How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy - Best Practices for Ethnic Marketing Online
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How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy Best Practices for Ethnic Marketing Online By Nataly Kelly, Donald A. DePalma, and Benjamin B. Sargent September 2011
How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy By Nataly Kelly, Donald A. DePalma, and Benjamin B. Sargent September 2011 Copyright © 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc., Lowell, Massachusetts, United States of America. Published by: Common Sense Advisory, Inc. 100 Merrimack Street Suite 301 Lowell, MA 01852-1708 USA +1.978.275.0500 info@commonsenseadvisory.com www.commonsenseadvisory.com No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Permission requests should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Common Sense Advisory, Inc., Suite 301, 100 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852-1708, +1.978.275.0500, E-Mail: info@commonsenseadvisory.com. See www.commonsenseadvisory.com/en/citationpolicy.html for usage guidelines. Trademarks: Common Sense Advisory, Global Watchtower, Global DataSet, DataPoint, Globa Vista, Quick Take, and Technical Take are trademarks of Common Sense Advisory, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Information is based on the best available resources at the time of analysis. Opinions reflect the best judgment of Common Sense Advisory’s analysts at the time, and are subject to change.
How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy i
Table of Contents
Topic................................................................................................................................................. 1
How This Report Is Organized ...................................................................................... 1
Past Research on the Topic ............................................................................................ 2
Data .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Language Affects Purchasing Decisions, Especially Important Ones ........................ 3
The More Important the Purchase, the More Important Language Is .................. 4
Critical Takeaways about the Impact of In-Language Content ............................ 5
Why Latinos Matter – Size and Spending Power ........................................................ 5
Firms Are Just Starting to Warm Up to Hispanic Consumers .............................. 6
The U.S. Hispanic Market: One of the Largest Economies in the World ............. 6
The Hispanic Market Is Evolving at a Rapid Pace ................................................. 9
Spanish-Language Content Matters for the U.S. Market ..................................... 10
Digital Strategies Are Critical for Selling Electronics to Hispanics .................... 11
Hispanics Report High Rates of Mobile Phone Use ............................................. 12
Case Studies .................................................................................................................................. 14
Most Tech Companies Fail in Addressing the Hispanic Market .............................. 14
Apple Directs U.S. Latinos to Content for Other Nations ................................... 15
GE Offers Latinos the Best of Both Worlds ........................................................... 16
HTC Makes It Impossible for Hispanics to Find Relevant Content .................... 17
LG Lacks Adequate Access for Latinos ................................................................. 19
Motorola Makes the Spanish-Speaking Visitor’s Life Difficult ........................... 19
Panasonic Prioritizes Countries but Overlooks U.S. Latinos .............................. 22
Samsung Misses Out on Hispanic Marketing....................................................... 23
Sony Succeeds by Offering Relevant Content in Both Languages ...................... 27
Some Consumer-Focused Sites Excel at Generating Latino Interest ........................ 29
Ford Leverages English Content and Optimizes for Mobile Users .................... 29
McDonald’s Lures Customers with Targeted Interactive Content ..................... 30
Nestlé Creates a Product-Focused Website for a Specific Persona ..................... 32
Pepsi Creates a Bilingual Campaign-Specific Website ........................................ 33
Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 35
Can Your Spanish-Speaking Prospects Find You? .................................................... 35
Option 1: Stick with the Status Quo....................................................................... 37
Option 2: Translate the U.S. English Site into Spanish ........................................ 38
Option 3: Create a Completely New Site for U.S. Latinos ................................... 39
Option 4: Take a Hybrid Approach ....................................................................... 39
How a Hybrid Approach Works ........................................................................... 40
Translating the U.S. Website into Spanish Is Simply Not Enough ..................... 40
What Companies Should Do to Target U.S. Hispanics ............................................. 41
Five Immediate Steps to Take Regardless of the Option Chosen ....................... 41
Design Considerations to Follow No Matter What .............................................. 42
About Common Sense Advisory ........................................................................... 44
Future Research....................................................................................................... 44
Applied Research and Advisory Services ............................................................. 44
Copyright © 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. September 2011
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibitedii How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy
Figures
Figure 1: Spanish-Language Sites Get Low-Priority Positioning at Apple .................. 16
Figure 2: GE’s Site for Hispanics is Bilingual and Clearly U.S.-Based ......................... 17
Figure 3: HTC Leads Spanish-Speaking Users on a Wild Goose Chase ...................... 18
Figure 4: HTC Requires Users to Speak English to Get to Spanish Content ............... 18
Figure 5: LG’s Site Navigation Is Less than Optimal ..................................................... 20
Figure 6: Motorola Offers No Options for Spanish-Speaking Users in the U.S. .......... 21
Figure 7: Motorola Puts on a Good Spanish Face but Has Problems ........................... 21
Figure 8: Panasonic Has 12 Country Sites for Latin America, Plus a Portal ................ 22
Figure 9: Where Hispanics Will Get Information about the Galaxy S .......................... 24
Figure 10: Basketball Players from Spain Greet U.S.-Based Latinos ............................ 24
Figure 11: Inconsistent Spanish Translations and Errors on Samsung Site ................. 26
Figure 12: Grammatical Errors and Inconsistencies Abound ....................................... 27
Figure 13: Sony Makes All Support Content Available in Both Languages ................ 28
Figure 14: Ford Offers a Full Mobile Site for Latinos in Both English and Spanish .... 30
Figure 15: McDonald’s Employs Video, Music, Games, and Latin Pride .................... 31
Figure 16: A Mobile Website and iPhone App for Evaporated Milk ........................... 33
Figure 17: Pepsi Super Bowl Campaign Strategically Mixes English and Spanish ..... 34
Tables
Table 1: Countries that Matter Most Online in 2010 (including US Spanish speakers) 7
Table 2: Languages that Matter Most Online in 2010 (including Spanish for the U.S.) 8
Table 3: Effectiveness of Online Marketing Techniques with Hispanics ..................... 12
Table 4: Few High-Tech Consumer Companies Have a Spanish Website for the U.S.14
Table 5: Four Companies with a Killer Strategy for Spanish in the U.S. ...................... 29
Table 6: Most Sites Fail to Deliver Relevant Spanish Content via Search .................... 36
September 2011 Copyright © 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution ProhibitedHow to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy 1
Topic
One consequence of globalization is large populations of emigrants around the
world. People leave their home countries to find work, improve their quality of
life, or begin a new life. Some are quickly assimilated into the societies they
enter, while others maintain some of the language, culture, and lifestyle they
brought with them. This report addresses that latter category of people who
choose to hold on to the linguistic and cultural aspects of their former lives once
they settle in another country. It also outlines the opportunity and best practices
for companies that could market to these multicultural populations.
This migratory phenomenon spans the globe. The United States is home to large
clusters of immigrants and residents, with those of Hispanic origin accounting
for a substantial chunk of the population. Sizable immigrant communities find
their homes in Germany (Russians and Turks) and the United Kingdom (Poles
and South Asians). Throughout the report, we use the Hispanic population in the
United States as the proxy for any domestic multicultural marketing effort. The
practices that we describe by and large will apply to any online activity you
undertake to address the ethnic populations that matter most in your country.
Throughout the analysis, we use the terms “Latino” and “Hispanic”
interchangeably. It’s important to keep in mind that not all Latinos/Hispanics
speak Spanish, and there are many sub-groups or segments of this demographic.
How This Report Is Organized
The sections in this report address a series of questions, designed to help
companies make the most informed decision regarding how – or if – to target a
domestic population that uses a language other than the official (or generally
accepted as official) tongue of that country:
Data. In this section, we discuss why language matters on the web. We
describe the impact of language availability on consumer views, purchasing,
and decision-making. We also consider why the Latino community in the
United States should matter to companies operating online. Here, we present
datapoints on spending power, internet adoption rates, and marketing
preferences of the U.S. Spanish-speaking market. If you are addressing a
different language community in the U.S. or in another country, your
business case will include equivalent information for that population.
Copyright © 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. September 2011
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited2 How to Craft a Multicultural Web Strategy
Case studies. In this section, we present 12 examples of companies with the
need, potential, or reality of a domestic multicultural presence for U.S.
Latinos on the web. Eight of the cases are in the same market sector –
consumer and business high technology – and demonstrate opportunities
that have yet to be met. Four others reveal the best practices of consumer-
oriented companies that are marketing online to Latinos.
Recommendations. In this section, we outline the major options that
companies should consider for developing and maintaining web content for
the U.S. Spanish-speaking market.
Past Research on the Topic
Common Sense Advisory has published extensively on issues of web
globalization, language preferences on the web, and the U.S. Latino market:
Web globalization. We reviewed 1,000 websites and analyzed the best
practices for multilingual access (see “Top-Scoring Global Websites,” Mar11,
and “Gaining Global Web Presence,” Nov10).
Buyer preferences. We surveyed 2,430 consumers about their online
language preferences and outlined best practices (see “Can’t Read, Won’t
Buy: Why Language Matters on Global Websites,” Sep06). We asked 351
business buyers about their attitudes toward localized products and what
they prefer buying (see “Localization Matters,” Nov08).
Online Latinos. We tested major retailers on their response to Spanish-
language inquiries, determining that most ignore the Latino demographic
(see “Reaching America’s e-Latinos: Otra Vez,” May07). We outlined best
practices for developing websites that target domestic multicultural
audiences (see “Developing Multicultural Websites,” Jul07).
September 2011 Copyright © 2011 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
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