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Sounding Off: Cara Marcano– “The New York DMA – Not just New York City”

Almost Half of the Hispanics in this All-Important Market Live in NJ

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The New York DMA has long been one of the largest Hispanic markets in the U.S. -number two in the entire nation, second only to the Southern California market, the "LA" DMA. 

In fact, one in 10 US Hispanics call the "NY" DMA home, but this doesn't mean they live in New York City.   There are 4 million Hispanics in the NY DMA – but 40% of those -1.55 million Hispanics – actually live in NJ.  

There are 29 counties that make up the NY DMA. Thirteen are in NJ and the rest run across New York State (Long Island and The Hudson Valley) and Connecticut. Most of these counties have sizeable Hispanic populations. The final 2010 Census figures for New York State and Connecticut are not in yet. But figures for New Jersey are in!  And the results are conclusive.  According to the 2010 Census data just released, the Hispanic population in NJ grew 39 percent by more than 437,000 persons since the last Census.

Are New York City and its three counties of the 29 counties the New York DMA important to Hispanic marketers?

Yes

Should it be more important than New Jersey?

No!

There are as many Latinos in New Jersey as there are in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Let us repeat this again.

There are as many Latinos in New Jersey as there are in the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. According to 2009 Census Data (the latest figures available for New York City) there were 706,905 Latinos in the Bronx, 497,283 in Brooklyn and 397,000 in Manhattan, the same number as live in NJ. And new 2010 Census numbers could very well show New Jersey has MORE Latinos than New York City, given the state’s boom in Hispanic population.

Still, the majority of print advertising dollars continue to go to one or two print products that cover only these 3 NYC counties and miss targeting the more than 1.5 million Hispanics in NJ – the other 40 percent of this DMA.

These counties are not so important that marketers should be blowing all of their NY DMA dollars here in print. Their media products offer little to zero coverage of New Jersey – where 40 percent of the market lives!

So a media buy of the major "NY Hispanic newspapers” currently gives Hispanic marketers 0 to little coverage of the New Jersey Hispanic market.

What about El Diario's 50,000 plus circulation across the NY DMA?  Less than 5% of El Diario's circulation falls in New Jersey – where more than 40% of the Hispanics in the New York DMA actually live. Even less of the paper's editorial content focuses on stories and issues that are important to New Jersey Latinos.

What about the other New York newspapers? Hora Hispana's NJ circulation?  A whopping 0 in New Jersey. Impacto Latino?  0, zip, nada circulation in NJ. El Especial and El Especialito also devote a minority of their circulation to the New Jersey market.

What's more all three of these newspapers cover the same three counties – Brooklyn, The Bronx and New York County (Manhattan).  Less than 40 percent of the "NY" DMA actually lives in these three counties. (1.6 million of the 4.1 million folks in this DMA).  The rest of the NY DMA folks live in New Jersey, Connecticut and the rest of New York State – not in New York City.  But marketers insist on buying the same three New York City counties of the DMA over and over again in multiple print products and then again in TV and radio, blowing all their budgets on a small segment of the market and failing to reach the entire NY DMA.

Marketers are buying often two or three of these newspapers rather than spreading their media buy to cover the entire market. Don't skip out on New York City's three counties (King's County (Brooklyn), Bronx County and New York County), because they are definitely a necessary target. But don't duplicate your message by running in 2 or 3 newspapers who target the same reader, you'll only end up spending all of your money to reach 3 of the 29 counties in this DMA. Move some of those funds where your reach is NOT duplicated.

Univision and Telemundo got you covered – maybe for very general nationalized branding campaigns, but for most New Jersey Latinos, ads for car dealers in Queens and the Bronx some 2-plus hours away from New Jerseyeans living rooms, means commercial time is time to head to the kitchen and tune out.

Because TV and radio are so New York City-based and New York City focused, (after all the term, "New York DMA" is TV lingo) Hispanic print may in fact  the only way to get to the 40% of the New York DMA that is in New Jersey and the 20% of the market that is located in New York State and Connecticut in a locally relevant to the folks who haven't yet gotten your message.

There is a Hispanic newspaper that focuses 100% of its circulation on New Jersey – Reporte Hispano. Use print for what it does best – go local to the folks who haven't gotten your message. 

New Jersey Hispanics have higher incomes than those in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan and they receive less Hispanic messaging and are less saturated by Hispanic marketing.

Cara Marcano is the CEO and Publisher of Reporte Hispano, New Jersey's Hispanic newspaper and web site.

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