Mobile Use Among Hispanics Escalating Compared to the Total Population & How it Impacts Marketers
Whether you’re at home, at work or anywhere in between, your mobile phone allows you to stay connected with everyone around you. You can surf the web, play games like Angry Birds, check into destinations via Foursquare, read restaurant reviews and make reservations through Yelp and OpenTable, take pictures and post them on Facebook and Twitter, and download music and coupons all from the palm of your hand. These devices can do everything your home computer can do, and cost less than half the price. Mobile usage continues to climb among all groups; however, the group that is leading the charge is the Hispanic population. According to Scarborough Research, mobile usage among Hispanics is escalating at a faster rate than it is among the total population. Mobile marketing to the Hispanic population allows one to reach a massive audience that is only getting bigger when they are using a device that is not only fun, but is with them at all times.
Currently, 82% of Hispanic adults use a mobile phone, while almost 11% of Hispanic children between the ages of 13-17 are using mobile devices. The Pew Hispanic Center’s 2010 National Survey of Latinos discovered that 49% of 16-17 year olds say they send text messages from their mobile phones every day, but it doesn’t stop there. Hispanics text, download music, play games, and use social networking from their phones more than the total population of all mobile phone users. What is driving these massive numbers and what is driving Hispanics to their phones at this rate? One reason is the ability of social networking; Hispanics see this as a way to connect with friends and family both locally and globally. Being able to call, text, message, video chat or tweet with anyone at anytime is a huge appeal to Hispanic mobile phone users. Next is innovation. By the time you are done reading this sentence a new and better version of your phone has just hit the market and can do just about everything you can ever dream of.
For many people this reality of constant change and updated technology can be overwhelming and scare them away; however, this could not be further from the truth when it comes to Hispanic consumers. For example, 22% have downloaded music from their phones compared to only 15% of all mobile phone users. 24% have used their phone to download apps while 64% of Hispanic mobile phone users take advantage of text messaging on a regular basis.
For most people, a mobile phone is all about efficiency and the ability to multi-task. While these are valuable aspects, Hispanics see their phones in a different light. For them, it is all about how much fun they can have with their phones. What can they do with this phone that they couldn’t do before? How can they maximize and squeeze every ounce out of this phone in order to get the full mobile phone experience? Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer Senior Analyst states, “Hispanics cannot imagine daily life without their mobile phones and credit the technology with strengthening relationships and keeping them connected to their social world, not just family and friends.”
In 2010, Hispanic media spending reached $6.8 billion, with mobile usage climbing at such a fast and steady rate, it is safe to say that the piece of this $6.8 billion dollar pie dedicated to mobile marketing will only continue to grow. Jose Villa, of Mediapost.com writes, “opportunities with couponing, QR codes and apps will make Hispanic mobile marketing the fastest growing segment in Hispanic media by the end of 2011.” Marketers who can take advantage of these new and growing media’s will be able to stay ahead of the game for years to come.
For more information about this topic please email sjgpr@sjadv.com. For more information about The San Jose Group please visit www.sanjosegroup.com
Sources Cited
Sass, Erik. “MediaPost Publications – Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines.” MediaPost – News and Directories for Media, Marketing and Online Advertising Professionals. 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 11 Aug. 2011. <http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle>.
Butcher, Dan. “Hispanic Smartphone Adoption Rate Outpaces Total Population: Study.” Mobile Marketer: The News Leader in Mobile Marketing Media and Commerce. 29 Dec. 2010. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/8621.html.
Villa, Jose. “MediaPost Publications – Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines.” MediaPost – News and Directories for Media, Marketing and Online Advertising Professionals. 7 Jan. 2010. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. <http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle>.
