Martha de la Torre, founder and publisher of Los Angeles' El Clasificado (El Clasificado Inc., circ. 220,000, weekly, Spanish, National CPM US $23.4), the second largest free Spanish-language weekly in the U.S., discusses the specifics of the classified ad market in LA.
Q: Do you have a figure for the size (in US$) of the Los Angeles classified advertising market?
A: "I don't have an exact number, but the combined total for classified ads in dailies, weeklies, shoppers, and online would have to be over $1 billion in the Los Angeles DMA. National classified ad spending is about $20 billion in dailies alone."
Q: Compared to general market classified advertising, what type of classifieds are in greater demand by Latinos?
A: "Employment, real estate and auto classifieds are still strong in our publication; however, our number one category is home services, especially construction services. Almost one third of California homebuyers had Hispanic surnames in June 2004 according to DataQuick Information Systems. El Clasificado has hundreds of ads every week offering Latinos the opportunity to convert their residences into their dream homes.*
We are fortunate with El Clasificado that our content is our classifieds and crosses all Latino cultural lines. Everybody is interested in buying a good product or service.
Also since our editorial does not focus on news, but on how to make a better life in the U.S. bilingual/ bicultural environment, we are able to address the diverse needs of Latinos in our community."
* According to Henry Cisneros, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, “Latinos are looking for specific amenities, which include extra bedrooms for extended family, extra outdoor space for gardening, barbecuing and entertaining, and work space in or near garages for those who need to store tools associated with their occupations.”
