Wired Latinos

QueRicaVida.com, the Latino online marketing platform for General Mills has recently relaunched their successful website geared towards Latina women in the United States, focusing on many issues found in the Latino home: family, parenting, health and food. On May 20th 2010, the revamped website was launched at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, FL with over 35 Latina bloggers and over 125 attending media. The show was presented by various celebrities including: Puerto-Rican actress and spokesperson, Adarmari Lopez, actress and presenter, Angelica Vale, Sabado Gigante's, Javier Romero, Univision's morning show, Despierta America's,Karla Martinez as well as the chefs of Betty Crocker's Hispanic Cocina. As more and more brands, like General Mills, are waking up to the easy access of the wired Latina/o and the power of his/her dollar, websites like QueRicaVida are realizing the value in investing some of their marketing budget funds to revamp their websites. By: Catherine Arronte of Hispania PR

The cancer services and advocacy organization, Livestrong Foundation out of Austin, launched by successful cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong in 1997, today is rolling out Livestrongenespanol.org, a free Spanish-language version of their original online resource center and outreach initiative (Livestrong.org).

According to their press release, "LIVESTRONG aims to provide more support to a wider number of Hispanics/Latinos affected by cancer and those closest to them through increased visibility or access to the most common places people go for information: the internet, cellular devices and media outlets."

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Hispanics and cancer rates for Latinos are projected to increase by 142% by 2030 compared to 45% for the overall U.S. cancer incidence. Latinos, who as a demographic tend to have lower incomes, less education and less insurance, have lower survival rates for most cancers, which may reflect less access to timely, high-quality treatment. LIVESTRONGenEspanol is setting out for the crossroads of culture and health in an effort to close the gap in the health disparities for Latinos diagnosed with cancer.

The roll out of LivestrongenEspanol.org comes at the heels of the recently launched HispanoSano.com, which is also addresses Latino health care online.

Source: EarthTimes

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

Univision and "Republica Deportiva" (Sports Republic) kicked off today La Embajada de la Republica Deportiva Chevrolet (The Embassy of the Sports Republic Chevrolet) at Miami's Bayside Marketplace in true Republica Deportiva style with a festive bon voyage.

An experiential mobile marketing extension to Univision's flagship TV sports show, this promotional tour heads west for a cross-country trip that will take "Republica Deportiva's" high-energy content on the road to major Hispanic festivals, sporting events, and "hot spots" across top U.S. Hispanic markets.

"Univision is committed to further connecting our viewers with our shows via innovative platforms," said Ted Zagat, senior vice president, Franchise Development & Strategic Partnerships, Univision Communications Inc. "We are very excited to offer this unique 'Republica Deportiva' experience to our loyal viewers and marketers in local markets across the nation."

La Embajada de la Republica Deportiva Chevrolet will roll out during Memorial Day weekend (May 29th - 30th) at Super Soccer Expo at Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana, CA, and will continue stops throughout the nation in Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; San Antonio, TX; Houston, TX; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Orlando, FL; Miami, FL and San Francisco, CA. Tour stop details available at www.univision.com.

For over a decade, "Republica Deportiva" has featured unparalleled coverage of U.S. Hispanics' favorite sports. This rolling embassy will showcase a replica of the highly recognizable sports bar-themed "Republica Deportiva" set and will offer fans the opportunity test their skills in baseball, basketball and soccer challenges, all within an outdoor sports complex setting. The event will also feature DJ Nino's high energy live mixing, interactive digital activities and periodic broadcast cut-ins. Additionally, attendees will get to experience Chevrolet's safe and dependable vehicles like the Malibu, Equinox, Traverse and Silverado as well as Chevrolet's 3-on-3 soccer game and exciting prizes.

"We are very proud to bring Hispanic sports fans new and exciting ways to enjoy their favorite sports as a family this summer," said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. "We welcome families to experience our exceptional family of cars, crossovers and trucks and learn about OnStar, our safety ratings, fuel efficiency, performance and affordability."

With nearly 40,000 square feet, La Embajada de la Republica Chevrolet footprint will also feature interactive video game stations, historic sports memorabilia from Hispanic athletes, special Univision celebrity appearances and autograph sessions.

La Embajada de la Republica Deportiva Chevrolet is supported by Title Sponsor Chevrolet, Official Sponsor Lowes, and will be fully promoted across Univision's leading TV, radio, online and mobile platforms, complemented by Eventus' experiential marketing expertise. Taking the essence and excitement synonymous with "Republica Deportiva" on the road, the mobile tour will deliver face-to-face engagement opportunities for the show's existing fan base while creating awareness among other demographics.

"We are excited to launch this first of its kind Hispanic sports property within such a historic year for soccer fans across the country. La Embajada de la Republica Deportiva Chevrolet will provide fans, viewers, consumers and sponsors the opportunity to connect through one common passion point - sports," said Eventus' President & CEO Nelson Albareda. "We are proud to partner with Univision on this marquee experiential marketing program and we commend our sponsors for their commitment to Latinos and sports," he added.

"Republica Deportiva" airs nationally on the Univision Network every Sunday at 11am ET/PT, 10am Central. The show covers Hispanics' all-time favorite sports from Mexican, European and MLS soccer, to boxing, NFL, MLB, NBA, and Formula One. Hosted by Fernando Fiore, Felix Fernandez and Rosana Franco, the show features sports news, interviews, and human interest stories, as well as special appearances by world famous athletes.

Source: PR Newswire

Today WiredLatinos learned of Miami based healthcare company, Sana Health Group, recent launch of its new website, HispanoSano.com, which combines a sophisticated networking platform with its health assistance directory and personal database application. The first release of HispanoSano.com is now able to provide both consumers and healthcare companies on-demand solutions previously unavailable in one powerful platform.

"HispanoSano fills a critical niche in the healthcare universe by empowering Hispanics with clear, concise, and complete information about their healthcare, said Dr. Ruben Nazario, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “By allowing users to store their health information for easy access anywhere, HispanoSano has taken the lead in the upcoming health information revolution."

Delivering on Hispanic customers' desire to have easier access to healthcare that is more affordable, HispanoSano.com incorporates user-friendly tools and bilingual resources. These services offer access to information on everything from diabetes and cancer to fitness, diet and beauty, including insurance and money savings tips.

Based in Miami, Sana Health Group’s HispanoSano.com was developed by JeanMarie Adams and a core group of health community leaders who came together to improve health and wellness for Hispanics.

"HispanoSano.com is a total wellness resource with content available in Spanish and English, using tools to provide a greater online experience and level of relevancy," said JeanMarie Adams, CEO of Sana Health Group, Inc. "Our site will give Hispanic consumers control and access to the things they're most passionate about, their family’s health and wellness.“

The site is packed with valuable health care tips and important information, such as the recent drug recall from Johnson and Johnson which included common over the counter drugs like pediatric formulas of Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl. This is health information that is sometimes hard to find in mainstream media, let alone in other media targeting Latinos. The service HispanoSano's website is providing to the Latino community is priceless.

HispanoSano.com also includes a new user generated platform called “Mi HispanoSano” which when used with “HispanoSano Mobile” will allow users to store their health information for easy mobile access to their medical information. To prepare for the launch of the new applications, the company is offering the first 25,000 registered users free HispanoSano for life.

Source: PRDialogo

In an interesting (surprising?) move the IAB is folding its Hispanic initiative under the multicultural umbrella.

The IAB announced that the IAB Multicultural Council will replace the former IAB Hispanic Committee. The Council will focus on key issues that impact marketing and advertising within the multicultural marketplace including Audience measurement and ensuring that all segments of the U.S. population, especially minorities are properly measured and accounted for in online media measurement. It will also educate marketers and agencies on how to create successful digital marketing strategies to reach multicultural markets. In addition, it will equip multicultural publishers and agencies with the tools necessary to address the needs of marketers who want to reach multicultural markets.

“The work of this Council will drive a better understanding of the diverse populations and audiences that make up multicultural America and help marketers use interactive media to reach these market segments,” said Sherrill Mane, SVP, Industry Services, IAB.

New Research about Hispanic Online Market

The Hispanic division of the IAB Multicultural Council consolidated data from different resources to convey a clear message about the size, growth and dynamics of Hispanics online as well as how to most effectively talk to them in-language and in-culture. This document specifically covers the Hispanic dominant/Spanish preferred and bicultural/bilingual segments. The document will serve as a centralize resource for publisher, agencies, and marketers to reference for data on the relevant segments.

“The IAB Multicultural Council and the Hispanic Research presentation will serve as an important forum for our advertising clients and partners to learn more about achieving maximum ROI in the Spanish-language market in an increasingly digital media environment,” said Borja Perez, Vice-President, Integrated Solutions and Digital Media, Telemundo.

Source: Portada.com

This is the popular picture of Dora the Explorer with is being circulated by wired Latinos and others on the internet and through texts.

Why the mugshot and the alleged crime? "Illegal Border Crossing and Resisting Arrest."

It's just one of the doctored images of the Nickelodeon star floating around online, questioning her immigration status in much the way Tinky Winky the Teletubby's sexuality was questioned.

"Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos," says one sociology professor. Nickelodeon won't comment on Dora's background, which has never been made clear. She has brown skin and speaks Spanish, but with an American accent. She seems to live in an unnamed, borderless world, able to travel anywhere without consequence. "It's symbolic of the way many Latinos live ambiguously in the United States," says one Arizona gender studies teacher.

Source: newser & AP

Written by guest writer: Ramon Toledo and Richie Matthews, San Diego, CA

The City’s reputation as the detour location for Hispanic commerce continues to grow.

Propelled by a thriving Hispanic business presence, many business sectors in San Diego have remained comparatively stable during recent down economic times.

As the Hispanic market plays an increasingly integral role in the overall U.S. economy, San Diego’s convenient location across from the Mexican border and large Hispanic population, ranked 10th in the nation, has positively contributed to the city’s success. As more and more Hispanic entrepreneurs and Hispanic-focused businesses flock to the city, San Diego’s reputation as the U.S. hub for Hispanic commerce has also grown.

Hispanic-owned businesses are increasing at a rate triple that of the national average. According to the 2002 U.S. Census calculations, Hispanics owned about 35,000 businesses in San Diego County and about 23,000 in Riverside County. Nationally, Hispanics owned about 2.7 million businesses, a figure expected to swell to 4.2 million by 2012.

In San Diego, technology is the driving force behind the Hispanic business boom. Internet-based organizations proliferate in both Hispanic consumer and business-to-business markets as they ease in-market communication, geographic boundary crossing, networking and increase accessibility.

Many San Diego-based Hispanic companies are finding success in online business strategies. MexGrocer.com LLC is the nation’s leading online Hispanic grocer. With more than 70 percent of American households, including both Hispanic and general market, purchasing ethnic food products, MexGrocer.com is well-positioned to benefit from an increase in demand.

BuscaCorp.com is an online Hispanic entertainment network that provides a family of Web sites on the cutting edge of technology. Based in La Jolla, with branches in Tijuana, Mexico City and Santiago, Chile, the company recently signed a deal to become the official video gaming channel for MSN Latino.



Conferences Coming to Area

The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce, aka HISCEC, is another San Diego organization adding to the quality of the area’s Hispanic business scene. The HISCEC is an online business association focused on promoting Hispanic businesses via the Internet and the use of its own software applications that it offers for free. The chamber accumulated more than 750 businesses and professional members in its first year. To further support Hispanic business and the use of Internet and e-business tools, the HISCEC is hosting the 2010 Business and Technology Expo on Sept. 10 and 11 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Mexico Insurance Services Inc., a San Diego company and leading Internet insurance provider of commuter auto insurance for Mexico, changed the cross border insurance model six years ago by allowing customers to purchase insurance online when planning to drive into Mexico.

The city has been increasingly recognized as the detour location for Hispanic commerce. This acknowledgment is evident by the increased amount of Hispanic-oriented conferences being held in the area such as the recent Hispanic National Bar Association Mid-Year Conference and the upcoming Latin American Energy Conference.

As the role of the Hispanic community grows, so will the economies of metropolises with established Hispanic commerce.

Ramon Toledo served as the director of foreign capital for both the Probursa and Inverlat brokerage houses; and is the CEO of Busca.
Richie Matthews leads communications at the DiálogoPR offices in La Jolla and has carved out a niche as a leader within the Hispanic public relations sector.

CNN's Spanish-language news sites are about to get a little competition.

Quepasa Corporation (OTCBB: QPSA), owner of Quepasa.com, an online social network targeting the Latino community, just published a press release announcing that they signed an agreement with Zoosk online dating service.

According to the release, "Under the terms of the agreement, the Zoosk service will be made available to the users on Quepasa.com, integrating Quepasa's community with the growing online dating community on Zoosk. The objective of the agreement is to extend the Zoosk community across the countries of Latin America by promoting and monetizing the Zoosk offering to the users of Quepasa.com."

"Our syndication strategy gives partners a way to generate revenue, while attracting new Zooskers from various vertical communities," said Shayan Zadeh, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk. "We've engineered Zoosk to easily and seamlessly integrate with other Web properties, and the revenue sharing model is a win-win scenario for everyone involved. We are excited to partner with Quepasa to extend Zoosk's already global reach to an Internet and social savvy audience of Latinos."

"Quepasa is excited to integrate our community with the Zoosk dating service. Our users already use Quepasa as a place to flirt, play and win with other Latinos. The integration of the Zoosk dating service is a logical next step for our users who are looking to meet and date other Latinos online," said Quepasa CEO John Abbott.

The service is expected to go live on Quepasa.com before the end of May and will be the primary dating option made available to Quepasa's members.

Quepasa.com gained over 1.3 million members in April and now have over 13 million total.

Source: marketwire.com

This is part two of a two part comentary article written by Lee Vann, founder and CEO of Captura Group and published by MediaPost.com. It has very interesting data and insightful comments on wired Latinos. (I have to say, I'm sorry I missed this conference).

As a follow-up to my previous post, I wanted share the highlights of my recent presentation, "Are Hispanics Really More Social?" and also some great insights that I picked up at this week's Hispanic PR and social media conference in Dallas.

I chose a rhetorical question for the title of the presentation because most of us know that being social is hardwired into Hispanic culture. Being at the conference with a couple hundred Hispanics really brought this point to life. The atmosphere was friendly, fun and-well-social.

In addition to being highly social, Hispanics consume a ton of media. I came across statistics that indicate that Hispanics teens spend 13 hours per day with media, more than any other ethnic group.

I then took a look at technology usage and showed that Hispanics are leapfrogging to the latest and greatest technologies, including mobile. What's more, Hispanics have an extremely positive view of the technology and, once they get their hands on it, they use it and love it. Here are some key facts:

• 84% of Hispanics have a broadband connection vs. 79% of Whites

• 36% of Hispanics view the Internet as tool for building a better life vs. 30% of general market

• 68% of Hispanics are wireless Internet users vs. 54% of Whites

• 81% of Hispanics text vs. 62% of Whites

Hispanic social media, the perfect storm

When you combine the highly social Hispanic culture with strong technology usage, you get a perfect storm. I argued that social media is the perfect avenue to unleash the Hispanic culture. For the most part, every-day Hispanic culture is confined to neighborhoods throughout America. Social media changes that. It gives every-day Hispanics a voice and provides a global, viral platform for spreading the culture.

When it comes to social media sites, I showed an analysis using data from Quantcast.com and ran down the most popular social media sites among Hispanics. Here are the top five:

• YouTube.com, 15 million monthly Hispanic visitors

• MySpace.com, 8.8 million monthly Hispanic visitors

• Facebook.com, 6.2 million monthly Hispanic visitors

• Twitter.com, 3.0 million monthly Hispanic visitors

• Univision.com, 1.9 million monthly Hispanic visitors

I spent some time talking about Twitter and highlighted new data that indicate Hispanics are heavy users. I was able to bring this point to life, and have fun with the audience, by showing real-time, lively, insightful and highly social tweets from conference attendees.

The Hispanic social media opportunity is wide open

I wrapped up with a call to action for marketers to engage with Hispanics through social media. U.S. Hispanics are extremely active with social media, and few companies are proactively leveraging these media to reach them.

So don't be shy. Be like Hispanics. Be social.

Source: MediaPost.com

This is a two part article written by Lee Vann, founder and CEO of Captura Group and published by MediaPost.com. It has very interesting data on wired Latinos. (I have to say, I'm sorry I missed this conference).

When my friend Manny Ruiz asked me to speak about Hispanics and social media at the first annual Hispanic PR and Social Media Conference in Dallas coming up on May 11, I thought I would address a question that is on the minds of many marketers today: Are Hispanics really more social?

Getting to the bottom of this question is critical because there seems to be a disconnect among Hispanic marketers when it comes to social media. On one hand, there are countless studies indicating that Hispanics are extremely engaged with social media. On the other hand, few marketers are proactively leveraging social media to reach online Hispanics.

Hispanics Are More Social, Really

In the past year, many studies have clearly demonstrated that Hispanics are actively using social media in large numbers. Here are three points to consider:

1. A critical mass of U.S. Hispanics uses social media websites

In January, the most popular websites among Hispanics, in order, were Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Facebook. ComScore Media Metrics indicates that 10.55 million Hispanics, or 45% of online Hispanics, now use Facebook.

2. U.S. Hispanics are tech-savvy and love the Internet

The 2010 AOL Hispanic Cyberstudy paints a clear picture of online Hispanics today. They are young, affluent, have large households and are "more enthusiastic about the benefits of the Internet than [is] the general market." What's more, the study shows that Hispanics are more sophisticated technology users.

3. Hispanics are extremely engaged social media users

A recent report from Tamara Barber at Forrester Research indicates that Hispanics over-index the general market across all social technographic segments, especially when it comes to "high-order" social media activities.

Using social media to reach Hispanics is a no-brainer, or is it?

Given the data, it is surprising that 78% of companies in a recent Orcí survey reported they are not using social media to engage Hispanics. What's more, 74% of those surveyed do not know if social media is a viable way to engage Hispanics.

I understand. Social media marketing is a new marketing discipline with many challenges. It falls in an awkward space between digital marketing and public relations that few marketing agencies can fill. Social media marketing requires creative thinking and writing, human resources who understand the Hispanic culture and social Internet, budgets, and, yes, approval from legal.

Add that to the fact that Hispanic budgets and resources are scarce, it's no surprise that Hispanic social media marketing lacks the priority it deserves. That said, social media is here to stay, and marketers who fail to accept this reality will be left behind.

To me, using social media to reach Hispanics is a no-brainer for two simple reasons:

1. A critical mass of Hispanics is actively using social media

2. Today, your competitors are not using social media to reach them

So are Hispanics more social? ¡Claro que sí!

They're just waiting for you to talk to them.

Are you using social media to engage with Hispanics? If so, it would be great to hear what your experience has been. If not, why not?

Source: MediaPost.com

Latino2Latino, a new Latino social networking site that focuses on Latino businesses was launched yesterday. It is an information sharing site where members are invited review, discuss and rate their experiences with restaurants, events, businesses and even music, movies and books.

Tito Ramos, a spokesperson for Latino2Latino.com, said the site represented the first serious, wholly dedicated Latino community online, and provided users with the opportunity to meet and interact with other like-minded individuals to share their experiences of local businesses, products and services.

"At Latino2Latino.com, we’re delighted to offer a comprehensive social network for the Latino market. In addition to a wealth of social functionality, like customizable user profiles and a chat function integrated with the web's largest IM platforms, Latino2Latino.com is a fun portal for users to share and discuss reviews of pretty much everything. Centered around sharing reviews and discussing products and services, Latino2Latino.com specifically focuses on the Latino community to provide the first credible social website for Latinos worldwide."

When the market is consumed with main stream online users, wired Latinos seek to fill an obvious void in the internet industry by building their own sites and supporting each other.

Membership at Latino2Latino.com is free and the site is in English and Spanish. If you're a Latino, sign-up. If you're mainstream, check them out, they may be the next Yelp for Latinos.

Hispanic PR founder, Manny Ruiz, launched papiblogger.com an internet site for creative parenting tricks. Although the word "papi" stands for "daddy" in English, Mr. Ruiz made it clear that it will be a site is in English and targeted for all parents, Latinos and non-Latinos.

Mr. Ruiz said that visitors can expect to find his personal parenting stories as well as parenting stories from other famous "papis." Ruiz himself has three children between the ages of 1 and 10 years from two different marriages. "I'm writing for and about ALL parents who want to share creative parenting tricks. I have a slew of wacky parenting techniques and I'm excited to see what other father and mothers, Latino and non-Latino alike, have to share."

The site was launched on the first day of the Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference in Dallas on May 11, 2010. This summer, papiblogger.com plans to take the site on a 10,000 mile tour accross the country from Florida to California and cities in between to get 1 million followers on this twitter page (www.twitter.com/papiblogger).

This site is an example on how the new generation of internet savvy wired Latinos is taking the internet by storm. Latinos are participating not only as sophisticated internet users, but as website creators . . . forging a new road for marketing in this lucrative market.

Gossip sites are a great way to reach the Latina between the ages of 15 - 35. Latino gossip sites abound out there and many more are popping out each and every day. But for you advertisers that are looking to reach a captivated female audience, here are WiredLatinos.com top 5 Latino gossip sites based on Alexa and Quancast rankings:

1. Guanabee.com -- Alexa 12,900, Quancast 120K
2. Blogamole.com -- Alexa 38,485, Quancast 36.8K (this is an MTVTR3s site)
3. Latingossip.com -- Alexa 67,369, Quancast no info.
4. Hissip.com -- Alexa 139,594, Quancast 554
5. Chismetime.com -- Alexa 103,443, Quancast 268 (this is a PerezHilton.com site -- Alexa 199)

There are also other gossip sites that primarily focus exclusively on celebrity gossip from Mexico and Latin America and read well in Spanish. A lot of these sites have no Quancast rankings, so we decided, just to give you our own humble ranking on them based on quality of information, currency of information and web-design:

1. Faranduleo.com
2. Farandulista.com
3. Celestrellas.com
4. Hollywoodosis.com
5. Chismecalientito.com

WiredLatinos.com understands there are a lot of gossip sites out there. Some are of great quality, but rarely get updates. Some of them are of very poor quality and get updated on a regular basis. If you're an advertiser, do your research. There are many ways to reach your Latino audience online.

Mexico Internet Market Overview March 2010 Total Mexico Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix, Panel-Only Data
	Mar-2009	Mar-2010	% Change
Total Unique Visitors (000)	12,914	15,462	20
Total Minutes (MM)	20,274	26,097	29
Total Pages Viewed (MM)	20,819	29,342	41
Total Visits (000)	534,799	758,923	42
Average Minutes per Visitor	1,570.0	1,687.8	7.5
Average Pages per Visitor	1,612	1,898	18
Average Visits per Visitor	41.4	49.1	18.6

*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Comscore, one of the leading internet and market research company, just published a report where they found there are 15.5 million internet users in Mexico who spent more than 25 hours online per week, consumed nearly 2000 pages of content and returned 49 times per month in the last year: up 20% from last year. Mexico, the report stated, "is one of the fastest growing internet markets.

Top Internet Properties Based on Unique Visitors March 2010 Total Mexico Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix, Panel-Only Data
	Total Unique Visitors (000)
	Mar-2009	Mar-2010	% Change
Total Internet : Total Audience	12,914	15,462	20
Microsoft Sites	11,084	14,268	29
Google Sites	10,738	14,218	32
Yahoo! Sites	7,311	9,003	23
Facebook.com	2,696	8,736	224
Wikimedia Foundation Sites	5,427	7,312	35
WordPress	3,606	5,222	45
MercadoLibre	6,154	5,044	-18
Batanga	4,508	4,975	10
Taringa.net	2,296	4,669	103
HI5.com	4,100	4,197	2

*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Early bird always gets the worm, and this fat worm right now is being consumed by non other than Microsoft which dominates 90% of the internet market in Mexico with14.3 million users in the ages of 15+ (up 29% from last year). This is followed by Google with 14.2 million (up 32%) and Yahoo in the third place with 9 million (23%). Facebook, however, trippled its numbers in Mexico in the last year with a respectable 8.5+ million users. Among Latino sites that are specifically targeted toward that market, Mercado Libre, Batanga and Taringa are all neck-in-neck with around 5 million users each.

Interestingly, these numbers exclude visits from public internet cafes and PDA devices, which as we all know Latinos are definitely big on updating their tweets and facebooks via their cell phones, so the numbers are most likely a lot greater.

These are definitely awesome numbers that are obviously in their infantile stages and growing at an astronomical rate. Advertisers would be wise to include this market in their marketing budgets.

Souce: comscore

Read full report here.

Following explosive growth of almost 200% in its online money transfers to Mexico over the past year (1), Xoom.com, a leading internet-based global money transfer company, today announced that Xoom.com services can be used to send money to the Banamex Network in Mexico. The new partnership offers Xoom.com to offer its users more options to receive their money and to meet the growing consumer demand for online money transfers to Mexico. The Red Banamex Network offers the recipients of Xoom.com's money transfers more than 4,000 additional pick-up locations throughout Mexico and gives consumers in the U.S. the ability to make deposits directly into any Banamex checking or savings account, for access to funds within minutes.

Despite a significant decline in the overall remittance industry over the past year, Xoom.com's online money transfers to Mexico continue to grow. For the month of February 2010 alone, online remittances to Mexico via Xoom.com grew by 112 percent over February 2009.(2) By contrast, overall remittances decreased by 14 percent during the same period.(3) A recent survey of 427 Xoom.com customers who send money to Mexico regularly, points to continued growth in the coming year. Ninety percent of consumers polled plan to send the same or a greater amount in 2010 compared with 2009(4) explaining that the service is easier to use than traditional remittance methods, and also saves them time and money.

"Today, Xoom.com has taken another major step to meet the rapidly-increasing demand for our online remittance services, and deliver the highest quality customer experience," said Theresa Pasinosky, Xoom.com's Marketing Director for Latin America. "The Red Banamex Network provides our customers with safe, easy and reliable online money transfer solutions, seven days a week, either directly to an account, or available for pick-up at one of the largest, most reputable banks in Mexico."

"We are pleased to see interest from major international financial institutions, as market demand for alternative methods of money transfers continues to grow," added Eugenio Nigro, Vice-President of Business Development, Latin America.

It is estimated that the 12 million Mexicans living in the U.S. send approximately $21 billion a year to their homeland.(5) This new service expands Xoom.com's comprehensive corporate initiative to serve this country's rapidly-growing Mexican consumer market by providing an alternative money transfer option that is fast, easy, convenient and inexpensive. Xoom.com's money transfer service allows U.S.-based customers to send money to Mexico from any internet-enabled computer using a checking account or credit card to fund the transaction. The cost to send money with Xoom.com via checking account – up to a daily limit of $2,999 – is just $4.99.

Pasinosky believes that growth in online money transfers to Mexico will continue to be robust, citing recent research showing internet usage among U.S. Latinos outpacing the growth rate in the general market – more than 58 percent of Latinos are now online savvy.(6) "It is only natural that more U.S. Latinos will embrace Xoom.com as they get online."

"Banamex, a pioneer in the money transfer service to Mexico, is always on the forefront of new technologies to better serve our clients," said Salvador Villar, Chairman and CEO of Banamex USA.

"We understand the dynamics of the money transfer industry as well as the needs of our customers. That is why in addition to our extensive network of Banamex branches we pay transfers through thousands of non-bank locations that make up the Banamex Aqui Network. Red Banamex covers practically every town in Mexico, offers service seven days a week and extended service hours (in some cases even 24 hours a day) to respond to the needs of today's market and help us meet our commitment to provide money transfer solutions to customers," added Villar.

The Red Banamex Network is the latest addition to Xoom.com's growing base of top Mexican networks. Banamex offers the largest network of payout locations among Mexican banks, with many open seven days a week and evenings through Farmacias Guadalajara, Comercial Mexicana, Casa Ley and other retail locations throughout Mexico.

Source: PR Newswire

Today emarketer.com published a great article (read article here) explaining in full detail how Twitter is basically overflowing with multi-cultural activity. African-Americans represent 11% of Twitter's activity while Hispanics, on the other hand, "were also overrepresented on Twitter, at 17% versus 13.4% of the US Internet population."
These numbers are no surprise as the most recent report by Pew Hispanic Research stated that 84% of Latinos compared to 82% of Whites own a cell phone. "While many users update their status with a PC, mobile devices are a major conduit of microblog posts, and research shows that African-Americans and Hispanics are both more likely than whites to use the mobile Web, especially among younger users. Latinos are known to more likely to update their tweets by phone," explained the article. And the reason for this, of course, is that Latino population is young and more open to new technological advances like the mobile web.




The Latino internet community is still growing and evolving into their own presence and marketers are now beginning to see the picture.

Source: emarketer y Pew Internet

Poder360 yesterday published a great article on Hispanic advertising and the dog eat dog world it is. Recently, the coveted $35 million Home Depot contract went from an all Hispanic agency (Vidal Partnership) to Richards/Lerma a subsidiary of the huge Richards Group.

The argument is that these specialty Hispanic advertising agencies are losing to the big mainstream agencies that are learning the value of the Latino consumer. So, there is an uproar in the advertising community.

"Traditionally," the article stated, "insight into Spanish-language immigrants was the mainstay of Hispanic agencies." But things are changing and the differences between mainstream advertising agencies and Latino advertising is beginning to blur as more and more Latinos can be reached in English and large advertising agencies have educated themselves on the Hispanic market.

But the playing field opens up again: internet and social media for Latinos. At the brink of the new 2010 Census results, the numbers could be staggering and the market lucrative, to say the least. Right now, it is estimated that more than 23.6 million Latinos go online regularly and they're more apt to use their phones to update their twitter or social pages like facebook or myspace. In a few more years, that number is expected to increase by leaps and bounds.

The most interesting part of the article was the Orci Survey of advertisers. Considering the booming online Latino numbers, it was mind boggling to see that only "78 percent of company respondents said they were not using social media in their marketing quivers, and 74 percent said they did not know if it was a useful tool."

So, it is definitely an advertising sector that is up for grabs. The numbers are there . . . it is only a matter of reaching out to them.


Source: Poder360

Nielsen Ratings, the marketing and media giant, who has been accused in the past of not including enough minorities in their research has recently expanded its campaign to include these underrepresented groups through online microsites. The microsites will be in Spanish and English as well as six different Asian languages. Cheryl Pearson-McNeil, executive at Neilsen, said a goal is to "better educate and inform our ethnic communities of Nielsen's outreach initiatives and services as well as why their opinions and preferences matter."

The article that was published on MediaPost.com, also stated, "The sites -- a phase of Nielsen's 'You Matter' campaign, which informs minorities how its research can impact what they watch and need -- note that Nielsen is known mostly for its TV ratings. But they stress the push to collect data on other media consumption and purchase behavior. The sites were created with help from ad agencies with expertise in targeting African-, Hispanic- and Asian-Americans -- the same groups behind 'You Matter.'"

Their efforts are also extended into their own corporate culture, and are ensuring to have a diverse and multicultural workforce.

We, Latinos, love the "guiri, guiri" or the more trendy "Pio-pio" (the literally translation of tweet-tweet) and Latinos are keeping up with their tweets by phone. A recent study done by Business Insider discovered that Blacks and Latinos are more likely to tweet by phone than mainstream.

The key is to see who will be taking advantage of the findings of this study.

Politicians, listen up. If you really want to connect with the Latino community, or better yet, the Latino vote, begin reaching out online.
According to a recent Pew Internet and American Life Project, Latinos are not very different from mainstream when it comes to politics and government online. The study showed that 40% of adults use the internet for raw government research data. In addition, it also showed that 31% of adults use social media tools like blogs, networking sites and video to stay current on government issues.
Here is the interesting part, "these new tools show particular appeal to groups that have historically lagged in their use of other online government offerings—in particular, minority Americans. Latinos and African Americans are just as likely as whites to use these tools to keep up with government, and are much more likely to agree that government outreach using these channels makes government more accessible and helps people be more informed about what government agencies are doing."
If you're serious about your political career, be serious about reaching out to this growing community.

Read the entire report here: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Government-Online.aspx

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez has joined the ranks of those who say, "If you can't beat 'em, tweet 'em."

Facing a flurry of cyberspace critics, the loquacious leader known for hours-long speeches made a revolutionary move Wednesday, sending his first message from a Twitter account where his missives are limited to 140 characters.

"Hey how's it going? I appeared like I said I would: at midnight. I'm off to Brazil. And very happy to work for Venezuela. We will be victorious!!" it read.

Just as Chavez has been cracking down on traditional media, he finds himself on the defensive against an Internet-based opposition doing battle with computers and handhelds.

"As the government has tightened the screws on the media, the use of the Internet, blogs, Twitter and so forth has grown exponentially," said radio host and newspaper columnist Nelson Bocaranda, whose witty anti-Chavez commentary has earned him more than 140,000 followers on Twitter.

Of the 200 Venezuelans most followed on Twitter, close to 90 percent side with Chavez's opposition, said Carlos Jimenez, director of the Caracas-based online polling firm Tendencias Digitales. But he expects "Chavistas" to catch up.

Already, the president's Twitter account, "chavezcandanga," is headed toward the top of Venezuela's most-popular list, gaining more than 79,000 followers less than 24 hours after he sent his first message. "Candanga" roughly translates to "devil" in some Latin American countries, though in Venezuela it can mean "rabble-rouser."

"The opposition thinks it owns the social networking sites. They think Twitter and Facebook belong to them," said Diosdado Cabello, head of the state-run telecommunications regulator.

"We're fighting and there are 7 million of us who will have Twitter," Cabello added, referring to members of Chavez's socialist party, adding that their tweets would carry messages "from our commander."

More than 8.7 million Venezuelans were regular Internet users as of January, or about 30 percent of the population, up from 25 percent in 2008, according to Tendencias Digitales.

Some 350,000 of those users were registered on Twitter, a tenfold increase from 2009. More than 5.4 million Venezuelans were registered as Facebook users, double those in the previous year.

Chavez has been accused of cracking down on critics as he sees his popularity slip amid energy shortages and soaring inflation. His government has brought criminal charges against the majority shareholder of Venezuela's lone anti-Chavez TV channel, and pressured cable companies to drop the critical Radio Caracas Television International after it refused to comply with a new rule requiring media outlets to televise mandatory programming, including Chavez's speeches.

But that didn't stop the debate over Venezuela's most popular and divisive politician from exploding in cyberspace.

Opposition politician Oswaldo Alvarez Paz texts from the jail cell where he is being detained after saying on TV that Venezuela has become a haven for drug trafficking.

"I've been imprisoned for expressing an opinion," read one of Paz's recent dispatches, which drew thousands of responses on Twitter.

Radio host Bocaranda condemned Venezuela's close ties with Cuba in a recent tweet. "It's not often that one can recognize a truthful statement from Raul Castro: 'Venezuela and Cuba are becoming the same thing.' That's true, we're retrogressing," he said.

Chavez initially called for regulation of the Internet last month, specifically urging prosecutors to act against one critical website. But he later backtracked and said he would begin blogging instead. His new strategy to dominate social networking sites includes using a group of young "communication guerrillas" to battle opposition messages in the media and online.

Venezuelan-American lawyer and activist Eva Golinger often defends Chavez using Twitter and her blog, "Postcards From the Revolution."

She has posted information about U.S. funding for organizations that she accuses of trying to unseat Chavez and took issue with those questioning Alvarez Paz's arrest. He is charged with conspiracy, spreading false information and publicly inciting crime.

"There are so few voices out there that were not against the revolution that I almost felt like it was my obligation," Golinger said.

Some of Chavez's online critics, meanwhile, have gained a following by using humor. El Chiguire Bipolar, named after a giant rodent found in Venezuela, is now one of the nation's most popular websites with cartoons, satirical videos and bogus news reports — including a recent parody of Chavez blogging.

"Hi, my name is Hugo and I'm new to all this stuff of blogs and the Inter-Web," the site said. "They asked me for a password, but the truth is that I forgot the one I'd always used."

In a second mock entry, Chavez gives up, saying he'll ask Cabello "to expropriate a blog for me somewhere."

Chavez's socialist government has taken over many private businesses.

Source: Associated Press

As Latinos congregate online, they are turning to the first and largest organization of its kind in the US: Latinos in Social Media (Latism). Today, LATISM has announced its newly constituted Board of Directors.


With the online Latino population set to reach critical mass, a group of influential Latinos within the demographic decided to create an organization for and by Latinos to share, network and promote themselves and their businesses within the social media space: Latinos in Social Media (LATISM), the largest organization of Social Media professionals of Latino origin. Today, LATISM has announced its newly constituted Board of Directors.

Among the members of the board are respected business executives, marketing and PR professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners. The new board members already specified by LATISM bylaws include business woman and social entrepreneur Ana Roca Castro; social media consultant Louis Pagan; business executives Sylvia Aguilera and Giovanni Rodriguez, entrepreneur Kety Esquivel and marketing executive Elianne Ramos.

"It is an honor to serve as Chair on the Board of Directors," Roca-Castro said. "Our board is an accomplished group in the personal, professional and social media arenas. These are all strong, independent-minded individuals who see the big picture and will bring their high standards of excellence to their work with LATISM, to the benefit of all professional Latinos. With their collective capacity to put the best interests of Latinos first, we have a bright future."

The five current seats named will serve in the areas of Fundraising/Development, Membership, Events, PR/Marketing, Technology and Strategic Partnerships. All individual board members were selected by LATISM for their individual contributions to the organization's initiatives nationwide.

Together, Board members will help LATISM to provide a common platform of support and networking; to promote and grow members’ businesses, to help social media professional members acquire better positions and improve their businesses by finding and channeling business opportunities, funding, networking and speaking opportunities.

According to recent studies, there were nearly 23 million Hispanics online in 2009 -12.3% of the US Internet population –a number that is expected to increase to 13.9% by 2013 (Source: e-marketer.com). All members of the board are considered “influentials” within this demographic, and they represent the diversity of the Latino ethnic spectrum. All five board members are Hispanic-Americans from a diverse list of Latin American countries and four of the board members are women.


Source: Newswire