Marketing to Hispanic digital natives: Leveraging their online reviews and word of mouth

Abstract

Consumers are paying less attention to traditional advertising and opting out of digital advertising. Here lies the advantage of online reviews: they are not intrusive, and consumers seek them out as a source of information. Hispanic digital natives are active players in online reviews, as both contributors and receivers. Online reviews are a form of word-of-mouth communication, which is another venue for spreading information. This study found several techniques that marketers can use to prompt Hispanic young adults to post product reviews and also tell friends about a company. For example, a company should showcase its corporate social responsibility efforts. Showing concern for society will generate recommendations from this group. Some differences were found among Hispanic and non-Hispanic digital natives; for example, Hispanics are more receptive to companies they have befriended on social media.