New CMC Study: Digital Behavior Is Powered by Culture Across Demographic Segments

The trade group, Culture Marketing Council (CMC): The Voice of Hispanic Marketing conducted a study which reveals groundbreaking results on digital behavior across demographic segments. The study said that culture is the driving force behind digital behavior in respect to how information is shared, what platforms are chosen, how demand is absorbed, percolation outside of in-culture spaces and across non-Hispanic African American, non-Hispanic White and Hispanic segments. Organic diversification and a sturdy presence in cultural platforms in social media and video marketing are some crucial strategies which elevate brand management amongst audiences. This study is referred to as “Digital Lives 2018: A World of Digital ‘Everything’ through a Cultural Lens.”

Oi2 Media Response, Univision, Viacom, ThinkNow sponsor Digital Lives 2018. The study uncovers behavioral aspects through a cultural lens to determine similarities, differences, cultural fashion or cultural uniqueness. Apart from this, it also gathers information on how digital platforms are used to consume and share information. The CMC conducted an online quantitative study of 3,500 people between the age group of 13-49-year-old respondents. The representation was equal between Non-Hispanic whites, Non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanics.

CMC Research Chair Nancy Tellet, founder, brand & consumer navigator at PureClarity LLC said,” Demography and Digitalization are the two most transformative and disruptive forces in our society today. The growth and influence of the Hispanic consumer, coupled with the pop culture and political clout of African-Americans, is transforming the American cultural landscape. At the same time, digital platforms are emerging and evolving, giving consumers more control over the on-demand content they crave.”

Digital Lives 2018 study includes the following findings:

• 71% of non-Hispanic African Americans, 60-64% of Hispanics are more likely to buy brands from advertisements showcased in their own cultural spaces. Ads placed on channels with cultural content are known to have more power across all ages, languages, and segments.
• Advertisements in Spanish continue to create more engagement with the Hispanics, including the third-generation Hispanics that continue to incorporate Spanish as a part of their in-culture digital activities.
• Authentically diversified ads made correctly in the mainstream field continue to bring about engagement with multicultural and certain millennial non-Hispanics. The same applies to shows which reflect diversity in themes and cast. In non-Hispanic whites, millennials will most likely deviate to the “Do it Right” shows. Most non-Hispanic teens would prefer shows like Black-ish, Luke Cage, How to Get Away with Murder, This is us, and Orange is the New Black, simply because they are good.
• TV or movies which include streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) is the number one thing that most 18-49-year-olds would prefer and cannot do without. Hispanics between the ages 18-34 were in an implicit tie between the passion of social media and SVOD.
• Findings related to social media include nine out of 17 top social media influencers to be multicultural.

CMC Chair Isaac Mizrahi, co-president and COO of Alma said, “The results of this new study re-emphasize the strategic imperative of placing culture at the center of your campaigns and valuing culture specialists as key advisors.  We hope this study can help marketers maximize success with in-culture, multicultural segmented efforts and avoid costly cultural gaffes in their mainstream marketing.”