Tamara Barber [Posted by Tamara Barber]

This summer we fielded our first ever Hispanic youth online survey, and I’ve been busily digging into the data in preparation for a Webinar that my colleague Jackie Anderson and I are presenting this Thursday. This new survey is really exciting because it not only deepens our ability to understand yet another segment of the Hispanic population, but we’ve found that clients are starved for data on Hispanic youth. Like many topics in multicultural marketing, there’s just not a lot of quantitative research out there. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the key findings I’ll be talking about later this week.

  • For Hispanic online teens age 13-17, it’s clear that their Hispanic heritage doesn’t always translate into Spanish-language. Fifty-nine percent of these consumers think it’s cool to be Hispanic, yet 72% are English-dominant with their friends.
  • Regardless of language, marketers should look to young Hispanic consumers as a conduit of culture and influence for their family. Fifty-three percent of Hispanic online youth influence purchasing decisions on products that are not from their families’ country or origin, and 43% say that their families ask for their opinions when purchasing technology products.
  • Contrary to expectations, Hispanic online teens report having more spending money than their non-Hispanic counterparts – almost $150 a month. And they are more than three times as likely to report that their parents have increased their allowance in the past six months.

The main takeaway: Hispanic teens are truly straddling two worlds, between less-acculturated parents and their often more mainstream friends. Yet in both worlds, they influence trends and purchasing decisions. The key to reaching them effectively will come down to not only finding them where they are (for example on the Web sites they visit or the phones they use), but also striking a cultural connection based on more than just language. I’m excited to share more of insights on Thursday and through my research in the coming months. If you haven’t already signed up for the Webinar, you can register to receive a recording of the call. We’re already at capacity for the call itself!