• by Lee Vann , Columnist, November 13, 2014

This time of year is particularly exciting for me as I get to work on my true passion: developing Hispanic digital strategies for our clients. As we wrap up 2015 planning, five key themes have emerged that I expect to come to life in the Hispanic online market next year.

1. Hispennials will be the “It” consumer.

Move over, Latina moms – Hispennials (that’s Hispanic + Millennials) are poised to emerge as the most sought-after market segment. Millennials, the largest generation by population size, are all the rage, and wise marketers know that 21% of Millennials are Hispanic. To win with Millennials, marketers must win with Hispanics — and winning with Hispanics means digital. Of all consumers, Hispennials are the most active and engaged digitally, spending the majority of their time on their phones and with social media.

2. Hispanic content marketing will flourish.

Brands understand the value of becoming publishers and, as a result, content marketing is hot. According to Forbes, the content marketing industry has ballooned to $44 billion, with 90% of B2C brands investing in this tactic. This reality coupled with the fact that there is relatively little content for online Hispanics paves the way for a Hispanic content marketing boom. Hispanics are hungry for content that connects with them in a relevant way, in English or Spanish, and brands that can deliver the right content, at the right time, across the right channel will reap the benefits of an engaged and connected audience. 

3. Hispanic online video will move from nice-to-have to must-have.

I couldn’t have said it any better than Marla Skiko from Starcom MediaVest: “The U.S. Hispanic audience has a love affair with online video.” According to a 2014 Nielsen Report, Hispanics spend 90 minutes more viewing videos on a digital device than the average American. What’s more, a study by PwC found that 43% of U.S. Hispanics stream mobile video and 36% download mobile video each week vs. 25% and 17% respectively for non-Hispanics. With this kind of clear data, we expect brands to invest more in online video targeted to Hispanics, including Hispennials, and agencies and publishers to step up to meet the demand.

4. Hispanic digital influencers will influence brands.

Social media has leveled the playing field, enabling individuals with ambition, creativity, and a point of view to build up strong followings, establish influence and grab the attention of brands. Because Hispanics are hungry for content and highly engaged with social media, it is not surprising that a powerful ecosystem of Hispanic digital influencers, both professional and amateur, has emerged. Collectively, this ecosystem of Hispanic digital influencers has reach that rivals large publishers and can deliver authenticity, a combination that brands crave. This year we have seen brands dabble with Hispanic digital influencers, but we anticipate stronger brand engagement with them in 2015, along with better methods to aggregate and measure influencer campaigns.

5. Hispanic e-commerce will gain steam.

E-commerce is the best and most direct way to measure the ROI on digital investments and Hispanics are filling digital shopping carts. EMarketer reports that Hispanics are more likely vs. Non-Hispanics to make purchases on their mobile phones across various categories including:

• Clothing: 52% Hispanic vs. 38% Non-Hispanic
• Electronics: 52% Hispanic vs. 37% Non-Hispanic
• Music: 50% Hispanic vs. 40% Non-Hispanic
• Movies: Tickets 49% Hispanic vs. 31% Non-Hispanic

From a social perspective, “Hispanic consumers are twice as likely to purchase the kinds of products they share about compared to non-Hispanic consumers,” according to a ShareThis, Unilever and Mindshare study. As marketers increase investments in Hispanic online marketing, including targeting Hispennials, video, content marketing and influencers, they will increasingly turn to e-commerce to justify those investments. 

What are your Hispanic online predictions for 2015?