Spanish-language music site teams with Chevrolet-sponsored Latin awards show.

Entertainment is a top interest of U.S. Hispanics online. According to Nielsen//NetRatings @plan, 87 percent use the Internet for email, 52 percent for movie and television information and 36 percent for radio and video.

Forrester Research says online Hispanic consumers are more interested in music than any other ethnic group. To capitalize on this trend, Yahoo! en español -- one of the 25 Yahoo! properties providing communications, commerce and media services to Spanish-speaking consumers around the world -- unveiled music destination LAUNCH in December. It has grown steadily since then, and now more than 1.7 million U.S. Hispanic users access LAUNCH every month.

LAUNCH, aimed at the burgeoning U.S. Hispanic Internet audience, integrates comprehensive music-related news, content, features and promotions from major music artists and record labels with content from Yahoo! en español. According to the company, the service offers music fans the largest collection of on-demand music videos on the Web and provides a valuable marketing platform for record labels, artists and advertisers. Music content and services are deeply embedded throughout Yahoo! en español, sending users directly to the Spanish-language LAUNCH destination to hear and see their favorite artists.

Jorge Consuegra, general manager, Yahoo! en español, says, “The integration of the LAUNCH brand has allowed us to deliver the entertaining music content our users want while also providing targeted solutions for our marketing and advertising clients."

LAUNCH is about to get another boost -- as are the marketers who use it. In August, Yahoo! en español was again named the official online partner for El Premio de la Gente(R), a leading Latin music fan awards show.

This dynamic Latin music awards ceremony, sponsored by Chevrolet, will take place on Thursday, Oct. 21 in Los Angeles. The two-hour broadcast will air in primetime on Saturday, Oct. 30 on the Telemundo Television Network.

“We’re excited to leverage LAUNCH to connect fans with this exciting event and provide Latin music fans the ability to decide on their favorite artists,” says Jose Rivera Font, assistant general manager, Yahoo! en español.

Liz Sarachek, executive director, marketing services for Yahoo! en español says, “Our participation in this important event, for a second consecutive year, confirms our long-term commitment to both our users and advertisers, and validates the importance and size of the online U.S. Hispanic market. For the second year, the site also offers sponsors an exciting way to brand themselves in the Hispanic community with a well-known property that receives unprecedented support from Latinos who love music.”

LAUNCH offers simple unique, powerful ways for brands to own the passionate relationship between music and young Hispanic consumers. Through relevant, integrated associations with music and Hispanic music culture, LAUNCH achieves marketing goals, not just media goals, the company says. Jeep and Greenfield Online are among the site's advertisers.

Elizabeth M. Lloyd is the director of corporate marketing for Netblue, Inc., an online direct marketing company based in Silicon Valley. Previously, Elizabeth was the director of marketing for opt-in email provider, NetCreations, in New York City. Prior to NetCreations, Elizabeth was responsible for the PR department of ValueClick, Inc.