This week, Yahoo! Telemundo and Experian Simmons Research released findings that declare that Hispanics in the U.S. are “media mavens,” consuming and adopting media and technology at a higher rate than the general market. In my gut, I know this is true…to some degree. I mean, we do over-index in almost all categories imaginable, why not media consumption and media integration. However, I think as a group, we are slow to change and do not like change which makes me question the technology aspect of this study.

As I’m sure many of you will agree, this is quite a departure from the conflicting pieces of research out there including that Hispanics are not online; and those that are only speak English. Sound familiar? Working solely in the online industry for the last year has made me realize that this statement is simply not true. Another white paper from another general market agency will not change the fact that we are online and that we are responsive to Spanish messaging.

Finding

“The fact that TV viewership continues to grow among U.S. Hispanics while Internet penetration has almost doubled, combined with the high penetration of broadband access in this segment, presents a unique opportunity to offer this diverse audience more choices of meaningful and relevant content.”

We know the face of media in the US changes dramatically every year. We also know that the amount of print, OOH, cable channels, websites and mobile providers increases daily. The NAHJ (National Association of Hispanic Journalists) can confirm the obvious, however, we must watch for over-saturation. Remember, what goes up, must come down. However, what I believe we will see is much more integration of mediums.

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From Mediapost

A report released in March, 2007, entitled Latinos Online by PEW Research, finds that 56% of Latinos in the U.S. (comprising 14% of the U.S. adult population) use the internet. By comparison, 71% of non-Hispanic whites and 60% of non- Hispanic blacks use the internet. Lower levels of education and limited English ability largely explain the gap in internet use between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, concludes the report.

One in three Latinos who speak only Spanish go online.

• 78% of Latinos who are English-dominant and 76% of bilingual Latinos use the internet, compared with 32% of Spanish-dominant Hispanic adults.
• 76% of U.S.-born Latinos go online, compared with 43% of those born outside the U.S.
• 80% of second-generation Latinos go online, as do 71% of third-generation Latinos.
• 89% of Latinos who have a college degree, 70% of Latinos who completed high school, and 31% of Latinos who did not complete high school go online.
• Mexicans are the largest national origin group in the U.S. Latino population but only 52% of Latinos of Mexican descent use the internet. Even when age, income, language, generation, or nativity is held constant, being Mexican is associated with a decreased likelihood of going online.

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By Aimee Deeken

One of the fastest-growing Hispanic markets in the U.S. enjoys a bevy of targeted media

Though advertisers and media giants seeking Florida’s Hispanic audience have long established themselves in Miami, they might be wise to set their sites on Orlando, one of the fastest-growing Hispanic markets in the country.

In fact, the number of Hispanic residents across its nine counties soared 255 percent in the past five years, from 133,000 to 478,000, according to market intelligence firm Geoscape International.

The Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne DMA is No. 20 in both general- and Hispanic-market rankings. Hispanics make up approximately 14.4 percent of the 3.32 million population, according to BIA Financial Network, but their representation is greater in two counties: Orlando’s Orange County is 23.5 percent Hispanic; Osceola is 38 percent, according to 2005 U.S. Census data.
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