El Clasificado held a focus group project on January 23, 2014 to determine which ads proved to be of most interest to the readers. The focus group was comprised of volunteers living in the County of Los Angeles–all of which were EC magazine readers and of Hispanic descent. The results provided by the group are a reflection of the current needs in the Hispanic community and how important the access to this information is for them.
US HISPANICS AND JOB ADVERTISEMENTS
A majority of the participants stated that their main area of interest is in job advertisements, or information related to online courses and job training, reflecting, that while the unemployment rate amongst US Hispanics has decreased from as high as 9.5% in 2013 to 8.1% in February of 2014,* there is still a demand among the Latino community for employment opportunities among one of the more highly unemployed US demographics. Additionally, all agreed they prefer advertisements that specify whether or not the listing is for Spanish speakers or English speakers–especially for job advertisements. They prefer these listings to avoid the common confusion of finding a job ad in Spanish and when they would call it would be answered in English.
The unemployment concern can also be noted in what was the second most popular ads of interest–online course search or job training courses. To further this point, several of the members of the group noted an interest in computer classes to add as a skill to their resume. Most importantly, these results imply that Hispanics, and particularly El Clasificado print readers are actively trying to improve their education and work skills to increase their chances of having or finding a career with a stable, well-paying salary.
ADDITIONAL ADS OF INTEREST FOR THE US LATINO COMMUNITY
The surveyed El Clasificado readers also showed a high level of interest in ads providing emergency services such as finding an attorney for an accident or a doctor for medical care. In these cases, the group also noted that the weekly El Clasificado magazine was better than the Yellow Pages because it is easier to read in emergency situations and its size makes it less intimidating. Beyond just needed services; however, apartment and home rentals, as well car sales were other types of advertisements the majority of the focus group agreed were of interest. In noting this, the focus group also displayed that while the El Clasificado readers exhibited a greater appreciation for the layout and usability of the publication versus standard print directories for services, they also use the classified publication for more traditional searches outside of employment searches, looking for various goods and for sale as well as places to live.
On April 18, EC Hispanic Media will release the findings of the focus group as a free eBook. Reserve your copy today!
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*https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t03.htm
