The Paradigm of Transformation

We are going through a period where media and communication models that have been used to deliver messages to consumers at eroding at a rapid pace. That in combination with the transfer of control from marketers to consumers has left traditional media and the echo system they support wondering what to do next. The shift is taking place among all segments of the population. This is both a tread and an opportunity for companies that develop new communication models and understand the role consumers play in a brand's strategy under the new paradigm. There is no magic potion but the answer lays on a good understanding of the basics: know your target and how your product or service satisfies a specific need in the target.

Confronted with these changes, marketers can not use the same strategies they have used for the last 30 years. It is not about old or new media, it is about the role consumers have taken as creators of content whose distribution is facilitated by technology. This content can be in the form of a consumer complaining about your product and notifying the entire network in Facebook or all their followers in twitter. So brands listen up to what consumers have to say and use the same technology to empower your brand evangelizers.

The common denominator here is that the same technology consumers use to communicate is available to brands and they can identify trends and truthfully engage audiences in a conversation. You may not have the entire resources in house and need to bring them on board or outsource. There is no single formula for success. What can make a difference is the preparation of your internal resources along with a strategy that was derived from research and arrives at the intersection of a clearly defined consumer profile and how your product or service satisfies a specific need.

Where Shall We Invest?

Hispanics 211% More Likely to Download Digital Content

Though their use of broadband is slightly lower, online Hispanics in the US are 211% more likely to download digital content than the average US adult internet user, and they also are significantly heavier users of cell-phone features, according to a study by Scarborough Research. The study finds that 42% of Hispanic internet users have downloaded some form of digital content during the past 30 days, compared with 35% of the total internet population. Music is the top download category for both Hispanics and the total online population. Almost one-third (32%) of Hispanic internet users and almost one-quarter (24%) of all internet users have downloaded music during the past month. Download the report here.

Univision the # 3 Network

Univision held its Premio Lo Nuestro a la Musica Latina last week. The broadcast, which featured a message from President Obama, reached 13 million viewers, making Univision the #3 network for the night beating out CBS, NBC and the CW. Enrique Iglesias, Vicente Fernandez and Aventura are among this year’s winners. With Mexico in the headlines of late, President Obama will talk directly to a massive Hispanic aud when he makes an historic appearance on "Premio Lo Nuestro," Univision's longest-running and most popular music awards show on Thursday. Always ready to break old White House habits, Obama raised eyebrows during his second press conference Tuesday when he called on a Univision reporter to query him. If anything, these moves send a positive signal to a fast-growing electorate which helped land him in the White House. Read the whole story: Variety

Latino Kids are Majority of First Graders in 10 largest DMA’s

According to new data from the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC, Latino kids are a majority or near majority of first graders in nine out of the ten largest cities in the country with 74% in Los Angeles, 89% in Houston, 45% in Chicago and 40% in New York. Read the report here.

Coke unveils marketing pitch for Hispanics

The Coca-Cola Co. has launched a multi-media marketing campaign aimed at the nation’s 45 million Hispanics. The tagline “Destapa Tus Sueños,” or “Unleash Your Dreams,” is the Hispanic adaptation of the Atlanta-based beverage giant’s “Open Happiness” global integrated marketing campaign that began in January.

The campaign began airing a new television commercial on March 20, and expanded its media presence with a strong showing during Univision’s highest rated program “Premio Lo Nuestro” music awards, on March 26. The new ad will run on Spanish language networks including Univision, Telemundo and TeleFutura.

Also, beginning in May, Coca-Cola will start national marketing, advertising and public relations campaign featuring the Mexican National Team in the United States. Read the whole story.

An English Language Latino Themed Show Breakes The Mold

LatinEyes Gives the Regis and Kelly Show a Run for Their Money

The indie television show that reaches 50 million households was the second most watched show in Sioux Falls according to Nielsen's February 2008 book. “We were pleasantly surprised to see that the ratings for LatinEyes were so close to those for Regis & Kelly in the February 2008 book,” said Karen Floyd, Program Director at KELOLAND TV & UTV, a CBS affiliate. Both shows air at 9:00 am in Sioux Falls. In fact, LatinEyes was the second highest rated show in the time period. “When we replaced our local news program with LatinEyes in February 2008 we knew we’d have calls from viewers.” Viewers don’t like change and some have very strong opinions about replacement programs. “We are pleased with the program and hope for continued success in the time period. Thank you for the positive results we’ve had with stripping LatinEyes." The show's web site is re-launching with social features and video widgets and more via Luminacion.com. LatinEyes has build communities around the segments of travel, cuisine, entertainment, culture, style and technology. www.luminacion.com

2008 Latino Lifestyle Study
According to the Cassandra Report, the industry's foremost comprehensive lifestyle study of 14-34-year-old mainstream consumers and trendsetters, young Latinos have already taken notice of their role in shaping American mainstream culture. “Unlike their ancestors, young Latinos embrace technology, are predominantly bilingual, and are the leaders of both their families and their larger communities,” explains Jane Buckingham, President of The Intelligence Group, the publisher of the Cassandra Report. “It is more important than ever for marketers to find ways to communicate with this growing demographic.”

Highlights from the 2008 Latino Intelligence Report:
- The 40% Perception: Young Latinos are feeling their influence growing. When asked what percentage of the United States they believe is Hispanic, the average of all response was 40% (the actual Census figure is 15%). At the same time, 49% believe they are the group with “the greatest influence on trends” in the United States.
- Latinas Rising: In a departure from previous generations, young Latinas are feeling empowered and excited about the independence and choices they have. For example, among young Latinos, only 32% would aspire to be a stay-at-home parent, vs 42% of non-Latinos.
- Cautious Optimism: Young Latinos are largely optimistic and social: They are more likely to say they are “happy” compared to non-Latinos (63% vs. 53%) and twice as likely as non-Hispanics to prefer a “large group of friends” versus a “few close friends.”
- Social Networking: There is no digital divide for this generation: 88% of young Latinos report having a MySpace or Facebook profile, essentially the same figure as non-Latinos (87%). Read the whole story.


Net Video Views Topped 10 Billion In February
Views Up 66% Year Over Year, ComScore Reports
U.S. Internet users viewed 10.1 billion online videos in February—up 66% year over year—with Google’s YouTube again capturing the lion’s share of the traffic with 34% of all videos viewed, according to Internet measurement firm comScore. For the month, nearly 135 million Internet users spent an average of 204 minutes viewing online video, down slightly from January when more than 139 million users watched an average of 206 minutes online. The average online video clip duration was 2.7 minutes for February, compared with 2.9 minutes the month prior. Read the whole story.

Uva and Univision

The new owners of Univision brought a media and marketer expert to the 5th U.S. network. Mr. Uva is at the helm and he brings with him relationships with many marketers still missing from the U.S. Hispanic market.

The Hispanic/Latino media market is growing on several fronts. On the Spanish language front, new radio and television stations are operating in traditional and new markets. This segment will reach saturation soon because the population growth is flipping from new immigrant to U.S. born. I do not believe it will disappear in the near future but its growth will not match the boom of the early years. The other front, is the English language portion of media that is poised to grow at a faster rate and in for a longer term. Second and third generation Hispanics/Latinos, are bilingual, embrace their parents culture at different degrees and are looking for role models in the media. Programming at major networks still does not address the issues of identity and representation required to capture the hearts and minds of significant numbers of young Latinos.

Additionally, you have to consider the growing number of Hispanics in the Internet world. These consumers tend to be younger and watch less television. And in recent years mobile devices have become sources of entertainment and information for Hispanics. I think this is another area of growth based on findings from research groups.

In the era of multimedia and multi screens, Hispanics/Latinos are not immune to the phenomenon. marketers and advertisers have to consider many platforms to successfully reach this demographic segment.

IC