T H E
S T A T E SECTION I
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
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A R I Z O N A ’ S
H I S P A N I C
M A R K E T
CHAPTER 3
LANGUAGE & MEDIA
“Univision Local Media-Arizona is delighted to partner with DATOS to supply data that is critical to businesses in Arizona. As the #1 Spanish local media company we realize the importance of quality research and take pride in providing actionable insights that empowers the Arizona business community.” —Roberto Yañez, Vice President and General Manager, Univision Local Media Arizona
U.S. Now Home To Second-Largest Population Of Spanish Speakers In The World, As Advertising Dollars Aimed At Hispanics Grows Rapidly There are now more Spanish speakers in the United States than any other country in the world except Mexico, according to a 2015 study by Instituto Cervantes, a prestigious international think tank.
to Latinos requires a constant, close analysis of the market’s increasingly nuanced data trends. In Phoenix today, for instance, 81 percent of Hispanics speak at least some Spanish at home, according to Nielsen. A Hispanic Scarborough Study released earlier this year, meanwhile, found that 93 percent of Spanish-language television viewers speak Spanish at home while for 79 percent of that same group English is the preferred language outside of the home.
More than 52 million people in the U.S. are either native Spanish speakers or bilingual. That is larger than the population of Spain and Colombia, as well as all other countries in Central and South America. Only Mexico, with 121 million people, has a larger Spanish-speaking population. Instituto Cervantes further estimates that by 2050, the U.S. will be home to 138 million Spanish speakers, the largest number of Spanish speakers on earth.
Plug “New Media” in the equation and the exploding demand for digital video devices and the market’s dynamics grow even more complicated. Among the coveted 18-34 age group, Hispanics are spending more time watching digital video than any other age group among Hispanics. Those in the 18-34 age category spend about 30 percent more time watching digital video than viewers in the 50 to 64 age group.
While it’s important to note that all Spanish speakers in the United States are not of Hispanic origin (millions today are enrolled in Spanish-language classes), Spanish has become the second most spoken language in all but six U.S. states —illustrating the growing presence of Latinos in virtually region of the nation.
Traditional television watching, however, remains by far the biggest draw for Hispanics in any age group. Among 18-34 year olds, Hispanics spend about 35 minutes daily watching digital video devices, but nearly four hours watching video programming on a television screen. Older viewers spend more than five hours a day watching TV. Radio is another strong medium reaching 93% of Hispanics 6 years or older on a weekly basis, which is higher than the national average or total market in Phoenix.
The Nielsen Company reports that a growing proportion of U.S. Hispanics, 58 percent, are now bilingual, even though population growth in the Latino community is coming far more as a result of native births versus immigration. Immigration, has slowed substantially overall since the Great Recession, though the rebound in the economy has fueled a recent uptick in newcomers to the United States. To those worried about the “balkanization” or “cultural segregation” of America, fully 93 percent of Latinos speak at least some English at home, according to Pew Hispanic Research, while 26 percent of Latinos speak only English at home.
Overall, the Hispanic marketplace is quickly growing more lucrative for advertisers. Between 2013 and 2014, according to Advertising Age’s Hispanic Facts Pack, ad spending nationwide aimed at the U.S. Hispanic community grew by 12 percent.
Our evolving language landscape can make navigating the U.S. marketplace tough.
According to a report issued in April by the American Association of Hispanic Advertisers, “Over the past five years, the top 500 advertisers boosted their spending in Hispanic targeted media by 63 percent from $4.3 billion in 2010 to $7.1 billion.”
In Arizona, for instance, the Latino population has nearly tripled in the past 25 years, according to U.S. Census figures. As a result, knowing what language to use when advertising
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