Until recently, when you thought of ringtones, you usually thought of hip-hop
ringtones. This is not surprising given the genre’s wide acceptance of ringtones
and cell phones and such smash chart crashers as 50-Cent ringtones, Snoop Dogg
ringtones, and Lil Kim ringtones.
But ringtone operators are now starting to see the value in
Latin ringtones, especially in the urban Hispanic market—one often referred to
as “hurban” by marketers. While the market for Latin ringtones is exploding in
Mexico, Central America, and South America, major Latin acts have failed to
reach the coveted Billboard Ringtone Charts…yet.
Latin ringtones may be the lone remaining untapped pot of gold for ringtone
sellers. “The Ketchup Song, by Las Ketchup was on our top ten list about three
years ago,” said Bob Bentz, director of marketing at Ringingphone.com. “Then,
there’s the traditional cross-over ringtones like Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida
Loca and Los Del Rio’s Macarena that are consistent sellers. We have good
sellers with Juan Gabriel ringtones, Selena ringtones, and Marc Anthony
ringtones, but, for the most part, our business is still mainly about rap
ringtones and hip-hop ringtones. But, we like the opportunities in the Hispanic
market and continue to expand our offerings.”
Bentz has reason to be excited. It is a well-known fact that the market for
ringtones has been driven by teens and young adults. According to the US Census
Bureau, Hispanics will be the largest teen minority group by next year and will
be twenty percent of the overall American teen population in 2015. Moreover,
Hispanics, according to Forrester Research, tend to buy more multi-media capable
phones and replace their handsets more frequently. Hispanics are also larger
spenders on cell phones with monthly bills $10 higher than the national average.
Twelve percent of Hispanics use mobile data services like ringtones compare to
only seven percent, according to the Forrester report.
So, the next time you hear a ringtone, it may have a Latin flavor to it.
About the Author: Anthony Wayne is the editor of the Cool Ringtones Blog
(http://www.coolringtones.blogspot.com)
Source: www.isnare.com
|
