Hispanic Use of Mobile Technology
As mobile technology is becoming more advanced and even more inexpensive, Hispanics are taking advantage of purchasing products that allow them to go online for communicating, research and entertainment. As I mentioned on my last blog post, the Hispanic market’s online usage to go online and utilize the internet has increased over the years because of a better understanding of technology particularly here in the United States where the younger generations have acculturated. Although the older the generation are slow to adopt, the transition can prove very opportunistic for business but there are some who continue to shy away from technology. I know my grandfather still uses a landline phone and a basic cell phone because that’s all he needs and to find the latest news he picks up the early newspaper and reads it during breakfast and a cup of coffee, but that’s ok. Still, marketers and ad agencies should take advantage of this and build campaigns not only for mobile technology but for online websites as well.
We Latinos are a warm and communicative culture. We enjoy conversing with close friends and family whether it be here in the United States or in their native soil. Maintaining close ties is very important in our culture, especially for those who have immigrated here in the United States and are unfamiliar with the new environment, they still need a anchor to hold onto for support and family support is key. As cell phones are slowly transitioning to smartphones such as Iphones and Blackberries, it is becoming much easier to communicate with your loved ones not only through text messaging but also through email, pictures, audio and video. These technologies allow Latinos to access websites that more conform to their culture in the areas of music, news and cooking recipes. Batanga, Terra, and Univision are some examples of websites that target Latino culture and lifestyle.
Below is a graph that I took from the 2007 Hispanic Fact Book by Advertsing Age that illustrates which mobile technology is used the most by Hispanic market. As you will see, text messaging and instant messaging is widely used the most. We sure love to communicate! Of course, research must be taken if any company or business decides to tap into this technology to attract the Hispanic market whether it be a website, online service, or a mobile device such as phones and computers.
Hi, Frankie – thanks for sharing this! I worked in telecom for 5+ years (until 2005), dedicated to delivering marketing collateral and merchandising to the Hispanic segment. Independent and proprietary research consistently showed that Hispanics spent more than the average consumer in their monthly wireless bills. Why? One big reason was all the downloads! It was at a time when content was new to telecom, and yet Latino consumers were quick to adopt and eating it up! So they were more likely to pay for data plans than the average consumer.
Of course, there were also the international calls/plans which added up, but the primary reason for the bigger spend was data.
Thanks for the great input Lauri. It’s good to get info from a professional marketer such as yourself who has first hand knowledge of the Hispanic market and your right, as you can see on the chart, the second most widely used activity that the Hispanic market utilize with mobile technology is downloading data such as ring tones. With the advent of smartphones and netbooks, there is so much multimedia data that can be downloaded and sent to others now, which makes communication among family and friends alot more interactive and entertaining.
I think business planners should definitely research this if they plan on starting any kind of communication service campaign.
If you have anymore comments, please share, I got more to come
I really liked your post and certainly pursuing more people and businesses understand the GREAT opportunity is there for all. Focused initially in Puerto Rico, I am working for more people to adopt the use of mobile media as means to integrate and expand beyond geographical boundaries with higher intimacy. Keep the good Job!
Thanks Israel for your input and positive encouragement. You are correct that there are so many opportunities there for mobile media development. With the popularity of smartphones and netbooks, businesses should pursue this online medium. I see the potential there to design apps for the Iphone, Android and Web Os using the software available like the Flash Flex AIR apps in business, entertainment and communication applications.
I believe that its http://www.billionstudio.com, they have other good templates as well but all of them you have to pay for.
I want to start my first site, what cms do you use and recommend for me ?
If it’s something basic, WordPress works great, I had my eyes on Concrete 5 as well, these two would probably work because they are simple and allow easy editing.
Thanks! I appreciate the positive comments.
Sure, I’m still trying to figure out the ins and outs of WordPress but send me a Word doc of the article and I’ll post with your name for credit
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Couldnt agree more with that, very attractive article