Alberto “Banano” Pardo, CEO and founder of Adsmovil, is a leading authority in the Ad-Tech and digital advertising sector. Portada recently talked to the ad-tech and e-commerce entrepreneur to take an in-depth look at the profound transformations that have shaken—and continue to shake—our dynamic industry.
Approximately 50% of Adsmovil’s revenue comes from the United States, primarily targeting the Hispanic market. Pardo observes that a bubble in diversity-related advertising investment is now stabilizing. “Brands no longer want to target ‘diversity and inclusion’ as a concept. However, in the U.S., there are 65 to 70 million Hispanics, representing over 20% of the population. This reality cannot be ignored.” According to Pardo, Marketing to Hispanics will remain a priority for many brands, regardless of diversity policies. Pardo also sees strong opportunities in retail media focused on Hispanic audiences. “We are exploring with Hispanic retailers in the U.S. how to make their audiences available to advertisers.”
“We are exploring with Hispanic retailers in the U.S. how to best to make their audiences available to advertisers.”
In Pardo’s view, one consequence of the deep changes in the industry described in this article below is the need to consolidate the industry. “The industry has to consolidate. Either you buy, or you have to be bought,” he states. “And what one must understand is that many times you acquire, or can be acquired, and that does not necessarily mean the end of the business.”
Adsmovil was founded more than 20 years ago, and Pardo notes that very few companies that were in the sector two decades ago are still operating today. “From the Latin American digital ecosystem of the past, very little remains.”
The need for consolidation in the sector is, above all, a reflection of rapid technological change. “Obviously, when you belong to or are part of a larger group, you are more shielded against any change,” he explains. “I believe advertising has undergone perhaps the most abrupt change of any industry due to technology. I think no other industry has changed as much, and as many times.”
“Advertising has perhaps undergone the most abrupt change of any industry on the planet due to technology. No other industry has changed as much, and as many times.”
Pardo explains that the innovation cycle in our industry is the shortest of all and that, over the past 15 years, it has changed four times—four major turning points. Let’s take a closer look at those four fundamental transformations.
Four Turning Points According to Alberto Pardo
1. From Single Format to Multi-Format
“If you think about it, we moved from a single format to a multi-format world; everything used to be centered on banners. Today we have video and audio—this is the first change,” says Pardo.
2. Programmatic Advertising
The second major driver of change, according to Alberto Pardo, was democratization—namely, the arrival of programmatic advertising.
3. Social Media
“The third effect was everything related to social media, which no one anticipated. That created a massive ecosystem,” Pardo explains.
4. Retail Media
“Today, everything is happening with data, e-commerce, and retail media, and all of that transformation has taken place in just four years. The industry has changed too fast. Today, no media buyer purchases a specific medium; everything is based on audiences, thanks to data and programmatic advertising.”
And now we are fully immersed in the application of artificial intelligence to advertising, through chatbots such as ChatGPT. “You barely manage to align yourself with one of these changes when you already have to immediately prepare for the next one.” That, he believes, is why many players have been left behind. “Very few of us remain from 15 years ago with the same businesses—not necessarily because we were acquired or consolidated, but because many simply disappeared.”
“You barely manage to align yourself with one of these changes when you already have to immediately prepare for the next one.”
Alberto Pardo: What Profile Is Needed to Survive—and Win—in Ad-Tech?
As both an entrepreneur and a sales leader, Pardo outlines the key characteristics a company must have today to stand a chance of succeeding in the advertising and ad-tech sector.
First: Sales Teams with Strong Technology Expertise
“Not only has the product changed, but so has the way advertising is sold and how we communicate the message to clients. Why? Because today’s clients understand more, they know more. They are educated clients,” says Pardo. This means they have a much deeper understanding of technology than before. “What happened to advertising is that technology embedded itself into its very roots. Everything is now based on technological fundamentals.”
“ What happened to advertising is that technology embedded itself into its very roots.”
Consequently, according to Pardo, “people working in marketing and advertising must have a high level of understanding of technology.” The traditional profile of a communicator who excelled as a sales manager is no longer enough. Product understanding is now critical, and technological knowledge is essential. If they come from an education with strong mathematical or engineering foundations, it will be much easier for them. For those trained in business administration, communications, or non-mathematical disciplines, the learning curve is steeper. Engineers, on the other hand, adapt more easily. “In the United States, the typical profile—especially in large corporations—is an engineer, because client conversations are much deeper than the relationship-based selling era of television and radio.”
Second: Retail Media Presence Is a Must
Another high-growth segment where ad-tech companies must have a presence is retail media. “We entered the retail media space because we believed we could solve a targeting problem for marketers and CMOs who wanted to reach real buyers,” says Pardo.
“We met with the Rappi team and suggested building a media business. They asked how. Using Rappi’s last-mile data, we were able to prototype and launch the first commercial retail media product in Latin America.” Adsmovil leveraged its geolocation platform to target people who had visited specific websites, while Rappi contributed purchase-intent data. “We translated that data into an advertising product that reached people within the Rappi ecosystem and similar audiences elsewhere.”
According to Pardo, Adsmovil is one of the few—perhaps the only—companies in Latin America maintaining strong relationships with multiple retailers across several countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. This deep understanding of retailer data and its translation into advertising products significantly raises barriers to entry in ad-tech. “An ad network is relatively easy to operate, but retail media knowledge is deep and complex.”
Third: Omnicom–IPG and Navigating the New Media Agency Maze
Looking ahead to 2026, Pardo sees the industry’s biggest challenge as the adjustment following the IPG–Omnicom merger, which he believes will be followed by additional media agency consolidations. “For Adsmovil, Omnicom, and IPG are major clients, so the merger could either benefit us or hurt us,” he notes.
“For Adsmovil, Omnicom and IPG are major clients, so the merger could benefit us or hurt us..”
He adds that the consolidation reflects broader challenges facing large agencies, particularly in the United States, where agencies are losing share despite overall advertising growth. In Latin America, however, the Big 5 or Big 6 agencies remain highly influential. Across the industry, artificial intelligence and automation will play a crucial role. “Automation will definitely be critical,” Pardo concludes.
