• by Lee Vann , Columnist, April 9, 2015

Last month I had the pleasure of attending Google’s Hispanic marketing forum in New York. Of course, it was great to reconnect with many colleagues who have helped shape the Hispanic online market, but, most importantly, it was great to witness firsthand that Google is truly committed to Hispanics online.

Google Improves Ability to Target U.S. Hispanics on YouTube
The forum kicked off with Google unveiling a new targeting tool to reach U.S. Hispanics on YouTube. The unveiling was followed up with a panel featuring super popular “Youtuberos” Caeli, Chumel and Dulce Candy who collectively have over 7 million YouTube subscribers and 750 million video views. That’s right — three-quarters of one billion video views. 

The Youtubero panel was lively and entertaining and brought to life one reason that Hispanics spend 90 minutes more viewing video on a digital device than the average American. The combination of huge video consumption and refined U.S. Hispanic YouTube targeting is sure to be a hit with marketers and for Google's bottom line.

New Google / Ipsos Study: ‘The Role of Culture and Language Online’
The forum switched gears and Google presented high-level findings from a new U.S. Hispanic digital study conducted with Ipsos. The findings supported much of what we know about U.S. Hispanics online, including:

• Most U.S. Hispanics are comfortable using English online, but Spanish is still important.

• Regardless of language, cultural relevance is critical for engaging with this audience.

• U.S. Hispanics are extremely active online and are more likely to rely on online sources to gather information and to make purchases.

• Search is the top online source used by U.S. Hispanics when gathering information about a purchase.

Marketers, take note: Google illuminated clear U.S. Hispanic digital opportunities across many industries by sharing the growth in Spanish language search queries including:

• Retail +210%
• Telecom +107%
• Health +80%
• Skincare +75%
• Food +70%
• Automotive +65%
• Beauty +65%

Marketers looking to engage with online Hispanics should consider online advertising. Google reported that 66% of digital Hispanics pay attention to online ads vs. 47% of general market consumers. What’s more, 93% of digital Hispanics who remember seeing an online ad took action, including looking for more information on a search engine, visiting a company’s website, or actually making a purchase.

The forum concluded with a lively fiesta complete with Latino food, drinks, music and even a photo booth.

It is clear to me that by committing to Hispanics online, Google will have much to celebrate in the years to come.