Mobile Latinos

I was quite impressed when Max Kilger, Chief Behavioral Scientist for Experian Simmons, talked to my graduate Hispanic Marketing Communication class about new data findings regarding mobile technology use by Latinos.  I was particularly impressed because the sample that Experian Simmons uses yielded similar results to the ones I have been obtaining with the sample provided to Florida State University by Research Now. Cross-validation of results is reassuring.  Basically, Hispanics are eager users of mobile technology.

Here are some of the findings reported by Dr. Kilger to my class:

First, the percentage of use of mobile phones by Hispanics and non-Hispanics over a 7 day period is almost the same for Hispanic and non-Hispanics, with non-Hispanics having a 4 percentage point lead as seen in the chart below.  The Latino percentage of mobile use in one day, however, is about 4 percentage points higher.

Clearly, the small differences highlighted are interesting but almost trivial.  What matters here is that Hispanics are eager users of mobile phones, at least as much as the rest of the market combined. In prior blog postings I have presented data which shows that Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians use their mobile phones about double the amount of time as their non-Hispanic White counterparts. That suggests that when looking at all non-Hispanics combined it is likely that minorities are the ones responsible for much of the usage.

The next chart is more dramatic, not so much in terms of actual differences but in the fact that Latinos are eager to adopt new technologies and that when they adopt them they use them more. Here is the trend in terms of Tablet use.

While the penetration of tablets among Hispanics is not yet as high as among other cultural groups, Latinos who have them are more likely to use them. That comes as no surprise given the findings I have reported in the past couple of years. Technologies that allow for more fluid interpersonal communication and mobility have shown to be very attractive to Hispanics. My interpretation is that this is due to the eagerness that Latinos have to be connected. New technologies appear to be in fact “technologies of liberation” for Latinos.  Liberation in the sense that the constraints impeding interconnection among Hispanics are being removed by these electronic machines.

Another two charts that impressed me have to do with activities that Latinos engage in on their mobile phones.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Hispanics overindex in their use of text messaging, IM/Chat, and to a smaller degree in social networking.  My guess is that if these data were broken down further by cultural group we would see that minorities in general overindex in social networking as we have seen with our FSU data before.  That Latinos engage in mobile phone listening to music to a larger degree than anyone else confirms their attraction to music as part of their cultural existence.

It would be most interesting if the Experian Simmons data were broken down by different cultural groups so that comparisons could be made in more detail. Comparing culturally diverse groups among themselves can be illuminating for segmentation purposes.

My students and I were gratified to see that the Experian Simmons data supported the results we had found with the data from Research Now, and this confirmation lends credibility to the fact that Latinos are eager technology users who lead in many digital domains.

The data from which the above results are reported is from the Simmons Connect Study with a cross-platform sample of Hispanics of over 7,000 respondents.

An Aha Moment about Social Networking

A few weeks ago, I completed my first ultra-marathon. After running more than 31 miles in less than 6 hours and burning nearly 4,000 calories, I felt I deserved a beer!

So there I was, sitting in a local Applebee's enjoying the frosty, tall, amber sweetness of a Killian's and watching baseball, when I decided to "check in" on Foursquare. That's when it happened ... my first tangible benefit of using Foursquare ... my first online coupon. All I had to do was show my phone screen to my bartender and, like magic, I received free chips and salsa ... just for checking in on Foursquare.

I've recently had a bit of an "aha moment" concerning social media. In my mind, I've always classified "traditional" marketing, grassroots/guerrilla marketing and social networking in 3 separate marketing "buckets." But if you think about guerrilla marketing - interacting with the market in the places where they hang out - that's EXACTLY what social networking is. Applebee's interacted with me over a beer in their own establishment. Most people I know hang out more on Facebook than they do at the gym or at the grocery store or whatever "real" places they hang out.

Today, social networking is a MUST when you're looking at potential marketing tactics. October's ABA Bank Marketing magazine, talks about North Shore Bank (assets: $1.8 billion), in Wisconsin, who uses Foursquare to run "mayorship" promotions - offering free gifts to Foursquare "mayors" at each of their locations. They also use Foursquare to announce participation in local events and have posted "tips" about no-fee ATM locations. In the future, they plan on adding more promotions and offers - it may not be free chips and salsa, but I'm sure that North Shore customers will receive something cool for checking in on Foursquare.

As marketers, there are few professionals more creative than us! And social networking tools like Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc., etc., etc. offer unlimited ways for us to interact with our markets. If you're doing something great and fun, we'd love to hear about it. Tell us all about it by leaving a comment to this blog.

Take care,
Eric

Meeting Your Twitter Customers Face-to-Face

Wow, check this out. While researching for an upcoming conference speaking gig, I stumbled on this great example of Social Networking done right.

Addison Avenue Credit Union, a $2.4 billion credit union in California with about 150,000 members, has a heavy online following through their website and Twitter. They provide a forum and encourage members to share their thoughts, concerns and advice online. And I'm not just talking about boring financial stuff either! As you can see from the photo, there's a posting about a cheaper alternative to Odwalla drinks (whatever that is).

They simply have a few rules:

We implemented Groups for you, not for us. Rather than corporate-speak and glitzy sales offers, Groups are here to let you to chat with each other, and to find and provide answers cooperatively.

Groups are public. While some of the Groups can only be posted to by Addison Avenue members (such as “Make Addison Avenue Better”), the majority of the posts are part of a broader public network where people other than Addison Avenue members are discussing things together and helping each other out. The more the merrier.

Anything goes in the discussion groups, except for things you wouldn’t tell your grandmother or personal account information. So share and share alike, and if you do have a specific issue regarding one of your accounts, we’re only a phone call or secure message away.

Everyone has their own story. What’s so great about Groups is that everyone is at a different place in life with different financial needs, which means everyone has something unique to offer. We hope you find what you are looking for. Welcome to the community.

We’ll help things along. If you see a response with a little Addison Avenue fencepost next to it in some discussions, that means it came from an “official” here at Addison Avenue. We’re here to help!

But here's where it gets REALLY cool. Not only does Addison Ave. understand social networking and how to add value to a key demographic, but they took it to a level that makes perfect sense ... and I wish I had thought of.

Recently, the credit union hosted a "TweetUp" where they invited Twitter followers to an in-person get together at a local coffee house to discuss topics ranging from the economy to the credit union's new campaign. Not only did they attract their existing Twitter followers and members, but also locals "just passing by."

That's what I love about this job. When you have the perfect blend of common sense and creativity, it's divine!

Take care,

Eric