Approximately 2,000 participants took part in the first edition of Ad:Tech Miami, a show dedicated to the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic digital media markets. Exhibitors included a wide array of online advertising networks, including Click Diario, CPX Interactive, Directa Network, GDA/ Charney & Palacios, Casale Media, Hispano Click and I-Network.
Major portals including Yahoo/Telemundo, Batanga, Terra, Starmedia, AOL, also figured prominently among the conference visitors and exhibitors. Online Hispanic and Latin American online advertising agencies including Latin3, Media8, Latin Edge and Latinmedios were also important parts of the show, as was Elhood.com, the social networking portal.
Participants highlighted the importance of mobile marketing both in the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American media markets, pointing out that the number of mobile phone users is much higher than Internet penetration for both the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. El Hood’s president & founder Damian Bellumio, noted that Hoodiny Inc will soon launch a mobile initiative that will seamlessly integrate online and mobile content. They will also be partnering with record companies to begin offering ringtones.
Social Networking Panel
In a panel about social media, Rick Marroquin, chief marketing officer of Batanga, noted that advertising in both instant messaging and emails has thrived and contextual advertising is getting even better. Social media is about the user, but to make it profitable it has to be created in an environment where both publishers and advertisers feel safe and comfortable. According to Marroquin, this is accomplished only through thorough oversight.
He added that the goal for sites like Batanga is to make it easy for visitors to become publishers – Batanga has launched MyRadio, where subscribers are able to choose music from their artist of choice. 80% of current stations have both English and Spanish music.
Damian Bellumio equated social media to granular targeting: “You get to data mine all the activities that go on and use them in many ways. You can determine, based on cultural variables, what people prefer to listen to as well as what ads they will be more receptive to.”
In a panel titled “Latin American and Hispanic Markets Adjust to Consumer Control,” all panelists (MTV Networks VP of Digital Media Luis Goicouria, VOY Group Chairman and CEO Fernando Espuelas, Batanga Chairman and CEO Rafael Urbina-Quintero and NBC Universal, Telemundo Network Group Senior VP Digital Media Peter Blacker.), agreed that advertises will have to become much more flexible in their approach to targeting particular audience segments. The old rules are gone. The new rules haven't yet been written. We are in a state of flux and companies that wish to succeed have to continually adapt and be aware of daily changes in their respective spaces.
Related Article: Significant Latin Participation at Ad:tech New York
