Hispanic American teenagers are particularly strong users of mobile technologies but they don't necessarily respond to advertising through that channel, according to a new report from Forrester Research.
The Cambridge, Mass., think firm surveyed about 1,000 Hispanic youths ages 13 to 17 as part of its third quarter Youth Online Survey and found that 91% had mobile phones and 33% had smartphones. That compares with 85% and 19%, respectively, for online non-Hispanic youth surveyed.
The survey also found that 55% of the online Hispanic teenagers are advanced users – using their mobile devices for activities ranging from text alerts to checking financial accounts. One in ten of them owned an iPhone, the most popular device in the group, while 5% had HTCs.
The least popular activity, buying products through the mobile phone, was still reported as something they do at least once a month by 10% of the young Hispanic responders, Forrester said.
That doesn't mean, however, that the mobile channel is fertile ground for advertising, analysts said. Mobile is the ad format they trust the least, with 19% saying they trust that channel, compared with 13% of the non-Hispanic teenagers surveyed.
"Although Hispanic youths' interest in interacting with brands through, for example, coupons is higher than non-Hispanics, brands should be very respectful of the limitations when interacting with Hispanic consumers on their mobile devices," said report author Roxana Strohmenger.
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