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46pc of Hispanics watch video on a mobile device: report

Hispanic consumers are strongly engaged in mobile activities such as shopping and watching video, presenting opportunities to reach this audience through mobile advertising, according to a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and BIGinsight.

The report, ?Digital Hispanic Consumer,? shows that when Hispanic consumers go online, they are more likely than average users to do so via a mobile device. A key finding is that 46 percent watching videos on a mobile device compared to 35 percent of the general population.

?This study confirms the findings of a number of previous ones, and shows the importance of mobile as a medium that Hispanic Americans are embracing even faster than the rest of the US population, in order to stay in touch, informed and entertained,? said Joe Laszlo , senior director of the Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence at the IAB, New York.

?One standout mobile finding is the very wide adoption of mobile video by the Hispanic American population,? he said.

?Mobile video is a hot topic right now, and viewership is growing strongly among all consumers with smartphones and tablets. But the fact that almost half of Hispanics watch mobile video occasionally or regularly is amazing, and dramatically outpaces adoption by the wider U.S. population.?

Mobile connections
The above average digital activity of Hispanics is being driven by confidence in the economy, optimism about the future and life-stage events.

The report found that more Hispanics own an iPhone than the general population (27 percent vs. 20 percent), an Android phone (34 percent vs. 26 percent) or an iPad tablet (21 percent vs. 16 percent). This combined with the fact that Hispanics are less likely to own a desktop computer compared to the average consumer and are living their lives on-the-go explains why Hispanic consumers use mobile devices to go online at a higher rate.

The top five online activities for Hispanics include shopping (46 percent of Hispanics versus 43 percent of the general population), reading and posting movie reviews (36 percent of Hispanics versus 28 percent of the general population), downloading music and videos (31 percent of Hispanics versus 25 percent of the general population), socializing online (29 percent of Hispanics, which is equal to the general population) and watching TV shows online (28 percent of Hispanics versus 24 percent of the general population).

Mobile influencers
The report also shows that Hispanics in the United States view more mobile videos, with 55 percent of Hispanics subscribing to paid online video services versus 43 percent of the general population. The trend continues for advertising, with 58 percent of Hispanics paying attention to video pre-roll advertising versus 54 percent of the general population.

Hispanic consumers are also 37 percent more likely to purchase a mobile device in the next six months compared to the general population.

Other key findings include that two of the top five influencers for Hispanics consumers are mobile, with 24 percent of Hispanic consumers using text to seek advice about a product versus 21 percent of the general population and 23 percent using a mobile device versus 21 percent of the general population.

Additionally, 56 percent of Hispanic consumers send text messages versus 45 percent of general population, 42 percent view email on a mobile device versus 32 percent of general population and 39 percent take pictures on a mobile device versus 29 percent of general population.

The mobile vanguard
Hispanic consumers are also more likely to download apps compared to the general population (74 percent vs. 66 percent) and are more likely to use entertainment and radio apps. These consumers are also more likely to use their mobile devices to search.

?There?s no question that marketers that are looking to reach Hispanic consumers need to include mobile in their media plans today,? Mr. Laszlo said.

?Hispanic consumers are in the vanguard of mobile adoption: What they do today, all Americans will be doing in a year or two,? he said.

?Marketers that are not focused on mobile today can use campaigns aimed at their Hispanic customers as a test bed to learn how to do mobile well, easing the learning curve when they start integrating mobile into more general ad campaigns in the future.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York