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Interview: K. Kirschner “It will all be online and it will all be mid to long tail”

Kent Kirschner, Executive Managing Director of TRAFFIQ's Latin American team, tells Portada about the importance of the Latin American and US Hispanics market. Kirschner notes how marketers “are going to have to drastically alter their marketing strategies in the coming three to five years” to target the audience.

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Portada interviewed Kent Kirschner, Executive Managing Director of TRAFFIQ's Latin America about the importance of the Latin American and US Hispanics market in the advertising sector and the expansion of Traffiq. Kirschner explains how marketers “are going to have to drastically alter their marketing strategies in the coming three to five years” to target the audience.

Portada: Could you describe Traffiq Latino's strategy as it relates to the representation of Latin American websites?

Kent Kirschner: “We recognize that online, many US Hispanics are primarily interested in maintaining contact with what's going on back home first and then everything else after that.  With this in mind we are eager to assemble the largest marketplace of networks, sites and exchanges that effectively reach them regardless of where the media is geographically located.   We want to make it easier for an advertiser to reach someone living in Denver or Oakland, even though they spend most of their time on the web with sites originating in El Salvador, Guatemala or Chiapas, Mexico.”

Portada: Do Advertisers targeting Hispanics have enough interest in the digital medium? 

Kent Kirschner: “We are finding that emphasis on this segment still lags dramatically behind but that it will catch up quickly.   Yesterday's report by Reuters states that within 7 years Univision will be the leading TV network in the country and yet approximately 65% of major marketers have yet to launch broadcast campaigns to target the audience.   This means many things but most importantly it signifies that the US census jump in 2000 was not an anomaly and that 65% of marketers are going to have to drastically alter their marketing strategies in the coming three to five years.  Hopefully the maturation of the marketing discipline, especially in relation to digital strategies, will make the diversification of media plans much more of a mandate as more and more advertisers realize that advertising to this segment is an imperative.”

Portada: What is your advice for Advertisers interested in reaching Latin Americans? 

Kent Kirschner: “It will all be online and it will all be mid to long tail.   The countries and populations throughout Latin America, in most instances, are still too small to support major media operations that scale.  What prevails is an environment in which many different content producers are working for small and fragmented audiences.  These audiences are still important though and digital technologies now allow for efficient production and distribution across the web.   The challenge for advertisers will continue to lie in how they go about getting their hands around so many thousands of outlets across the globe or even across a couple of markets.   Networks answer part of that question, but they pose problems for publishers and advertisers that need greater control.   Transparency will continue to prove a growing concern.”

Portada: What are your views on the evolution of the digital media sector?  

Kent Kirschner: “Advertising in general, with regards to Hispanic audiences, has come a long way in a short period of time.   A startling example of this can be found in the new approach that DraftFCB has taken in thoroughly highlighting their multicultural expertise.   This is a major agency making a major bet on what the future portends.  And as this continues, all of the best practices that are originating in the general market will quickly be adopted and enhanced with Hispanic audiences online if they aren't already.”

Portada: What are your expectations going forward?  

Kent Kirschner: “We still anticipate that there will be a fairly drawn out evolution:  first sites, then networks then a larger and more transparent marketplace such as what we're building with TRAFFIQ.   As more and more marketers come to expect transparency and accountability with all of their digital initiatives, more and more will begin to see the value of what we are building here at TRAFFIQ.” 

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Kent Kirschner – Online Marketers Need To Relearn Their "ABCs"

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