The Hispanic Media Puzzle.

Heavy Internet usage isn’t translating into online ad spending.

Advertising Age reported that last year US advertisers spent 64% of their Hispanic-targeted media budgets on Spanish-language broadcast and cable TV networks, while Internet display ads garnered less than 5%.

“Hispanic consumers under the age of 35 are spending more time online than watching TV—and are often doing both at the same time,” says Lisa E. Phillips, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, US Hispanic Media Usage. “Overall, Hispanics are heavy users of all digital media, embracing innovations more rapidly than non-Hispanic whites.”

According to the “Hispanic Syndicated Study” from Terra Networks, conducted by comScore Media Metrix, on a weekly basis, 96% of Hispanic Internet users spend at least an hour online, compared with 91% who spend more than an hour watching TV.

Thirty percent of respondents went online 13 or more hours a week, compared with 23% who watched the same amount of television.

Yet advertisers seeking to reach the Hispanic audience continue to spend far more on traditional media than on the Internet.

Ms. Phillips believes the tide will turn, however, toward more digital spending to reach Hispanics.

“Hispanics embrace new technology more rapidly than non-Hispanic whites and share it very freely with friends and family,” says Ms. Phillips. “Ownership and usage of several forms of portable media devices indicates this group of super-communicators will lead the uptake of mobile Internet and video in the US.”

She adds, “Savvy marketers won’t continue to ignore these trends much longer.”

Courtesy of http://www.emarketer.com