1-21-14
What's the value of a share point in your market? It's considerable -- yet you may be missing a full 35 percent of potential audience. According to Pew Research, Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S. today. It is also the fastest-growing, with the number of Spanish speakers up 233 percent since 1980. Today, 35 percent of the audience in America is Spanish-speaking, and Pew says that figure will be 37 percent by next year and 40 percent by 2020. (That's 37.5 million-41 million Spanish speakers by 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.) Today three-quarters of all U.S. Hispanics ages 5 and older speak Spanish.
But there is more to the story. The share speaking Spanish after 2020 is expected to decline, and English will become the primary language of about 34 percent of Hispanics by 2020 -- though the Spanish language is expected to remain a part of the culture.
What media companies are realizing is that blended content is very appealing to Hispanic households, which is why you're seeing a trend of mainstream-sounding stations that are presented in both English and Spanish.
What all understand is that the Hispanic culture is such a major part of media consumption that it cannot be ignored. That doesn't mean your radio station needs to be Spanish-language. But you may need to learn to present content that appeals specifically to Hispanic listeners -- or risk losing 30 percent or more of your potential audience. And there are cultural issues that can turn off that potential audience if not handled properly.
Today one in four Americans under 18 is Hispanic. BBC research predicts that the average U.S. Hispanic family will have four or more children, and there will be an explosion in Hispanic births in America the next few years. By 2060, Hispanics will account for one in three people in the U.S., double their proportion in the population today.
What does this mean to radio? A few things to keep in mind:
Hispanic consumers are critical to reach -- for all advertisers.
Hispanic formats will continue to grow.
Blended formats will grow in relevance as more Hispanics use English as their primary language.
General-market programmers can adjust their formats to have strong cultural appeal to Hispanic audiences without driving non-Hispanic audiences away.
Hispanic listeners are more adept at using online distribution platforms; you can learn to capitalize on this.
While 90 percent of all Americans listen to radio each week, Nielsen reports that figure is 94 percent for Hispanic listeners.
How can you learn to capture Hispanic listening? Where can you go to learn about the formats you should be considering? Where can you go to fine-tune your Hispanic-targeted stations and study the latest trends -- and network with the people who can make you money?
Five years ago, Radio Ink watched Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the streets, started paying extra attention to Hispanic trends, and realized that the radio industry needed its own conference focused on the Hispanic market. The Hispanic Radio Conference was born.
Will you be there to help your station or cluster understand what you need to be doing to capture the interest of this booming audience?
Can you capture 25 or 30 percent more audience with some slight changes in your content? It's no longer a question of "should you tap in to Hispanic audiences," it's just a matter of how.
Marketing to Hispanic culture is still often misunderstood, and provides a giant opportunity. For instance, in the general market there are 50-55 brands targeting car buyers, but only 15-17 are specifically targeting Hispanics. But more and more Fortune 500 companies are spending heavily to make sure they reach this important consumer group.
You'll also learn that areas you may think are not big Hispanic markets are growing fast. For instance: Fort Smith, AR; Salt Lake City; Idaho Falls; Rockford, IL; Greenville, SC; Washington, DC -- they're all fast-growing Hispanic markets. Where does your market stand, and what opportunities are you missing?
This Hispanic market opportunities are a long way from being saturated, and this conference is a terrific way to learn how to target and reach this group effectively, and reap rich rewards.
We hope you'll consider attending the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference in sunny San Diego on March 10-11.
To register, call 561-655-8778, or go to www.hispanicradioconference.com.
PS: More and more clusters are making money by including Hispanic and Sports radio in their mix. Both are hot formats, generating strong top-line revenue. This year we're holding our Hispanic and Sports Radio Conferences
on the same dates in the same hotel. One ticket to the Hispanic Radio Conference gives you access to all Sports Radio Conference sessions and events.
PSS: Remember, Medallas de Cortez nominations are due Friday!
Hispanic Radio Conference
March 10-11, 2014
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay
San Diego
