Speaker analyzes Hispanic growth in mobile media
Hispanic audiences are increasingly using mobile and social media — and the Spanish network Univision is taking note.
Jose Zamora, who leads the strategic communications for Univision, discussed how Hispanic audiences are changing in a presentation Oct. 30 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Mobile Me & You conference.
The U.S. has more than 50 million Hispanics, which represent a sixth of the country’s population, Zamora said. Univision has captured 93 percent of Hispanic households, he noted.
There are two main ways that Hispanics interact with each other — through mobile and social networking sites, according to Zamora. Facebook is still the most prevalent, but not necessarily on mobile. When Univision analyzed what Hispanic users used on mobile, Instagram and Univision were the top mobile sites accessed. The company saw a 28 percent rise in mobile visitors compared to last year, according to Zamora.
“Univision is all about informing and it is a big responsibility,” says Zamora.
Univision is more than just a news station to the Hispanic community, he said. It has to be prepared to help their audiences in many ways. The company has received phone calls asking advice on where to take their children to school, they have received calls that should’ve gone to 911 and they receive calls for help in general. Univision has a strong link with its audience.
“The two institutions the Hispanic people trust the most are the Catholic Church and after the church … [Univision],” Zamora said.
Based on Univision’s analysis of U.S. Hispanics, most of whom are from Mexico, Zamora said, the community focuses on five interest areas: education, economy, health, access to financial systems and migration. Spaniards have some of the same interests but the main reason they watch Univision is because of how they can relate to a Spanish-speaking station, he said.
“Some may say the company is biased, but we believe and push for the Hispanics, and we are their voice,” Zamora said.
Zamora said Univision must reach three different groups: U.S. Hispanics, Hispanics from Spain and “billennials,” a term for bilingual millennials. Univision’s audience is shifting from primarily Spanish speakers to bilingual speakers and even some English-only speaking Hispanics. That shift is a new challenge for Univision as it has to adjust content and advertise to reach all three types of Hispanics, he said.
But the challenge doesn’t worry Univision, Zamora said. In general, mobile has picked up in the Hispanic community in the last two years as mobile becomes more prevalent in the culture. Univision sees more mobile visits than NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox combined, he said.
