Media & Change.

By Xavier Mantilla | Director of Sales – RedMas In the last 24 months we have seen a shift in the way brands and general market media agencies have come together to work with Hispanic media companies in order to reach these valued consumers. However there are huge shifts in behavior that most of us that work in the media space are yet to face. For a long time we always used terms like “targeted content” to mean Spanish language media (planning and buying), however, when we spend upwards of 90% of our budgets on Spanish language only – it’s time to be honest and say that we are comfortable buying media in Spanish and that is our niche. We became experts in Spanish language advertising here in the US, and we ignore those Latinos that prefer English. I am not saying all Hispanic agencies fall into this trap, but just look at what is actually being bought in our market. If we follow the money – where it’s being spent, it’s mostly in Spanish Language. We see the Hispanic consumer in Spanish, and that is very short sighted as there is so much research that shows that Hispanics consume both English and Spanish. On Feb 8th 2012 – the NY Times printed an article that merits review –  I saw it because Dave Morgan – a pioneer in the IPTV industry made reference to it.  Change is happening, and unless we become agents of change, we will be left behind. The new Latino consumer is very “techie” and very “mobile” so this shift speaks directly to the Hispanic audience. Look at ComScore’s data on tablet adoption by Latinos and Mobile content usage by our people. I hope to see more English language content that is tailored to the Hispanic consumer in the US. Shows like “Rob” and “Modern Family” are the tip of the iceberg, and if we can overcome their shortcomings (they are far from perfect), we should see ourselves on the big screen – or better – on the mobile screen of our choice. Brands should be seamlessly integrated through cultural queues, colors, sounds and locations – to reach the Hispanic consumer, regardless of language. The audience has become more mobile, they are in many cases English dominant and they look for content where they please.  Yes, the age of the consumer being in charge is upon us. So media has to change, it has to adapt. So, if you think mobile is just about Facebook updates or Tweets, time to change how you think. It is the next age of content delivery and its happening now, in Spanish, but mostly in English… estas listo? By Xavier Mantilla | Director of Sales – RedMas xm*******@re****.com