A Miami-based research company is currently putting together the data and insights of a study designed to give marketing executives a fresh perspective on the passion of soccer among the majority of U.S. Hispanics.

"Deciphering the DNA of Soccer in the U.S. Hispanic Market" is set for a first-quarter 2010 release from Kitelab.

The research report will review current trends, both at the national and international levels. "The idea is to obtain relevant, actionable information for brands to leverage in developing effective marketing strategies and marketing communications," the company notes.

The study will also review the involvement of women and children as active participants in a sport viewed as male-dominated in the Hispanic community.

From an advertiser perspective, the syndicated study will also identify opportunities for brands and product categories that are not currently sponsors of Hispanic-targeted soccer properties in the U.S.

A review of the current role and direct associations of specific brands with soccer will also be offered in the Kitelab study. Additionally, Kitelab will look at the adoption of "new media" - including mobile and digital platforms and social networking - among Latinos as it pertains to soccer.

The timing of the study's release is specifically designed to allow brands to leverage the staging of FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa - easily the biggest marketing opportunity of the year in the U.S. Hispanic market.

In looking at the new U.S. Hispanic target markets for soccer-related marketing, Kitelab reviewed four consumer segments:

• Children 6-12 years of age
• Teens, 13 to 18 years old
• Hispanic adults 18-45
• Hispanic women 19-35

How is Kitelab conducting its research?

In-home ethnography will see home-based research, with observations of behavior and attitudes expressed while the Latino soccer fan is watching a televised match. Additionally, Kitelab will take note of how Hispanics watch and experience soccer where the game is played.

Micro focus groups will also be used, with 60- to 90-minute discussions on study participant's opinions, perceptions, behavior and passion of soccer.

Conducted on a market-by-market basis, Kitelab is conducting six in-home visits, to middle-income and/or lower-income Hispanic households. Public ethnographies will be held in stadiums, bars, neighborhood soccer fields and soccer clinics.

Three in-depth interviews will also be conducted with soccer coaches, amateur players, soccer equipment retailers and everyday soccer fans.

Quantitative research will see the inclusion of 600 telephone interviews, conducted with male and female soccer fans between the ages of 18 and 45 who reside in middle-income and lower-income families.

Once complete, Kitelab says it will conduct similar studies in Mexico, Argentina, Honduras and Brazil.

? The new study is not the first from Kitelab to focus on soccer as a marketing platform. In 2003, it traveled to Mexico - and revealed that interest in soccer among women was increasing.