New Terra comScore Research: Digital Marketing is Essential in Building Brands with Hispanic Consumers

Latin America - español

Hispanics Show Higher Interest in New Digital Experiences than Non-Hispanics

Digital Divide: Is NOW A Thing of the Past

News provided by

Jan 03, 2011, 12:00 ET

MIAMI, Jan. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new digital marketing study conducted by comScore and commissioned by Terra reveals that Hispanics are the ideal online consumers. The stunning results of the Terra comScore Ad Value Research Study show a full spectrum of engagement by Hispanics across multiple digital platforms including new data about how marketing initiatives positively influence brand perception. It also shows how Hispanics are in most instances more active in a wide variety of online activities and more receptive to new technology than non-Hispanics. The research also re-affirms that the Internet is the main media source of information for Hispanics when researching information about any service or product and goes even further by including an analysis of online engagement by category known as cognographics.

Fernando Rodriguez, CEO of Terra said: "This study breaks ground on several fronts with new information on the impact Internet advertising has in building a brand in the Hispanic market. We are excited to share the in-depth results with our clients in order to provide insight as to how better reach the Hispanic consumer online."

A key finding which represents a great opportunity for marketers is that if spoken to and reached with culturally relevant messaging in English and Spanish, Hispanics will react positively to brands online more so than non-Hispanics. While non-Hispanics may tend to look at interactive advertising as intrusive, Hispanics seem to be appreciative of the brands that are trying to reach out to them.

For example, Hispanics are more responsive to targeted ads with 37% saying they would likely respond to them vs. 30% for non-Hispanics. 35% of Hispanics vs. 27% of non-Hispanics said they are more open to advertising on sites where they read or contribute user generated comments. 37% of Hispanics vs. 25% of non-Hispanics enjoy the interactivity of online video ads, and the ability of obtaining additional information which is unavailable through a traditional TV ad. Furthermore, 36% of Hispanics vs. 24% non-Hispanics claim that Internet advertising has motivated them to visit a retail establishment while 35% of Hispanics vs. 25% of non-Hispanics are likely to attend movies based on their online campaigns.

The study also shows Hispanics are more open and willing to explore new technology presumably to stay up to speed with trends. In addition, these initiatives are likely to enhance their perception of the brand with 60% of Hispanics vs. 42% of non-Hispanics saying that they react positively to I-Pad demonstrations, virtual shoppers, mobile coupons, live streamings and others.

Hispanics are as engaged in social media as non-Hispanics; however they are more receptive to receiving updates for offline activities through mobile text alerts, Twitter feeds and Facebook. These include shopping for large retail items, looking for entertainment information such as movies, concerts, events and places to eat. They are also more likely to visit a brand's fan page and to follow Twitter updates from artists. Hispanics also show a higher rate of participation than non-Hispanics in numerous social media activities.


Use of Social Networks	Hispanic (A)	Non-Hispanic (B)
Viewed a live stream	24%B	18%
Posted ratings and reviews	26%B	16%
Searched for a job	22%B	12%
Purchased a product due to a recommendation	18%B	12%
Sought out customer support for a product/service	17%B	7%
Sold a product through a social networking posting	11%B	6%
Found a new job	12%B	4%
ABC - letters indicate that the reference group is significantly higher than the group with the corresponding letter at 95% confidence level.

With 30 million Hispanics online or 60% of the population and a continued trend showing more use of the most advanced features such as video and social media, the study shows that the digital divide is now becoming a thing of the past as Hispanics are at the forefront of embracing Internet and Technology.

Methodology

A total of 2,300 surveys were completed between September 13 through October 18, 2010. The nationally representative sample was recruited from comScore's online panel. All participants reside in the USA and are aged 13+ years. The data were weighted to national online targets for age, gender, household income, region of residence, and language preference (Hispanic only). The margin of error (95% confidence level) for a sample of this size is +/- 2.04 percentage points

About Terra:

Terra (www.terra.com) is a global digital media company and bilingual content producer with a presence in 18 countries, including the United States where it serves the growing Hispanic community. Focusing on lifestyle, entertainment, sports and news, Terra creates an interactive user experience for millions of U.S. Hispanics and provides comprehensive solutions for advertisers seeking exposure among this key demographic. In Latin America, Terra is the region's leading Internet company, with 70 million unique visitors per month.

SOURCE Terra