Plan Ahead: Hispanic Marketing Advice from the Future

Friday, Jan 15, 2010

Courtney Huckabay

I want to share some of Jose Villa’s thoughts on Hispanic marketing trends for 2011. That’s right, I said 2011. Start planning now, peeps, because the 2010 Census results will be out at the end of the year and I want you to be ahead of the curve. And, by the end of 2010, U.S. Hispanic Internet penetration is on pace to reach almost 70%, Villa reports.

Here are some trends pertaining to you:

Shift in Emphasis from Traditional to Digital Channels: Ultimately, clients make the decision as to where budgets are spent, and their increasing preference to go digital in the general market will carry over to their Hispanic advertising efforts. Hispanic direct response activity also will migrate to the Web, particularly as Hispanic digital performance channels eat away at traditional options (DRTV, direct mail, etc.).
Mobile Marketing: Its undeniable growth in 2010 will finally reveal the full potential for using mobile to reach Hispanics in 2011. In fact, mobile will likely start to replace local print media consumption (newspaper readership), and opportunities with couponing, QR codes and apps will make Hispanic mobile marketing the fastest growing segment in Hispanic media by the end of 2011.
The “Second Offensive” of the General Market Agencies: The 2010 Census results will help drive a new wave of interest in Hispanic advertising, both among marketers and general market ad agencies looking to continue to grow. Just like the lines between traditional and digital agencies were beginning to blur in 2009, by 2011, the lines between general market and multicultural marketing will become hazy, much to the dismay of specialist Hispanic shops.
Social Media Takes Center Stage: To borrow a phrase from Adweek, social media will “be like air” and a part of all things advertising. This will be the case in Hispanic advertising, as the over-indexing of Hispanics on social media should provide the “writing on the wall.” However, like in the general market, clients will start to take social media programs “in-house,” especially those focused on creating and managing communities.
Other Hispanic Media Will Experience Differing Fates: While Hispanic TV and print will suffer as a result of trends toward digital, radio and OOH have opportunities to emerge stronger than ever and evolve with changes in technology.
People will Talk about the “Good Old Days” of 2008 and before: As with the general market advertising industry, overall ad spending will take a long time to return to its pre-recession peaks. In the case of Hispanic media spending, those 2008 numbers won’t be seen again for a long time.