ad:tech Miami 2007 - Terra’s Smart Marketer

Patricia Blanco is an excellent journalist and has continued her coverage of F. Madeira’s interview during ad:tech Miami.  Article in Spanish.

http://www.produ.com/diario/Hispanic.html?RID=35382#Pub15

NUEVOS MEDIOS Fernando Madeira de Terra: Comunicación es una necesidad latina

Fernando Madeira, de Terra, sostiene que en unos años la inversión online para el mercado hispano de EE UU será proporcionalmente igual a la del mercado general
(Clic para agrandar)
(Patricia Blanco). Los hábitos de consumo en plataformas de comunicación son muy similares entre los hispanos de EE UU y los latinoamericanos, de acuerdo la información recabada por Terra, compartida por Fernando Madeira, CEO de Terra Latinoamérica, con produ.com.

“Son pequeñas las diferencias, y están mucho más relacionadas con el entorno y con el país en el que están viviendo que con las formas de navegar o formas de interactuar con Internet. El esquema de comunicación es igual, la necesidad de conversar con otro es la misma, la necesidad es muy latina y creo que esto es muy interesante”, señala Madeira, quien en términos simples, sintetiza “el hispano de EE UU es un latino dentro de un mercado con mucha plata”.

En cuanto a la respuesta de los anunciantes del mercado hispano de EE UU y su apuesta al área online, Madeira asegura que el creciente interés por alcanzar a esta comunidad se está dando en todos los medios, incluyendo Internet. “Las demandas por video advertising aquí en EE UU normalmente son mucho más fuertes que en LatAm, pero en definitiva, este mercado, en términos de inversión publicitaria online, en términos de campañas, de anunciantes, de agencias, el mercado US Hispanic está más cerca del mercado americano que del mercado latino. Creo que en los próximos años, el gasto presupuestario en el mercado americano y en el US Hispanic será el mismo en términos porcentuales”.

This interview is in Spanish.

Enjoy!  Nice integration of Internet users along with his interview!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5qCisjwQQy4

Source URL:  http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007757407

ad:tech Miami Conference Focuses On Web Trends In Latin/Hispanic Markets

June 26, 2007 6:07 p.m. EST

Ayinde O. Chase - AHN Staff
Miami Beach, FL (AHN) - On Tuesday ad:tech expositions, the leading organizer of conferences and exhibitions for the global marketing community, kicked off its first ever Miami conference. The two day long event being held in the Miami Beach Convention Center, is centered around the U.S. Hispanic market and Latin America and features online marketing industry experts.

The conference is credited with bringing together members of the interactive community from all over the world in order to share their knowledge about the groups’ unique trends online.

Drew Ianni, ad:tech’s senior global analyst and programming chair says, "Speakers such as Shawn Gold, (of MySpace) with excellent industry knowledge and expertise as well as the capacity to understand their specific markets, new trends and the innovative ways in which consumers communicate, will certainly slake the thirst for knowledge about this evolving phenomenon called online marketing."

"Attendees will leave ad:tech Miami with the necessary tools, strategies and techniques to compete in a changing world."

The conference themed "Your Destination to Connect with the Hispanic and Latin American Online Marketplace," will examine the content explosion and ever evolving dynamic of the digital marketing industry.

For most who are closely involved with the Internet, interactive marketing is no longer a vague term. It has now become mainstream, and learning how to understand its concepts, trends and finer points is a study that is as rapidly expanding - as technology is making our world a more global community.

Noted CEO of Terra Latin America and recently named "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum, Fernando Madeira opened the conference with a keynote address. His opening comments about the industry were not only informative, but engaging and punctuated the nature of the conference with Madeira’s accent.

Madeira spoke to conference attendees, which numbered in the hundreds about the "typical" rapidly changing demographic Latin American markets should be focusing on, he called them the "Digital Cordial Man."

"This Particular segment of the population has a different relationship with the Internet," says, Maderia.

The group varies from the traditional segment of society marketers court. The "Digital Cordial Man" is of middle to lower class, uses his mobile phone primarily to get online, loves relationships with his/her family and community, and uses his public access computers to gain access to the Internet.

He goes on to say that the group is an expert at navigating the web, were early adopters of the revolution, heavy online users, explores different brands but exhibit fierce brand loyalty.

The specialized forms of advertising on the Internet is what is spearheading the ad:tech conference’s content. Conference organizers are disseminating the information to attendees through a series of workshops, CEO keynotes, and panel discussions.

The Miami conference differs from the other 8 shows in 6 countries, and the soon to be added 3 more shows in 3 other countries with sessions dedicated to Latin America, Hispanic and Universal programmed content. For those who traveled to the Magic City all sessions will be presented in English and simultaneously translated into Spanish and Portuguese.

The growing number of interactive marketing agencies in the U.S. Hispanic Market and Latin America, as well as the increasingly innovating use of new media, underscore the relevance of a multi-regional ad:tech event. As online marketing continues to grow, its influence over major purchase decisions made by Hispanics and Latin Americans has experienced a dramatic increase.

According to an AOL / Roper U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy, over 63 percent of online Hispanics consider the Internet as the best information source for making their final brand decisions, which ultimately unlocks new ways for marketers to reach this audience segment.

Produ.com, a trade publication in Spanish for the US Hispanic market was on site at ad:tech to interview F. Madeira after his keynote.

Photo of F. Madeira during his keynote speech at ad:tech.  Credit:  Produ

Expertos del mercadeo interactivo hispano se dan cita en el ad:tech Miami

(Patricia Blanco). Cerca de 2 mil asistentes se congregaron en el Convention Center de Miami Beach para intercambiar ideas acerca del estado actual y tendencias a futuro del mercadeo interactivo para hispanos en EE UU y latinoamericanos. Representantes de agencias, marcas, editores de Internet y proveedores de servicio estarán reunidos durante dos días en sesiones que engloban temas como el uso de medios online y móviles, las redes sociales y el contenido generado por usuario, y los hábitos de consumo de medios en línea.

La presentación de apertura correspondió a Fernando Madeira, CEO de Terra Networks, quien animó a los asistentes con contundentes ejemplos que describieron la situación de cómo hispanos y latinos viven el Internet. Madeira habló de los hallazgos de estudios emprendidos por su empresa acerca del usuario actual de la web y mencionó dos prototipos latinos del digital cordial man. En primer lugar, nombró al navegante de altos ingresos, que posee acceso propio a Internet y de alto poder adquisitivo. En contraparte, presentó en el segmento “que se está convirtiendo en el más importante” en la navegación hispana, y que está conformado por personas de bajos recursos, cuyas computadoras son compartidas “con su familia e incluso con su vecindario”, o que toman provecho de accesos públicos, especialmente en Latinoamérica.

Para ser más convincente, Madeira recurrió a un video hecho con un caso típico que sintetiza la historia de un mensajero brasileño que incorpora la conexión pública a Internet como una de las actividades rutinarias de su vida. “Y este tipo de hombre digital se está volviendo más y más importante”, agregó, además de subrayar la necesidad que los relacionados con el sector tienen de comprender las necesidades y comportamientos de este segmento, ya que posee diferencias destacadas con respecto al usuario tradicional de la web.

En números, el ejecutivo también dejó claro el peso de la navegación latina. Por ejemplo, indicó que en Brasil, el tiempo promedio de conexión es de 22 horas al mes, con lo que puntean las estadísticas mundiales; y en Chile y Argentina ronda las 17 a 18 horas mensuales. En las investigaciones de Terra también sobresale el hallazgo de un segmento juvenil que sufre “una especie de patología de conexión”, que los lleva a permanecer conectados en múltiples dispositivos a lo largo del día y que incluso llegan
a medir el poder de sus redes sociales a partir de la cantidad de mensajes y contactos recibidos diariamente.

Para finalizar, Madeira puso a la audiencia de pie y los conminó a levantar manos y hasta piernas para expresar si tenían en sus hogares televisores plasma o LCD, Internet de banda ancha y móviles. El tercer dispositivo fue suficiente para dejar claro su punto: así como se le dificultaba a los asistentes mantenerse en pie, así se haría complicado para la industria mantenerse en el tema de la convergencia debido a la participación de diferentes plataformas cruzadas.

El Nuevo Herald, which is Miami Herald’s newspaper in Spanish, covered Fernando Madeira’s keynote presentation and subsequent interview.

http://www.elnuevoherald.com/101/story/58438.html

Examinan el peso hispano en la internet
ELENA KENNY
El Nuevo Herald
AFernando Madeira le bastó sólo hacer una pequeña prueba ante una audiencia de unas 200 personas, para mostrar cómo los hispanos están al tanto de todo. Tras ponerlos de pie, les dijo: ”Levanten la mano quienes tienen internet de alta velocidad. Ahora los que tienen celular digital… También, televisión digital”. Al unísono, todos levantaron sus manos.

Así, en medio de aplausos, cerró el director ejecutivo de Terra Latin America su ponencia en la inauguración de la conferencia de dos días ad:tech, que por primera vez se efectúa en Miami para analizar el crecimiento de los usuarios hispanos y latinoamericanos en línea, su influencia en el mundo digital y cómo están abriendo nuevas oportunidades de publicidad en la internet.

”Los hispanos acceden cada vez más a la internet a través de su computadora o celular en busca de noticias de último minuto, los videos deportivos, música e historias de celebridades”, dijo Madeira, de 37 años. ”Son usuarios intensivos del servicio de mensajería instantánea (chat). Es más, la usan el padre, la madre y los hijos hasta en la misma casa, para comunicarse desde diferentes habitaciones”, explicó.

El mercado digital está avanzando tan rápidamente, que Madeira afirmó que él no puede aventurarse a pronosticar qué va a suceder con la internet en los próximos cinco años. Lo más lejos que llegó fue a un plazo de un año.

”El contenido será más profesional en un año” para llenar las necesidades de los diferentes segmentos del mercado online, adelantó.

Los hispanos que emigraron a Estados Unidos hace 15 ó 20 años utilizan la internet ”para mantener los lazos familiares y estar al día en lo que pasa en sus países de origen a través de las noticias”. Pero, la segunda y tercera generación, sin olvidar sus raíces, ”ha asimilado la cultura estadounidense” y busca algo más en la internet.

”Hay, además, una generación de edades entre 12 y 13 años que se ha criado con la internet”, dijo Madeira. ”Ellos pueden pasar cuatro o más horas con sus compañeros de clase durante el día, pero cuando llegan a su casa siguen chateando a través de la internet y están cambiando para siempre la forma de relacionarse”, agregó el ejecutivo de Terra, de la española Telefónica.

A mayo del 2007, los usuarios hispanos de la internet sumaron 16.5 millones y el 27 por ciento tenía menos de 18 años, según eMarketer.com. El 17 por ciento tenían entre 18 y 24 años y 63 por ciento, de 18 a 49 años.

La conferencia ad:tech concluye hoy en el Centro de Convenciones de Miami Beach, con la participación de oradores como Shawn Gold, ejecutivo de MySpace.com. El evento, que atrajo participantes internacionales, fue organizado por la californiana ad:tech expositions LLC, que además realiza reuniones similares en París y Beijing, entre otros.

http://juantornoe.blogs.com/hispanictrending/2007/06/interview-with-.html

Interview with Fernando Madeira, CEO of Terra Networks Latin America
Hispanic Trending exclusive coverage @ ad:tech Miami

June 26, 2007
By Juan Guillermo Tornoe

Today during a busy first day at ad:tech Miami, Fernando Madeira, CEO of Terra Networks Latin America, spent some time with me discussing his experience with the Hispanic market. I’m extremely honored to share it with you:

Hispanic Trending: How does Terra Networks differ from others in the marketplace and what makes Terra unique?

Fernando Madeira: What makes Terra different from others is our presence in all Latin America; not only in the U.S. but in 18 different countries in the region. It helps us understand what it means to be a Latino, how they behave, and how the use the internet. We understand the Latino DNA, we know which are their similar attributes, that they are innovators that use the internet a lot, not only as a source of information, but as a meant to interact with family and friends. We understand that Hispanics have a strong relationship with their country of origin (or heritage) and they connect to it through our other Terra sites throughout the Latin American region.

We also are a global company, offering Hispanic content in multiple platforms like internet TV, photo logs, blogs, etc.

HT: How does the Hispanic online audience differ from General Market internet user?

FM: Latinos are more about travel, culture, music, and movie/celebrity content. As far as relationships, Latinos are very similar to Latin Americans; they love and easily develop relationships online; they spend more time online. Hispanics have a more passionate relationship with the internet.

HT: Do you believe that Hispanics should be addressed mostly in English, Spanish or both?

FM: I believe that the content you provide for them should be of their interest. For 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics it won’t matter that much in which language you server them information. In general, 1st generation Latinos prefer Spanish content. At Terra 90% of our content is in Spanish and the remaining 10% is bilingual content for special interest content like sports events. In the near future, we will be adding more English content to our site.

HT: There is a big buzz about user generated content among Hispanics, what trends have you seen at Terra?

FM: User generated content is very important to Latinos. They confirmed this since the inception of our company back in 1995 with the heavy use of chats and forums. Currently, 80 million unique visitors per month are going to chats and forums in Latin America. What we now are seeing is an increase I the use of photo logs and blogs. Specifically, Latinos prefer photo logs and we have identified that this comes from their audiovisual preference. We will be adding in a very near future more features to our photo logs.

HT: What information are Hispanics accessing the most on Terra?

FM: Hard news, sports, entertainment; all of these topics with heavy audiovisual content. Also, as I mentioned before, photo logs.

HT: What can you tell me about your recent joint venture with Azteca America?

FM: We have seen very nice results during the short time that we’ve been live with it. This is the very first stage on our partnership and there will be more content and activities coming up soon. It is a very interesting mix of platforms from companies that know very well the Hispanic Market.

http://www.adtechblog.com/archives/20070626/measurements_and_metrics_measures_up/
Measurements and Metrics Measures Up

Posted by ctaylorgraham

This was a fantastic panel. Finally, data guys (and gal) who understand
advertising and the many different things metrics can point to. Moderator
Jack Flanagan of comScore, and panelists Esco Strong/Atlas, Natasha
Funk/Terra Networks, and Martino Bagini/RealMedia Brazil all brought a
wealth of knowledge on the current landscape of analytics, and wonderful
insight into the future potential of online marketing.

The moderator started things off with a phenomenal question: What’s the
difference between ROI (Return On Investment) and KPI (Key Performance Indicators)? ROI is king in the internet world, but evaluating ROI is becoming more and more complicated as analytics systems become more effective at tracking individual users and the metrics for KPI increase.

We used to be amazed that we could actually see what words people were searching on before they bought, but it turns out this isn’t enough
anymore. Shocking! I know, every publisher out there has been screaming this for a while (especially when pushing CPM), but now the data is coming around and we are beginning to see that the term they searched on is not necessarily how they originally came to the site, it’s just the way they got there when they decided to buy. Suddenly impressions, reach and frequency are back in the fight; and they brought friends!

The point really: you can not define the effect of a campaign by direct
response alone.

Don’t get me wrong, the old advertising model makes no sense, ROI is king for a reason. But the meaning of ROI needs to evolve with the options for KPI. The difference, of course, is that our data options are growing and that means that the path of user interaction can be more specifically
tracked, your campaign refined, and results improved beyond today’s
standards.

One huge word of caution from the panel; make sure your data is actionable. Define your goals (ROI), and then choose the proper metrics (KPI) to evaluate.

And, just my two cents, don’t go into this blindly, read up on data
resources, post questions to forums and talk with other people from the
industry before you buy any data or use any services. Too much data can be as bad (and more expensive) then no data at all.

Panelists: Brad Pick, Luis Cabrera, Gene DeRose

Basic word of mouth marketing as person to person being magnified and amplified online.

What makes an influencer influential? Interest, Passion, Social network, Honesty. 10% of the people influence what the rest of us are going to wear, what conferences we will attend, and more. Influencers enjoy trying different products and are twice as likely to promote a product than other people.

Traditional media to reach influencers is no longer as effective. Influencers as a small, but relevant audience can create success.

Influencers love to experiment with the product. It is important to touch and feel what they may use in the future.

Before, the medium is a product. Now, the medium is a dialogue, community or relationship and the feedback is occuring in real time.

Give people a reason to talk about your product.

The Internet is the greatest research lab ever created.

WOMMA.com is the Word of Mouth Marketing Association which is recommended as a useful reference.

Windows Live Messenger used WOM. Goals were to add friends to their list and spend more time on the service. The solution included floating interstitial creative cartons, in Spanish, run on Messenger. A key message is that WOM is not as spontaneous as people may think. On the contrary, this marketing campaign took more thought and execution than may have originally been expected for WOM.

House Party, Inc. states…

4 A’s of Viral Marketing: Advocacy, Authenticity, Amplification, Accountability. It deploys brand advocates or aficionados. Best viral marketing uses real experiences, real people which garners authenticity. It is not to just have the 1-1, route advocacy by leveraging individual networks.

House Party, Inc. is a viral marketing firm which hosts VIP parties in homes to host brands. The brands need to work well in a promotion party within a home. Advertising Age mentioned House Party as the Avon Lady on Steroids. House Party calls themselves the ‘Tupperware parties for the i-Pod generation.’   Nickelodeon and Todobebe are clients.

This particular breakout session is standing room only, indicating the high interest of the market in reaching the Hispanic market online.  The flow of coverage is as-it-happens.

Jupiter’s Corina Matiesanu presented Hispanic research from English Speaking Hispanics.  Interesting findings include 40% of Hispanics visited web sites about music versus 25% of non Hispanics monthly or more frequently.

Terra’s Michele Azan, mentioned comScore stats that 25-54 year olds are 60% of the US Hispanic online audience.  Indeed, US Hispanics experienced a 13% growth between Dec 05 and Dec 06 while US General Market increased 2%, and Hispanics are younger but the older age group is definitely on line as well. 

Other key points include:

Debate goes on between English and Spanish content for US Hispanics.  Terra does feature English and Spanish content for a while now.  Last year, Terra’s World Cup megasite was produced in both Spanish and English.  Before the games, usage was 60% English and 40% Spanish.  During and after the games, it flipped to 60% Spanish, 40% English.  The need for both languages have always been there, and Terra has provided both for some time but advertisers need to catch up.

As to what should or should not be translated, music is universal so there is no need for translation.  Services do not need to be translated.  e-commerce leans towards using English to complete the transaction, possibly due to a trust issue.  This Hispanic behavior of English and trust for e-commerce transactions is also mirrored offline.

85% of Hispanics use the Internet to research products and buy offline.  The Amazon’s of the world, the Best Buys, none of them have invested in a fully function Spanish language e-commerce site.  There are definitely a lot of Hispanics purchasing online, but they are doing it in English.

There exists a challenge to providers, as a client on Terra posed a different offer in Spanish from English.  Consistency is preferred.

If a client has an e-commerce site in English, Terra responded that it is not a barrier at all for Hispanics.

70% of acculturated Hispanics are online, versus 43% of ‘novatos’ segment which are new foreign born arrivals.  However, the time of adoption to the Internet will be faster as prices come down for PC’s and Internet connectivities.

Terra added that it is incorrect to assume that new Hispanic arrivals are not educated.  There are many recent immigrants that have a very high level of education and are fully bilingual.

The panel mentioned that Hispanics over index in text messaging, downloads, and cell phone ownership.

Terra mentioned a case study of a mortgage company using the same creative from general market to the Hispanic market in Spanish.  The response rate was not stellar.  Terra created a different campaign in Spanish using the high value of family for Hispanics and the campaign performance increased accordingly.

Terra mentioned that Hispanics like to see a reflection of themselves in the media.  This type of association with a media celebrity actually does work well for Hispanics.

Jupiter employs the question within their research as to whether they self identify as Hispanics, to be classified as Hispanic.  This was a response to a question from the audience.

Batanga as a panel member mentioned that there may actually be too much segmentation, that it is too vertical which borders on the ridiculous.

An audience member mentioned that it is difficult to obtain quantitative data on Hispanics.  Different studies mention different numbers, even for the overall Hispanic population.

Lee Vann, a panel member, mentioned that the starting point for Hispanic data is the US Census.  Jupiter mentioned that the US Census also employs the method of self identificaction as Hispanic, as well.

Next, a presentation on Hispanic and media usage is presented.  ‘New Generation Latino’ study, Apr 2007.  Study conducted entirely online at nglc.net.  Study promoted in online and offline media, in Spanish and English.  The questionnaire was available in Spanish and English, and 100% responded in English.  Sample size is  n=800 Latinos, age 13-35 years old.  Regarding what type of media do you use the most the most, 34% mentioned TV the most, while Internet came in second at 26%.  63% of respondents spend over 4 hours per day on the Internet.  Similarly, 50%and 45% spend that amont on TV and Radio, respectively.

The panel mentioned that consistency is required for the overall marketing mix, Internet does not stand alone.  Also, ensure that support is available in Spanish, for a campaign in Spanish.  If someone sends you an email in Spanish, respond in Spanish.

Batanga mentioned that the Internet can be leveraged for event coverage:  pre build up promotion, covering the event, post coverage, and following up with the user afterwards.

Lee Vann mentioned that media is integrating, converging.

Terra mentioned that it is very important to have consistency in place during a multi media campaign.  Also, keep in mind that the Internet can stand alone and be the ONLY media for a new campaign, of which Terra has had a few clients already.

Terra answered a question from the audience that more and more clients are asking for Terra to be content producers.  Everyone is looking for a piece of the marketplace, and to invest in content is a tremendous investment, so more attention will be placed towards content producers.  Advertisers are already jumping on the bandwagon.

As an example, Comcast Latino is a channel on Comcast.net, powered by Terra as a full portal subset of the Terra offering - within Comcast.

Batanga mentioned that the less acculturated you go, in person is recommended for transactions due to a trust factor.

As for media usage, Terra mentions that Latinos overindex in the use text messaging to keep in touch with family and friends, as many times text messaging via mobile is cheaper than a phone call.  Also, Latinos use the Internet to keep in touch, on a continual basis, with their loved ones.

Lee Vahn mentioned that there ar 4 main reasons why Latinos use the Internet:  1) empowerment, 2) education, 3) entertainment, 4) communication.  The audience asked if this was different than non Hispanics.  Lee mentioned that Hispanics use the Internet for empowerment, to learn English, which also provides a sense of anonymity.

Question from audience:  what are the guidelines for translating to Spanish.  Terra responded to translate absent of regional differences.

Terra mentioned a counter finding to the Jupiter research, and that in Terra’s audience and for Hispanics overall, Hispanics over index in blogging.

Picture of Michele Azan from Terra Networks. Ms. Azan is a panelist for the Hispanic Consumer Panel at ad:tech Miami.

Published by Natasha Funk/Terra

For the first time, and surely not for the last, AdTech has a Latin flavor! Starting with a packed house for the opening keynote speaker, Fernando Madeira, CEO Terra Networks, to the break out sessions and expo hall, attendees from Latin America and USH Marketers, responded in force, proving the need for an AdTech focused on these important market segments.

Some consistent themes are being repeated in several sessions:

Latin America track

- Growth- The Latin American online population growth is impressive and explosive, poised to reach over 100,000,000 unique monthly users by August 2007
- Broadband – the huge growth in adoption and accessibility of broadband (within 1 year, it is expected that more than 70% of home access in LatAm will be via broadband) has triggered changes in behavior. Having fast connections is fueling the hunger for video and multimedia content among LatAm online users. Publishers are responding to this trend and are increasing their broadband video offerings.
- Mobile – By the end of 2007, there will be over 200,000,000 mobile users in Latin America and expected to reach 300,000,000 (likely within the next year). This, is many times, the first device for many people. Publishers, advertisers, marketers, are all trying to figure out how to converge the platforms and make their messages consistent across screens.
- Communities – There is no doubt that the user is king, in Latin America, as well as in the US. Social networking, chat, and other sharing platforms are rapidly growing, as is user generated content.

US Hispanic track

- While the same factors are contributing to the evolution of the US Hispanic audience online – broadband, mobile, communities and UGC – there are also unique factors that need to be considered:
o Spanish vs English vs. language agnostic, relevant content
o Patterns of USH online usage that include fluidly traveling between US English sites, US Spanish sites and Latin American sites (Spanish or Portuguese)

Interestingly, discussions and questions re: search revealed that search advertising in Latin America still has many challenges and may not have as explosive growth as we see in the US and other world markets. However, as pointed out in one session, there is a huge upside opportunity, particularly with small and medium businesses. The example given: there are over 1.6 million small and medium businesses in the state of Sao Paolo, Brazil alone, yet less than 1% are doing any online advertising. These are a group ripe for search advertising.

I was particularly surprised at the tremendous response from the attendees. After attending many, many AdTechs, it is clear that this one stands apart in the level of excitement and engagement by the attendees. I attended 2 sessions which were standing room only (and floor sitting room only as well). The Latin American Consumer Habits and Online Behavior session needed to be held in a larger room, since the room was well over capacity. Interesting discussions re: the challenges in marketing to the LatAm online consumer included: the LatAm population is accustomed to paying cash (a barrier for online transactions), shipping goods is a unreliable at best and require creative solutions.

In the Media Planning and Buying session, the panelist discussions and audience Q&A was very smart – much more granular that some other sessions. Panelists – from agency folks to ad network people- responded to an audience question re: reach and frequency models. The general answer re: optimal frequency caps was that 5-8 is best, but of course, it also depends on the advertiser/industry. The session also included approaching the USH market through a combination of direct marketing and branding. One panelist thought that one is inextricably linked with the other.

Despite some good discussions, there didn’t seem to be any controversy, topics that were hotly debated, or strong challenges from the audiences.

A couple of takeaway points:

- we are about to see an uptick in the growth of the lower social classes in LatAm, with the burgeoning use of internet cafes and even Internet access available in the favelas of Brazil.
- the measurement panel discussed the need to understand the methodologies behind published research, to select the right measurement tools and to carefully mine the data. It was suggested, by a panelist, that the random digit dial methodolgy used for so much US Hispanic research, was not useful when conducting online research, since so many of the youth segment online are not reached via that method.

As hunger kicks in, I am reminded that maybe instead of cookies, it would be nice to have some empanadas.

The IAB US Hispanic committee met during the lunch break and Fernando Madeira had the opportunity to hear from these industry insiders as to what makes the US Hispanic market different and when will we start to get our fair share of online advertising. The committee members all agreed that it is a complex problem, exacerbated by the fact that digital marketing $$ and Hispanic marketing $$ are typically handled by different individuals/depts/agencies. And though clients are coming to the table, they are coming slowly. The IAB is undertaking a project to try to size the USH online ad spend market and they member publishers are planning to work together to provide the information necessary to get a fairly accurate read. Once that benchmark is established, it may help our entire industry in convincing marketers that they are drastically underspending against the USH online population. We are sure to see that some categories, particularly CPG, as noted by a member, are far behind the curve in addressing this market.

The expo hall, though small, was filled with ad networks, affiliate marketers, publishers, agencies, content providers, mobile companies, etc. Though no where near as big as other adTech expo halls, there was a fair cross section of companies represented. And while manning our booth, I met delegates who had come from Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Switzerland, Israel, Brazil, South Africa and from all over the US.