A recent study released by marketing trade organization the Culture Marketing Council details many of the unique online engagement trends salient among U.S. Hispanic audiences today.

Social media was cited as the number-one digital activity among Hispanic Millennials ages 18-34, and these audiences also seem to view and share more online and social media content than their non-Hispanic white counterparts: according to the study, Hispanics ages 18-34 shared an average of 33 percent more content than non-Hispanic white respondents in the same age group.

Nearly half — 47 percent — of Hispanics ages 13-17 said they use social media pretty much constantly from the moment they wake up to when they go to sleep at night, as did 37 percent of those ages 18-34.

Younger multicultural audiences also appear more likely to follow online influencers. Two-thirds of multicultural consumers ages 13-34 said they follow social media stars, compared to roughly 50 percent all 13-34-year-olds polled for the study. And nearly half — 49 percent — of Hispanics ages 13-17 said that branded content makes them want to try, buy or use a brand more than regular ads, as did 50 percent of Hispanics ages 18-34 and 46 percent of Hispanics ages 35-49. The study noted that nine out of the 17 top social media stars cited by these respondents are multicultural.

Percentage that visit "Culture Club" sites
Percentage of respondents that visit “culture club” sites, or outlets featuring cultural content. (L to R): non-Hispanic African-Americans ages 13-49, Hispanics ages 18-34, Hispanics ages 13-17; foreign born Hispanics and U.S.-born Hispanics.

Culture underpins consumers’ digital behaviors, and understanding the cultures that drive those behaviors can provide actionable insights and shape strategies that increase brand engagement and improve ROI. The CMC study found that multicultural consumers regularly engage with platforms that provide content specific to their cultures and communities, be it on sites or apps or even in mainstream digital outlets that offer cultural content. 86 percent of foreign-born Hispanics said they visit sites offering this content, as did 67 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics.

The study suggested that ads placed on those platforms have noted influence across age groups and languages, regardless of whether viewers were born in the U.S. or abroad: 64 percent of Hispanics ages 18-34 said they’d be more likely to buy from brands who advertised on the Spanish-language sites they visited, and 60 percent of the same age demographic said they’d be more likely to buy from brands advertising on English-language sites within these cultural spaces.

CMC’s “Digital Lives 2018” study polled 3,500 U.S. residents online between the ages of 13 and 49. Respondents represented an equal number of Hispanics as well as non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic African-Americans.