You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know: Dispelling Hispanic Media Myths
5/21/2009
By Kerri Allen
Dust off that high school textbook. It’s time to brush up your Spanish.
Just last week, the Census Bureau released some shiny, new population data: 1 out of every 6 Americans is Hispanic. As you’ve surely heard, this booming demographic wields a buying power of nearly $1 trillion and responds to those companies and products that know and understand them.
But too few PR practitioners are making significant efforts to reach this market, and my bet is that it’s due to preconceived obstacles that no longer apply. The language barrier? No existe. The digital divide? Over.
At the risk of overstating it, the field is pretty open for those communicators who aren’t afraid to try.
The Americanización of America
While the Latino population is now the nation’s “largest minority”, more importantly the demographic accounts for 50 percent of the total U.S. population growth. Twenty percent of all young adults and 20 percent of mothers of children under 18 are Hispanic.
Think of the implications of that growth 10, 20, 30 years from now. What will the media landscape look like in 2025?
Just last month, the Univision TV Network reported an audience growth of five percent among adults 18–49 among all U.S. TV viewers, not just Hispanics. The network’s primetime show “Cuidado con el angel” (“Don’t Mess with the Angel”) captured more adult viewers 18–34 than hit English-language series including "Scrubs", "Ugly Betty”, and “Law and Order”. Is your brand set to become integral to our modern Americana or is it still marketing to viewers of “Friends”?
A key factor to consider is that Spanish-language media influence Latinos differently than English-language media influence the general market. Simply put, it’s more influential.
Latinos rely on the media for more than entertainment—it’s a primary source for information on health, politics and education. Because there is a mantel of community responsibility among the creators of Hispanic media, their consumers put a level of trust in it. In contrast, the average general market consumer views English-language media with a bit more skepticism and understands that ratings drive content. Make no mistake: Spanish-language media survives on ratings and advertisers, too, but it’s not quite as ravenous about it.
Yes, hablo inglés
Are you pitching Spanish-language media or are you ignoring it because of the language barrier? Are you sure there is one?
Latina magazine launched in 1996 as a bilingual outlet, but is now all-English. The publication logs 3.2 million readers per issue and its digital outlet, Latina.com, reports 1.1 million average monthly page views. And Latina Style, Hispanic, Latino Leaders, Hispanic Business magazines? Yep. All English.
The Emmy Award-winning anchor of Noticiero Univision, Jorge Ramos, interviewed Sarah Palin in English. The Mexican journalist himself is bilingual and spoke to the Vice Presidential candidate in her native language. The interview was dubbed for the networks’ Spanish-speaking viewers.
The hit telenovela (soap opera) Sin senos no hay paraiso airs on the Telemundo network. On Mun2 (pronounced MOON-dose, a play on the Spanish word mundos, meaning “worlds”), the network’s channel for young, English-preferring Latinos, English subtitles accompany programs.
While the viewers, readers and listeners of Spanish-language media may prefer—or only understand—Spanish, individuals who have risen to the ranks of producer, editor and programmer are very often bilingual. That said, there may be a cultural learning curve for those who know little about the market or linguistic advantage to Spanish-speaking PR professionals. But don’t let these factors deter you or your firm from sending that first e-mail. The smartest media is changing with the environment, and the rules change very day.
The Mobile Masses
If you have some image in your head of a poor campesino looking confusedly at a computer screen, delete it. Replace that with an image of Perez Hilton tweeting and blogging and instant-messaging all day. In fact, Latinos far outpace Anglos in online and mobile usage. Of all wireless users in the U.S., 39% of U.S.-Hispanics use their mobile devices to read the news, in comparison to just 17% of non-Hispanics.
This is due, in part, to the fact that the Hispanic population is young. Census reports show that the median age of Latinos is 26, while that of the general population is 35, almost a full decade older. For PR practitioners, that translates into mobile and social media as the medium to reach the market.
The biggest media companies are already playing—and earning—In the space. There is AOL Latino, iTunes Latino, MySpace Latino, Facebook En Español, to name a very few. The newest foray into Hispanic social media is Twitteros, inspired by Twitter. Site creator Matt Reyes recently told Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, “Latinos are social by nature, whether it be through activism, art, or just having a good time. There are currently no Web sites that have a sole focus on digitally influential Latinos. Since Twitter doesn’t offer group and community support, Twitteros.net fills that void.”
Just do it.
All of this makes me think of a recent episode of the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Television network CEO Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) has an uncomfortable conversation with Elisa (Salma Hayek), his mother’s new Latina nurse:
Jack: It's not because you're a... I'm sorry, what do you call yourself?
Elisa: A Puerto Rican.
Jack: No, I know you can say that, but what do I call you?
Elisa: Puerto Rican.
Jack: Wow. That does not sound right.
If you feel a little like Jack, don’t worry. You can say Hispanic or Latino. You can ask what language a bilingual person prefers to use. And most importantly, you can look at the Hispanic media as another facet of our changing media environment and become a part of it.
Kerri Allen is the Director of Public Relations for the Hispanic communications firm REVOLUCION in New York City. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Public Relations Society of America’s Multicultural Communications section.