How Hispanic Advertising Changed Thanks to the Evolution of Latino’s Media Consumption Habits in the U.S.

The market conditions of today are not just competitive but also culturally diverse. This means that brands must look for effective and efficient ways to market themselves and reach every key racial and ethnic demographic within the Hispanic community or LatinX. Different segments have different ways of consuming media depending, among other things, their country of origin.

In today's blog, we will be reviewing the changes in Latinos' digital habits, the second-largest ethnic group in the United States (18% of the total population, or almost 59 million people), to help your brand build a better connection with them. Who knows, maybe your Hispanic Marketing Strategy will follow these words.

Impact of the internet and smartphones on the Latino community in the States. 

Latinos are at the forefront when it comes to the consumption of new technology. A Nielsen report even showed that 35 percent of Latinos say they are usually among the first people in their group of friends to try new gadgets. The same report also shows that 54 percent of Latinos are willing to pay more for top-quality electronics. Not only this, but they also over-index when it comes to using the internet for infotainment, online marketing, and even for cultural connectivity. This is because 60 percent of them were born and grew up in the internet age. Unlike their parents, this Hispanic generation has grown up in the United States, watching Hispanic Advertising (along with general market advertising), so communicating with today's LatinX consumer needs to be in English and Spanish, in Hispanic social media channels, TV and Radio.

When it comes to smartphone ownership, Hispanic marketing trends show that they over-index the general US population by 9 percent. 69 percent use mobile while watching T.V., and 73 percent watch video clips on mobile devices. It is also astounding to know that as much as 99 percent of all Hispanic households in the U.S. have wireless phone service. They are indeed leading the shift from other devices to smartphones. A smart Hispanic media agency sure has many channels to play when following a smart Hispanic marketing strategy. Digital and otherwise.  

The advent of the internet has also greatly influenced the language of Latinos. With easy access to shows, news, and advertisements in English and Spanish, they have transcended their language boundaries. Now, 8 in every 10 Latinos prefer using the English language on their smartphones. And nearly 60 percent of them are bilingual at home.

Bilingual Hispanics (78 percent) were found to be most engaged with music streaming on apps such as Spotify and Pandora. 85 percent of them use platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to watch movies. Advertising to the Hispanic market sure has changed along with the market itself.

Tapping into the Latino community in the U.S. goes well beyond Hispanic social media.

They love social media — 26 million Latinos actively use Facebook, 12 million use Twitter, and 9.6 million use Instagram. As they are more socially active, they are more aware of the current trends. That being said, Latinos do not engage in mere mindless scrolling. They are clever consumers of the internet.

However, when it comes to online shopping, they also engage in extensive research online before making any purchasing decisions. 82 percent of all Latinos agree that the internet is the best source to gather information about products and services that one is planning to buy. And 78 percent of them actually go ahead and purchase products online.

Online marketers should note that Latinos are purpose-driven customers. 57 percent of them shop from brands that support a social cause they believe in, such as education and the environment. Loyalty and authenticity are two factors that they look for in retailers and marketers. What's more, when they find a suitable brand, 80 percent of them stick with it. Therefore, advertising to the Hispanic market requires developing a meaningful dialogue with them and expressing your concern and care for the Latino community.

Brands should also mind that Latinos are still more receptive to T.V. and radio advertising. I'd bet that 91 percent of them spend half of their time watching T.V. This means that traditional marketing is still popular among the Latino community. So, if you want a piece of that pie, you cannot completely overlook traditional marketing's importance with the Hispanic community.

 Lastly, we believe that marketing to Latinos with messaging in Spanish impact them emotionally, more so than English messages. While both rational messages in English and Spanish deliver the same impact. So perhaps stick to Facebook to branding messages while optimizing your PPC and SEO strategies with rational messages. 

Bilingual digital marketing agencies are uniquely poised to reach this audience with razor-sharp precision.

By now, you must have figured out how tech-savvy Latinos are. With a little understanding of how Latino's media consumption and behaviors have evolved, behaviors will help you attract this demographic more effectively and efficiently.

A savvy Hispanic digital marketing agency like Big Bite Marketers will help you capture this audience in their digital world. We create and produce bilingual marketing strategies and content, SEO/SEM campaigns, marketing automation, inbound marketing, and a lot more- like tv and radio- to help you connect, engage and sell to the Latino community.