Hispanic Mags Snare Paltry 2.9 Percent Hispanic Media Spend

U.S. Hispanic magazines received only 2.9 percent of total Hispanic media spend - compared to 17 percent for magazines in the general market - and some Hispanic titles discount as much as 30 to 40 percent off rate card prices, attendees at the U.S. Hispanic Magazine Summit in Puerto Rico this weekend were told, according to AdAge. Advertisers say that Hispanic magazines have too small a reach and not enough accountability.

For example, U.S. Hispanic magazines rely solely on data from Simmons Market Research bureau, which includes Spanish-speaking consumers, while Mediamark Research (MRI), which offers desirable research, conducts research only in English. Publishers at the summit expressed hopes that MRI will soon include Spanish speakers, enabling them to add MRI data to the Simmons data.

Another challenge is that Hispanic media emerged in the U.S. via Spanish-language TV. Now Hispanic publishers are trying to build revenue based on advertisers accustomed to spending money on farther-reaching Spanish-language TV network Univision.

Proctor & Gamble was the largest buyer of Hispanic magazine print ads last year, followed by General Motors.