Electronic Retailer - February 2012 - 45

United States that began at the onset of the Great Recession and accelerated last year hit one fast-growing demographic group especially hard: Latino children. More Latino children are living in poverty – 6.1 million in 2010 – than children of any other racial or ethnic group. This marks the first time in U.S. history that the single largest group of poor children is not white. For Latinos, this negative milestone is a product of their growing numbers, high birth rates and declining economic fortunes. Among Hispanic children living in poverty, more than two-thirds (4.1 million) are the children of immigrant parents, while the other 2 million are the children of parents born in the U.S. To make matters ever more emotionally charged, 53 percent of Latino registered voters have undocumented immigrant friends or family. At least a quarter of Latino registered voters know someone who is facing immigration enforcement. Don’t make the mistake, however, of believing that Hispanics will line up as a block on these issues. There are several other issues that shape our political spectrum such as access to education, social values, crime and the military. Momentum, power and key markets: Those are the three things at stake for Hispanic voters. According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, between $4.8 billion and $5.6 billion will be spent on political advertising in 2012. This should be enough to start investing in the Latino electorate. Now some thoughts on how to measurably sway Latino voters in 2012: • Start by allocating an effective share of your broadcast and digital spend to the Hispanic electorate. If you take

the Hispanic electorate for granted, then expect nothing back – votes or contributions. • Reach out to the market in both English and Spanish. According to Latino Decisions, one-third of Latino voters are predominantly reliant on Spanish-language media, one-third on English-language media and one-third on both equally. • Think direct response. Nothing beats long-form advertising for education, contributions and driving traffic to events, websites, rallies, meetings and other measurable political activity. • Use TV, radio, internet and mobile media. All are critical for reach and engagement. Do not over-depend on digital media just yet. Beware the digital divide. • Targeting the Hispanic electorate is not a question of how much, but where. According to 2010 Census data, there are 118 existing congressional districts in which more than one-fifth of the population is Hispanic. Ninety-three of those districts are in California, Texas, Florida and New York – the four states with the most 2012 electoral votes. It is likely that Latinos will shape the electoral landscape in these states and other emerging Hispanic television markets in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa and New Mexico. The election is less than a year away. The issues are now. The spending season has already begun. Politicians are making important choices in how and where they spend their resources. It is time they address the Hispanic vote.

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February 2012 | electronicRETAILER

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Electronic Retailer - February 2012

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