HABLA ESPANOL?

The Pew Hispanic Center released a research paper (12/22/09) on the narrowing online access gap between the Latino and white/black populations.

Latinos in America that connected to the Internet jumped ten percent between 2006 and 2008, from 54% to 64%. The increase represents a rapid rate of acceleration when compared to a 4% increase for whites and a 3% increase for blacks.

The importance of this increase in a two year period and the spending impact of the Latino market through the Internet merits serious attention by marketers. It will be one of the bright lights on the economic landscape in 2010 and beyond.

Pair the increase in Internet use with what promises to be a jaw dropping 2010 census report on the number of Latinos in the USA and a strong pattern of phenomenal growth emerges.

Challenge for marketers: Understanding and managing the many cultural nuances that can make or break a marketing effort.

NEWSPAPERS -- A HARD HABIT TO BREAK

 











For the last few years, newspapers have borne the brunt of declining fortunes while their circulation erodes as quickly as the sands on a beach facing a tsunami. But the reality is far from the perception that newspapers will disappear.

A recent study by Scarborough Research points to a healthy print/internet readership that will remain a media force for some time to come.  Aggregation news sites that include the likes of Drudge and the Huffington Post, while performing well, are not hurting strong newspaper options.

Among results from the study ....

74% of the adult population read newspapers in print or online

79% of white collar adults read newspapers in print or online

82% with household incomes over $100k read newspapers in print or online

84% of college grads read newspapers in print or online each week

While circulation drops are real, audience readership has not registered the same declines and is holding up well in spite of increased media fragmentation.

The longer term solution for the survival of newspapers appears to be a business model that fully embraces the online potential with a web-first publishing format.

The multi-cultural publishing base is also benefiting from a strong reader loyalty -- especially among the Latino community, 49 million strong, representing over a trillion dollars in purchasing power and growing at a rapid pace.

Spanish language newspapers enjoy 50% more readers per copy than mainstream English-language papers according to the National Association of Hispanic Publications. Contrary to current consciousness, Hispanic youths are loyal to their Spanish-language papers preferring entertainment and political sections. 

Marketers take notice ....It is estimated that 82% of Latino's read and share their paper with a least one other person.

Not too shabby for what is perceived to be a declining market.

HOW NEWS COMPANIES WILL PROSPER

The controversy and sparing between newspaper companies and aggregation sites was recently highlighted in an editorial by Arianna Huffington on her site The Huffington Post. Taking aim at Rupert Murdoch's call for pay walls, she handily convinced her audience (albeit a web audience) that pay walls are not the answer.

Maintaining journalistic excellence while making a profit is becoming increasingly impossible for news companies that cling to a print-only business model.

There is hope.

At today's gathering at the World Newspaper Congress in Hyderabad, India, over 1500 participants heard how a news and information company in the U.S. is transforming itself to become a digital savvy operation that turns the old print-only model on its ear while projecting record profits. This company successfully reverse-engineered the production and, importantly, the distribution of content looking to the web first and print last.

John Paton, Chairman and CEO at ImpreMedia, the largest Hispanic News and Information company in the U.S., passionate about journalism, the communities he serves and his dedicated employees, provided his audience with a road map for what appears to be a successful embrace of the digital landscape before us.

His speech can be read here. I urge you to read it.

In closing, Mr. Paton also announced new initiatives for hyperlocal media efforts extending to local communities in New York and LA via community blogging partnerships. ImpreMedia will establish E-Journalism Media Labs and shepherd key community bloggers to address the importance of hyperlocal journalism.