First-Ever Research Targeting New Generation Latinos Ages 14-34 Reveals Nearly 50% Seek More Bilingual/Bicultural Content

USA - English

• Latin America - español

MIAMI, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas, the bilingual/bicultural network for U.S. Latinos, unveils research findings from The Maximo Report, a new study co-sponsored by Tr3s, and conducted by Motivo Insights, LLC and the New Generation Latino Consortium (NGLC) that uncovers key insights into the growing young, bicultural Latino. The report is the first-of-its-kind conducted with this demographic, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies with 14-34 year old Latinos, both U.S. and foreign-borns that have lived in the U.S. for 15 years or more.  Key findings will be unveiled in the coming weeks to reveal the role of media, entertainment, digital media and marketing & advertising in their US Latino lives.   Additional areas explored in the research include the content this group consumes as well as language preferences based on their acculturation.

The Maximo Report reveals nearly 50% of NGLs seek more bilingual/bicultural programming and over 30% look for 'mainstream' English-only content. NGLs hunger for more bi-lingual, bi-cultural programming, specifically content where "they are the star," "their lives, entertainment interests and issues are authentically represented," and "their American and Latino sides meet." The results also indicate Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas as the only Hispanic channel that all NGL age segments 14-34 agree "most speaks to the Latino heart & soul." Joining Tr3s with the 14-17 segment is SiTv, Mun2 and Azteca, with 18-24s is Univision, Telemundo and Discovery en Espanol, with 25-34s is Univision, Telemundo, Fox Sports en Espanol and ESPN Deportes.

"As a brand that lives and breathes this bilingual/bi-cultural space, it's our mission to generate knowledge capital that educates Hispanic marketers on the various segments of our HP12-34 viewer demographic. The Maximo Report is a valuable tool that specifically delivers key insights on the growing bilingual, bicultural segment that crosses generations on U.S. soil, ranging from the more acculturated foreign-born to the newer U.S. born 2nd and 3rd gens," commented Nancy Tellet, Senior Vice President of Research & Consumer Insights for Viacom International Media Networks Latina America, Canada & US Hispanic.  "As bilingual/bicultural Hispanics begin to dominate the younger portion of the adult Hispanic segment in addition to their current dominance in the teen segment, deepening our knowledge on how they express their Latinicity beyond language, and understanding their unique habits and interests will be crucial for the Tr3s brand and Hispanic marketers," she added.

KEY FINDINGS

• NGLs are language neutral regarding TV content, but do want to see themselves and their dual culture lifestyle in the U.S. represented.

• NGLs are mashing up aspects of different cultures to fuel the growth of the "Urban Latino" movement. They organically mix traditional Latino values with those of today's hip-hop influenced urban culture to create new urban Latino expressions. This makes for a more dynamic and complex New Generation Latino consumer.

• The U.S. recession affects today's consumers, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, many NGLs feel they are better equipped to deal with today's recession compared to Caucasians. This is mostly due to culturally based realities that give NGLs a slightly different perspective on finances.

• Word-of-mouth is a vital tool that NGLs use to discover new brands and products. Factor in their intense social media consumption, it's no wonder the majority of them have learned of a new brand or product via social media.  

• For NGLs, peer-to-peer recommendations are highly valued and sought after.  Whether it be in-person or virtual, NGLs are leveraging their vast social networks to spread the word (positive or negative) about brands. In fact, NGLs are more likely to forward opinions and info about a brand compared to their Caucasian counterparts.

• NGLs are blending the Latino and "mainstream" American aspects of their identity routinely and frequently. Not only are they doing this themselves, but they expect their media and marketing to reflect this as well. In fact, more than 7 of 10 NGLs think that seeing an English language commercial on Spanish language TV is a good thing.

• Cultural representation in ads is very important to today's NGL. They want to see themselves reflected in marketing that targets them, but it's not an "all Latino or nothing" solution. In fact, there are more important elements to marketing for NGLs than having an "all Latino" cast.  

• The bi-cultural experience that NGLs encounter helps shape how they view their role in U.S. society. They have a different "value set" than their Caucasian counterparts that gives them unique attitudes and opinions on education, their career, finances, and much more.  

• NGLs are seeking out "in-culture." Just like they live much of their daily lives, NGLs want to have media and programming options that reflect the various aspects of their identity, regardless of language. In fact, when asked which type of content they want more of, "in-culture" content was #1.

METHODOLOGY

In order to reflect the multi-faceted identity of today's NGLs, Motivo Insights employed a comprehensive, hybrid approach to the methodology that included traditional, non-traditional, and social media techniques.  The qualitative research was a result of focus groups in traditional facilities, discussion sessions in non-traditional locations (Latino restaurant, hotel, etc), and webcam video diaries from over 100 respondents in Los Angeles, New York and Houston. The quantitative results were generated through online surveys and national representative samples, reaching nearly 850 Hispanics and 300 general market groups between 14-34 year olds, for a total of 1,150 surveyed respondents.

Source: NGLC & Motivo Insights, "The Maximo Report" 2011, NGLs: 14-34 U.S. Born or Foreign-born in the U.S. 15+ years. * Base (chart): Channels with the highest % of a 1-3 ranking out of 12-point scale on what channel "most speaks to your Latino heart & soul."

SOURCE MTV Tr3s