At #Expion14 in Raleigh, NC this year, Cynthia Ashworth of Univision discussed how their organization is digging into data to uncover new insights about the rapidly growing hispanic population in the US. After her presentation I started to dig a little deeper into some stats from Univision and other sources about Hispanic consumers in the US myself, here’s what I found:
- Hispanics now number about 54 million in the U.S., up 50% from 2000 and nearly six times larger than 1970
- 18% of Americans are of Hispanic Origin, By 2060 that will increase to 1 in 3 Americans
- Kraft Foods stated that Hispanics will account for 80% of growth in the near future
- Hispanic women spend $90 on average preparing to watch sports games at home
- On average, Hispanics follow 9.07 sports leagues vs. 7.28 for non-Hispanic sports fans.
- Hispanics consume more sports than non-Hispanics. Millennials are the heaviest sports viewers (43% watch every day)
- There are 24.5 Million Hispanic sports viewers in the US, 19.7% of the total sports viewership
- 50% of Hispanic sports fans stream sports content 1+ week vs. 37% of non-Hispanics
- 41% of Hispanic sports fans watch sports every day
Ashworth described some key points for connecting with Hispanic consumers in today’s ever-changing media landscape that all marketers should take note of.
1. Culture Matters
Put simply, culture matters more to the average hispanic consumer than non-hispanic consumers. For Univision Morning show talent, wearing jerseys of their native country for World Cup coverage was just another way of expressing who they are and the connection to those who can relate. This message of expression and self-identity is reinforced across all facets of the organization, from news to entertainment and of course, sports. You probably wouldn’t see the Today Show doing something like this said Ashworth.
2. Give them the VIP Treatment
During the World Cup, Univision worked with Hyundai to create a crowdsourced documentary. They collected videos from people from all over the world clipped together with official historic footage from FIFA. The result was a full-length documentary that aired before the kickoff of the World Cup that put the fans at the center of the world’s game. 
“Give them a shot at stardom” Ashworth explained. “Stardom is the gift that keeps on giving. people get excited, they share it, there’s a real multiplier effect.” But it wasn’t just about creating one video. Hyundai used every platform where their consumers were to activate #becausefutbol among their target consumers – print, TV, Digital, Social and point of sale with local dealers. Window clings were even distributed for fans to represent their country of choice. 
3. Go big on Mobile Video
Hispanics are very much a mobile-first demographic of internet users.
- 63 percent of Hispanic adults own a smartphone versus 60 percent of non-Hispanics
- Hispanics are 17 percent more likely than non-Hispanics to say that they access the Internet more through their phone than through a computer.
- 45 percent of Hispanic smartphone owners are mobile-dominant when it comes to going online compared with 38 percent of non-Hispanics
When creating content think about the method of consumption to make videos relatable, and also easily viewable in multiple formats. For Univision telenovelas they released exclusive content that was delivered via the uvideos app. The content took the form of the channels they were being consumed on. Lead characters sent texts and video messages that kept viewers coming back again and again throughout the entire season for this additional content.
Conclusion
By creating and building a loyal audience and providing a platform for efficient content creation and delivery, Univision has been able to improve their stickiness with loyal viewers. This has allowed them to carefully integrate brands like Toyota and Hyundai into their content with great success. The content was intermingled with the real content, added value to the viewer’s experience, includes the audience, yet remains relatable. In fact, Hyundai’s #becausefutbol campaign was so successful through this approach that the brand saw 28% increase in Hispanic traffic to HyundaiUSA.com between May (pre-tournament) and July, and was he most recognized auto brand at the 2014 World Cup. Watch Cynthia Ashworth’s entire presentation here to learn more.