five hours of improv is tough. On anyone. More importantly, there is something wrong when agencies will cross the cultural insensitivity line to get marketing attention. Ok, we get it. It is Cinco de Mayo, the new American St. Patrick’s Day. Even though Cinco de Mayo isn’t even celebrated in Mexico, it is now the “Latino” holiday in the US. So, let’s roll out the sombreros, sarapes, mariachis, and every other stereotypical image you can find. And to top it off, let’s get quirky and witty about it. This is why Mike’s campaign failed. It was trying REALLY HARD to be clever, and ended up pissing off some people. Predominantly Latino people. Or better yet, the fastest-growing consumer market in the United States. And now that consumers have blogs and social media, the damage has been done.

Meet the Fake Mariachi Guys

For those who see wittiness and edginess, we see mockery of cultures and traditions.

For those who see comedy in all this, we see comedy at the expense of others.

For those who tells us to relax and chill, we are pretty sure that if Mike’s decided to put these improv guys in blackface (yes, people, what you might see as “innocent” mariachi costumes borders on the racially insensitive and the culturally ignorant to many), people would have cried foul. And even if the rest of the world thinks we are being “politically correct” or “authoritarian” in ours views and opinions, that is what blogs are for: to express those opinions and to have a real dialogue about it, which is something that Mike’s own people should practice.

Here is what they did on their Facebook today. One Rebelde posted a comment on Mike’s site:

A few minutes later, Rodrigo’s comment was gone:

Brands and agencies talk a good game about two-way engagement, but when valid opinions from consumers are shared through Facebook, these brands are the first to delete those comments. Hell, we have been called every name in the book, but we won’t delete comments on any of our social networks. Without true engagement, you will never reach a real level of trust. The message that Mike’s is saying by deleting Rodrigo’s comment? We really don’t care about your opinion? That just won’t cut it in the new media age.

But, since this is all about suggestions and offering solution, you now what Mike should have done? Get areal bilingual and bicultural mariachi band. Have real talent actually perform “mariachi” versions of real songs from fans. That would have been fun, more authentic, and it would have actually gone a long way in showing that Mike’s was trying. And trying the right way. Hell, there is a whole mariachi genre dedicated to that (for example, Hotel California mariachi rocks!), That would have been edgy and cool.

Instead we got this. Pass the beer. We are done with the hard lemonade.

via The Cultural Ignorance of the Mike’s Hard Lemonade “Be Mariachi’d” Campaign.

Tumblr ads may provide a new, creative source of social media exposure for brands

via Tumblr Boasts Rapid Growth and New Advertising Opportunities – eMarketer.