Hispanic consumers are an increasingly essential audience for TV advertisers. But how can brand marketers actually engage these consumers? And how do they measure effectively to know what really works?
TelevisaUnivision’s Dan Riess has the answer. In a recent conversation, the Spanish-Language media giant’s EVP and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Advertising shared why outcomes-based measurement has become "hypercritical" for reaching Hispanic audiences — and why EDO's mid-funnel metrics are now essential to his post-campaign conversations with clients.
From the unique growth dynamics of the Hispanic market to the complexities of convergent TV measurement, Riess offers a roadmap for marketers looking to unlock this powerful opportunity.
Watch the full interview above, or read on for key highlights from Dan's conversation.
Hispanic consumers are reshaping category growth
The numbers tell a compelling story. Hispanic consumers now comprise 20% of the US population, but the demographic skews significantly younger — 14 years younger on average than the general population. When you zoom in on Gen Z, Hispanics make up 25% of the population.
This age dynamic creates a compounding effect. Not only does it mean Hispanic consumers represent a larger share of future purchasing power, but they're also driving cultural trends and consumption patterns today. Whether it's food and beverage, entertainment, retail, or technology, Hispanic consumers are fueling business growth across the board.
"This is the fastest-growing population. It is the driver of growth in almost every category," Riess explains. "It is going to set the cultural zeitgeist. It'll determine the cultural relevance of brands as we go forward."
Outcomes measurement is now ‘hypercritical’
According to Riess, outcomes measurement has become a top priority for marketers across the board, driven by factors like TV fragmentation, smaller audience pockets, and increased procurement pressure. But for Hispanic audiences specifically, measurement takes on even greater urgency.
"The nature of data and measurement in this space has been challenged," Riess notes. "Companies aren't always identifying Hispanics the right way. Sample sizes are too small."
The result? A disconnect between what the data shows and what's actually happening in-market. "We'll hear from brands all the time: I'm seeing in the data much less than my stores are reporting," says Riess. "That means there's a sample problem, that there's a representation in the data problem."
TelevisaUnivision has tackled this head-on by building a household graph covering 100% of US Hispanic households and partnering closely with marketers on measurement to ensure accurate insights.
But accurate measurement is only part of the equation. Today's convergent TV landscape adds another layer of complexity. "Consumers are hopping from device to device and modality to modality," Riess explains. Take soccer, for example: younger audiences engage almost purely through social and streaming, while older viewers use linear and social. Brands need to reach audiences across all these touchpoints —and measure the impact holistically.
"We are delivering campaigns for advertisers across these two modalities," says Riess, referring to linear and streaming. "You're generating incremental reach when you do that, and you're generating incremental impact and storytelling. Measuring that as one thing is critical."
Mid-funnel metrics fuel post-campaign reports
For Riess and his team, mid-funnel outcomes measurement has emerged as the solution to these complex challenges. "Mid-funnel is the way to look at ROI in premium video," he states. "It is a clean signal. It's absolutely faster, and now that we can do that across platforms, especially our two biggest premium video platforms and merge that, it is highly powerful."
The impact has been significant. "EDO has become an essential part of our post-campaign conversation with almost every client," Riess reveals. "We talk about how their ads performed on our platforms versus how they perform in general."
Since brands are often oversaturated in English-language advertising, EDO's data helps TelevisaUnivision quickly and clearly demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of Hispanic-targeted campaigns.
"EDO data helps us quickly and cleanly and concisely show the impact of their partnership with us," says Riess. "And we value it tremendously."
Getting started: Don't let perfect be the enemy of good
For marketers who haven't yet prioritized Hispanic audiences, Riess offers straightforward advice: just get started.
"It's much more important to get started," he emphasizes. "You have to really understand how deeply the Hispanic audience appreciates brands who make the effort to speak to them uniquely and connect with them in a way, all the way down to the community level."
His message is encouraging: find a partner who can help you engage in a culturally authentic way, and you're already ahead. "If you're trying, you're winning."
As the Hispanic population continues to drive cultural relevance and category growth, outcomes-based measurement will only become more critical.
Want to see the data behind Spanish-language TV's performance advantage? Download EDO's Spanish-Language TV Outcomes Report to discover why SLTV delivers for brands across categories, how genres outperform across the board, and why culturally resonant creative supercharges advertising effectiveness.