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Upstarts Challenging Big Media In Reaching Online Hispanics In English
by Lee Vann, Thursday, January 12, 2012 6:35 AM
Eighty-one percent of the 34 million online Hispanics prefer English or are bilingual. This reality, coupled with the flood of advertising dollars that political campaigns will invest to sway the
critical Latino vote, make it an interesting time to look at English digital platforms that target Latinos. Digital advertising tactics such as search, behavioral, re-targeting and contextual
targeting have emerged to allow marketers to reach English-preferring Hispanics, but they all require a relatively high level of expertise to execute. Today, brands looking to reach online Hispanics
in English have another option, thanks to English-language digital platforms that target Latinos. I took a quick look at the market of Latino-themed, English-language digital platforms and
found that a couple of upstarts are challenging traditional media companies. I am sure that the competition to reach online Hispanics in English will heat up as a result of the following market
dynamics.
- There are not that many players.
- There is no clear leader.
- Low barriers to entry provided by social media
- The ad dollars associated with the
upcoming election
- The importance of the Latino vote
Below is a summary of some of the players targeting online Hispanics in English today.
The
Upstarts Two startups that had the foresight to cater to online Hispanics in English are Guanabee and Being Latino. Founded in 2006, Guanabee is a hip, Latino lifestyle and news site.
Being Latino is just over two years old and pegs itself as an online magazine that educates, entertains and connects Latinos. (The website numbers are via Compete.com.)
Big Media
Several big media companies also are proactively targeting online Hispanics in English with digital platforms. These typically consist of a centralized website/blog supported by social media
outlets. Of the bunch, NBC Universal’s Mun2 and MTV’s Tr3’s are the oldest and as a result have the most reach, here is how they all stack up.
- Mun2
- MTV Tr3’s
- Fox News Latino
- Huffington Post – Latino Voices
- NBC Latino
- Univision News
This quick analysis shows that upstarts are holding their own against big media when it
comes to targeting online Hispanics in English. That said, it will be interesting to see who else enters the market and it is likely that those that can garner the lion’s share of election
advertising dollars will emerge as the leaders next year. For what it’s worth, I’m voting for the upstarts.