Hispanics Online 2.0

A discussion has been brewing in our team about measuring the extent of the U.S. Hispanic audience in the universe that is Web 2.0.  You see, as we conduct more OEO targeting Hispanics, it is becoming increasingly evident that traffic, like the nature of the Web itself, has origins all across geographical lines with some U.S. Hispanic readers navigating to Spanish-language content that originates outside of the U.S.

Like many other topics concerning the market, targeting online Hispanics is not clear cut. On the one hand, many Web sites developed for U.S. Hispanics do a very effective job of capturing the intended reader, be it because they are sites for brands, media and other content developed for this specific audience.  Some examples are Univision.com, Latina.com and even certain blogs that pertain to the Latino experience in the U.S.

Yesterday, I saw a story about MySpace seeking advertisers for a U.S. Hispanic site or community and could not help but think of all the U.S. Hispanics who are already habitual users of the web 2.0 phenomenon. The story alluded to music as a big draw for this new community that seeks to attract Hispanics in the United States.  No doubt they can get great audience numbers, but the truth is that MySpace  -- as the name suggests--is built on user interests and spans the globe, so naturally, the communities are likely already formed and users have not felt ignored since what lured them to the site is the ability to exchange and interface with content. As they recognize, they already have significant U.S. Hispanic users-- not sure they would deifne themselves as that, so much as by what they do on the site.

Now, as disclaimer, I know MySpace from the research standpoint.  But I suspect that traffic will not only come from the defined target audience of U.S. Hispanics, but rather from people connected to the culture and even those on the outside who follow Latino music.

Reaching U.S Hispanics online is very interesting and a great exercise in strategy for marketing, public education or political campaigns. A recent article in La Politica talks more about candidates' efforts. Our team knows that Hispanics gravitate to good content much like any other user, and we know the limits of Spanish-language content and the bilingual nature of U.S. Hispanics online.  But the better and more intriguing content that builds on genuine reader interests attracts Spanish or English-speaking "Hispanics" from across the globe.