Online marketing to gain relevance

The New Year is here and I would like to share with you my thoughts of the likely changes that I see taking place in the Latino marketing arena in 2010. I will be posting twice a week. Stay tuned as I will be posting more next week.

Recent studies show a ten percent increase in internet usage among Latinos from 2006 to 2008. Although the Latino population’s use of the internet lags behind other groups, Latinos are catching up fast. U.S.-born Latinos have higher internet access rates, but foreign-born Latinos’ internet access provides the biggest opportunity for growth. This year will mark an increase in the expansion of these opportunities. Univision.com, the largest Spanish-language portal in the U.S., has seen increased partnerships with sponsors. General Mills is the exclusive sponsor of the portal’s “Cocina” widget allowing Web site visitors to browse by meal, country or ingredient. Also in the "Cocina" lineup are video and cooking tips from celebrity chefs' appearances on the Univision network shows. Other companies such as Flock, State Farm, Toyota and Ford have teamed up with Univision.com to launch online marketing campaigns. The Univision portal also launched its first virtual online novela last year, which could only be viewed online. And since You Tube signed a deal with Univision last year, You Tube’s Hispanic audience has grown by 80 percent. With the increasing number of Latinos online, those of us who work in marketing and PR will have to incorporate more online components into our campaigns.