Latinos Speak Mobile

It is the ongoing myth, the never-ending dilemma, what language do Latinos in the US speak? We will find a ton of information online about what marketers think regarding this predicament and depending on the time zone, time of day, context used or simply which side of the bed the “expert” woke up this day, he will say Spanish or English. By the time marketers realize that Latinos speak English from a Hispanic heart, it will be already too late…they will be speaking something else, maybe MOBILE content.

According to the How Young Latinos Communicate with Friends in the Digital Age report from the Pew Hispanic Center, when it comes to socializing and communicating with friends, young Latinos (ages 16 to 25) make extensive use of mobile technology. 50% say they text message their friends daily, and 45% say they talk daily with friends on a cell. U.S. Hispanics over-index in mobile use in almost every category. Research from comScore shows that Latinos over-index in mobile use and consumption: 71% compared to 48% of the general market.

When we think about how many brands out there are trying to reach this target audience, it feels like a no-brainer to speak their language and connect with them through mobile.

The Latino Youth is mobile and versatile with their communication: they tweet, blog, text, push and bump. They know PayPal is almost a common currency. Some of them even get their allowances on a PayPal ATM card. We need to re-visit Marketing 101 basics and must study the Psychographic Profile of our Young Latinos; we will learn that their communication as well as their concentration span, consists of the exchange of brief written messages between phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network.

It’s not too late – let’s take “Movil” 101 and effectively communicate with an almost 47 million niche in the US. Brands who wish to target Latinos should put a plan in place with measurable objectives tied to overall marketing goals, without losing sight of the Latino mindset. Let’s speak movil.