How to Connect With the Digital Latino - Advertising Age - CMO Strategy

How to Connect With the Digital Latino

Lessons From La Plaza del Pueblo

by Carlos Martinez and Robert Spallone
Published: July 14, 2010

Carlos Martinez

Robert Spallone

There is a tradition in cities, towns and villages across all of Latin America whereby people congregate to share in life, exchange news, pass chisme (gossip) and take part in the community. It all happens at a central place: La Plaza del Pueblo.

From children playing around the fountain and the abuelas planning the next church function to teens wanting to see and be seen and the men making deals over a beverage, there is a place for everyone in la plaza. It's an intrinsic part of Latino culture to socialize with neighbors and learn what's really happening in the world from one another. What they hear in the plaza has credibility. Information is trusted much more readily coming from within than from outsiders.

This is a tradition built over numerous generations. You can't take it away from them. The unspoken need for social interaction has become a part of every Latino, even when they live in a relatively plaza-less culture, such as the United States.

Although Latinos in the U.S. have left the plaza behind, the act of socializing and sharing their lives is as vital as ever. This helps explain why they have been early adopters of almost every socially usable technology available. For example, Latinos engage more fully on their mobile devices, with 71% consuming mobile content compared to the market average of 48%. Latinos are also much more likely to use the full feature set on their mobile devices, over-indexing in the use of SMS, MMS, cameras, downloads, email, internet and gaming functions.

Source: How to Connect With the Digital Latino - Advertising Age - CMO Strategy