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Quantifying Latino influence

Holly McGavock — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:14:39 +0000

A few months ago, during a conversation with the Simmons team at Experian Marketing Services, we started talking about how Hispanics are influencing the mainstream. Someone threw out the “salsa outsells ketchup” anecdote we’ve all heard, and we realized that it was time to stop reusing the same examples and start trying to really prove whether or not this influence is happening. Not long after, the Latino Influence Project was born.

The study leverages a custom analysis of data from the Simmons National Hispanic Consumer Study, which measures over 48,000 respondents across 60,000 variables, including language, demographics, brand preferences, attitudes, lifestyles and even political outlook. Not surprisingly, the data showed that non-Hispanics who live in high-density Hispanic neighborhoods behave, buy and believe more similarly to Hispanics than non-Hispanics living in low-density Hispanic neighborhoods, even after controlling variables such as geography, education, income, age and other factors.

Some of our findings reinforced what we expected to see. For example, the data shows that non-Latinos living among Latinos:

Consume and enjoy more Hispanic products, including food, music and sports. They are 5.5 times more likely to eat jalapeños and are 6 times as likely to listen to and enjoy salsa and merengue.
Enjoy standing out in the crowd and being fashionable. They are twice as likely to say they like to stand out from the crowd and 70% more likely to experiment with new clothing styles.

However, we were surprised to see that the Latino influence on the mainstream extends far beyond just food, sports and fashion. Non-Latinos living among Latinos also:

Lead the way in technology. They are twice as likely to use their cell phones and the Internet for information and entertainment.
Eat less processed food. They are twice as likely to look for organic and natural when shopping for food.
Are environmentally conscious. They are twice as likely to buy recycled products.

The growing Hispanic population together with the influence they are exerting on non-Hispanics that live around them means that our whole notion of “general market” is changing, and will continue to evolve. We think that’s pretty cool.

To find out more about the Latino Influence Project and learn more about what we found (and what we think it all means), please join the Webinar being hosted by Wing and Experian Marketing Services on Thursday November 29^th, 2012 at 2:00 EST. You can also download the Latino Influence Project report.

Holly McGavock is Wing’s Director of Planning, where she helps brands like Olay, Downy, Red Lobster and Radio Shack, among many others, connect with Latino consumers.

A recipe for holiday marketing success

Denice Surjan — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 06:15:38 +0000

Check out the infographic below depicting what worked for marketers last holiday season and what they have planned for this year.

For the holiday insights we’re already seeing this season, watch our ‘Tis the season for holiday marketers webcast on demand. This real-time data will help you tweak your current holiday email, search, mobile and social campaigns to keep up with consumer response.

66% of marketers expect 2012 holiday season sales to be higher or much higher than in 2011.
26% plan to start 2012 holiday marketing activities in September, 23% plan for October.
In 2011, for the first time ever, Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday as the biggest online shopping day of the year.
Pinterest adoption rates show the biggest increase, as 71% plan to use it during the 2012 holiday season – a 137% increase over 2011.
4 of the top 5 biggest movers are mobile tactics.
54% of those who used email marketing reported their campaigns were extremely or very successful; 42% reported moderately or slightly successful.
39% of marketers plan to incorporate ratings and reviews into their customers’ holiday shopping experience.

Promote social networks to improve your next email campaign

Denice Surjan — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:55:47 +0000

Email is one of the best ways to connect with customers, and it is essential to engage with customers via social networks. So it makes sense that the value of both email and social media is even higher when they’re used together. But not all networks are created equal. Learn the best ways to use the top-promoted social networks to boost your next email campaign.

Key take-aways:
Facebook is the top social network displayed or promoted in email, followed by Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest respectively.

On average, emails promoting Pinterest get 24.7% more unique clicks than other non-social-promotion emails. The new kid on the block creates a lot of buzz in email. Check out this case study for specifics on how Ballard Designs boosts engagement with Pinterest.

Unique open rates for Twitter “follow-us” mailings are 9.5% higher than those for other mailings.

60% of brands that sent emails with “Facebook” in the subject line averaged a 27% increase in traffic to their website from Facebook the week following deployment.

How to be customer obsessed

Denice Surjan — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 09:00:16 +0000

One of the overarching themes at Experian Marketing Services’ recent 2012 Digital Summit was customer obsession. And we mean customer obsession that goes beyond the adage “the customer is always right,” to a new level where marketers look into the minds of customers to learn and understand their habits and behaviors. Basically, businesses must actually know what customers want. It’s a big endeavor, but worth the outcome of creating true brand advocates. Here are a few insights to get you started or keep you on the right path:

Key take-aways:

Here is what customers want from any brand or company they do business with, and what customer obsessed businesses can do give it to them:

To belong – Initiate a sense of belonging, such as utilizing a “Welcome” program

To be known – Treat customers as individuals by employing personalization methods

To feel special – Reward customers for their loyalty and continued engagement with your brand

To be treated well – Offer assistance through customer service, such as sending out “Thank you” emails

Must-know stats to connect with Dana in multiple channels

Denice Surjan — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 06:30:02 +0000

Earlier this week we introduced you to Dana. She’s your best customer if you work hard to earn her loyalty. Savvy marketers rejoice: here’s some key intel to help you create meaningful connections with Dana via email, social, mobile and search – and don’t miss the stats on the future of online advertising.

Key take-aways:

Including the word “exclusive” in email subject lines boosts unique open rates by 14% in promotional mailings
Emails asking customers to rate and review items they’ve purchased have 32% higher revenue per email
85% of real-time welcome emails get opened and have a click rate of 29%
91% of online adults are using social media regularly
Pinterest is the third most visited U.S. social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter
28% of 6-11 year olds own a cell phone
Paid search and banner ads will garner nearly 73% of all U.S. online ad spending in 2012

Marriage and cohabitation insights to help connect with LGBT customers

John Fetto — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:03:35 +0000

Experian Simmons first began measuring sexual orientation among respondents to our National Consumer Study in 2004. In one of our first full releases of the syndicated study in 2006, we found that 3.4% of all non-Hispanic adults self-identified as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT) – a figure consistent with what leading LGBT researchers predicted at the time. However, today, 4.1% of the non-Hispanic adult population self-identifies as LGBT, a figure that has risen slowly but steadily year-after-year. As public attitudes become more open and accepting of LGBT American’s and issues dear to them, marketers, too, are increasingly showing their support of their LGBT customers and looking for trends among this growing and already influential demographic.

As a growing number of U.S. states pass laws recognizing same-sex marriages and civil unions, we see an increasing percentage of gay and lesbian Americans reporting that they’re married. Five years ago, for example, when only Massachusetts allowed same-sex marriage, 8% of adult gay men and 14% of adult lesbian women said they were married. Today, 12% of gay men and a full quarter of lesbian women are married. During the same timeframe, marriage rates among heterosexuals fell slightly. Today, 58% of heterosexual men and 53% of heterosexual women are married. Compare that to 60% of straight men and 55% of straight women who were married in 2007.

Percent of adults currently married, by sexual orientation

While marriage is a growing trend among the LGBT population, many gay and lesbian adults (as well as many heterosexuals) live with their partners without tying the knot. Today, two-thirds of lesbian women and 46% of gay men live in a household with one and only one member of the same sex. As expected, the majority of married gays and lesbians are found in these household formations, but we can expect to find many cohabitating couples in this arrangement as well. Among heterosexual adults, 71% of men and 61% of women share a home with one and only one adult of the opposite sex, the comparable formation most likely to contain married and partnered straight couples.

Percent of lesbian and gay adults who live with zero, one or two+ adults of the same sex

Percent of heterosexual adults who live with zero, one or two+ adults of the opposite sex

For more demographic and attitudinal information on the trends among the LGBT population, download the 2012 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Demographic Report.

Are you empowering meaningful connections with customers?

Denice Surjan — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:00:48 +0000

Savvy marketers know that the world is a lot different today than it was five years ago. What was thought to be true from a marketing perspective even last year may no longer be applicable or effective. Today’s marketers need to shift focus from a technology or channel to a deeper understanding of the customer, including how they live and consume information, in order to empower meaningful connections and actively engage them.

Check out our latest infographic for a few of the stats and trends we’re seeing that provide insight into your customers’ digital habits. For a deeper dive, download The 2012 Digital Marketer report.

As always, if you like what you see, please share it!

Who Streams March Madness Online? A Pocket Guide

John Fetto — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:15:17 +0000

With the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament now in a full court press, March Madness fans are in a quandary over which games to watch and how to watch them. Even worse, many of the games take place during traditional working hours, presenting fans with a strong temptation to stream games live from their desk—with or without approval from their manager or IT department. But what’s a die-hard fan to do? For help spotting a March Madness online streamer at work, on the street or on a date, we’ve created these handy guides:

How to indentify your colleagues streaming the Big Dance at work:

March Madness streamers are a high tech group. Here are other digital activities that they in engage in when they’re not streaming the game:

Your date may be an online streamer if…