• by Tricia Despres , June 14, 2004

THE VENDORS

Not very long ago, advertisers could reach their Hispanic target with a couple of regional television buys and some unique translation tweaks to their creative message. Any savvy media guru knows that those days are over. With the traditional media marketplace being swept away and the continuing advancement of technology-related media opportunities, there is no magical media mix sure to reach the Hispanic consumer. Whether it's radio, television, or the Internet, Hispanics are tuned in to virtually all of the media that is available to them.

U.S. HISPANICS MEDIA MIX USAGE

BROADCAST TV 53% 
RADIO 28% 
INTERNET 12% 
NEWSPAPERS 4% 
MAGAZINES 3% 

Studies from New York-based researchers Horowitz Associates show that both black and Hispanic urban households watch more TV in general than Asian and white households. Univision reaches 98 percent of U.S. Hispanic households and has by far the leading market share of U.S. Hispanic viewing. With NBC at the helm of Telemundo, executives are spreading the word about the importance of the Hispanic viewer. Recently, both Telemundo and Univision have been seeing their ad revenue increase somewhere in the 20 percent range year to year, right along with their ratings. Many media buyers are now turning their attention to the much-anticipated summer launch of start-up English-language Hispanic network VOY.

Although many Hispanics living in the United States can easily go back and forth between speaking English and Spanish, most prefer sitting down with a Spanish-language paper. Newspapers are seeing a boom in both circulation numbers and competitive publications: There are nearly 344 daily and weekly Spanish-language newspapers published in the United States. The Tribune Company recently made big news with its publication of Hoy in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Direct mail is also a promising medium to use when targeting the Hispanic consumer. "Latinos are still opening their mail and are still actually reading it," explains Lopez.

No matter what type of media, companies have been forced to do their homework when selling their product. "We have had to solve their problems, provide research, and meet with the clients to show them specifically how to reach the Hispanic consumer," explains Ronald H. Furman, executive vice president/sales and marketing at Univision Communications.

Selling the importance of the Hispanic consumer is much less tough than it used to be," adds Robert Rosenthal, chairman of a new transcultural division of TBWA Chiat Day. "The slightly bigger issue is actually getting companies to spend against this particular segment of the population."