Wired Latinos

Today, eMarketer.com released a very promising report on wired Latinos. Their research has found that by 2014, 70% of the Latino population will be connected to the internet. This, they estimate will be a 60% increase from now (2010). The online population, they believe, will grow from 10 million to nearly 40 million by 2014 due to the natural population growth.

“This online population is young and thriving,” said Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Hispanics Online: Demographics and Media Usage.” “They frequently use social media, message boards and sports sites.”

English is the preferred or most common language used online by wired Latinos. Their data also showed that the Latino market is more receptive to online advertising than non-Latinos

According to a survey for ARAnet conducted by Opinion Research Corporation in March 2010, for example, Hispanics were more likely than African-American or white Internet users to respond to e-mail marketing offers. The same held true for banner ads.

“Marketers must move beyond their perceived language barrier and commit to reaching a market that is already a majority-minority community,” Ms. Phillips said.

“As the FCC’s broadband initiative begins to take hold in rural areas, even more Hispanic households could be online in coming years,” she added. “Marketers who ignore this population will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage against competitors who are testing digital campaigns targeted to this audience.”

Source: emarketer.com