Maximiliano Sastre, representing one of Argentina’s most prominent media outlets, shared insights into their approach to monetization and digital growth; Clarín has embraced strategies focused on personalized solutions for advertisers, innovative ad formats, and leveraging data analysis through tools like Permutive and Big Data. He highlighted the challenges of adapting this model for the U.S. market, particularly in the Hispanic segment, where they are beginning to see encouraging results.
Additionally, Sastre touched on how Clarín leverages social media for self-marketing and emphasized the pivotal role artificial intelligence will play in the future of digital advertising.
Monetization Strategies and U.S. Expansion
Sastre shares his perspective on the strategies that keep Clarín at the forefront of the digital landscape, both in their home market and as they expand into the U.S.
Clarín has excelled by focusing on three key pillars of monetization: a client-focused approach to direct sales, the development of innovative ad formats, and the use of data for segmentation and personalization. “We rely on data analysis with Permutive as our DMP and our Big Data team to deliver tailored strategies for each type of advertiser,” the executive explains.
Regarding the U.S. market, Sastre acknowledges that replicating this model will take time. Their current focus is on delivering relevant content tailored to the unique characteristics of each market. He cites as an example their sports coverage for the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican audiences, leveraging events like the Copa América and the global appeal of Argentine soccer. “We aim to create highly efficient, market-specific content. In this case, we have a sports editorial team dedicated to the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican markets. With the Copa America and the prominence of Argentine soccer, this strategy is starting to pay off,” he notes.
“We rely on data analysis with Permutive as our DMP and our Big Data team to deliver tailored strategies for each type of advertiser.”
Social Media: A Marketing Tool and Branded Content Engine
Regarding social media, Sastre emphasizes that Clarín primarily uses these platforms for self-marketing rather than direct monetization. “We’re not looking to generate direct revenue from these platforms. Instead, we focus on leveraging our own mechanisms to monetize our content, such as product placement or the expansion of branded content,” he explains. The strategy prioritizes cost efficiency and maintaining control over the reach and content they produce. “For these purposes, platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch align perfectly,” he adds.
The Future of Digital Advertising and the Challenges of AI
Finally, we asked Sastre about the greatest challenge facing the digital advertising market. According to the Clarín executive, it lies in the next paradigm shift in content aggregation, where artificial intelligence will play a pivotal role. “The advertising market is about to face the second major paradigm shift in its history. The first occurred with the loss of control over distribution channels, and the next challenge will revolve around the content aggregation layer. I hope global publishers have learned their lesson and won’t allow AI to govern this critical layer,” he remarks.
As an example, he points to Google’s strategic evolution from being a bridge between sites to becoming a destination itself. “To illustrate, we can observe Google’s shift in strategy. It used to be a transitional stop between different websites, but now it’s positioning itself as a destination. Adding Gemini’s capabilities to this strategy, each search query will generate a highly personalized content response, reducing the significance of organic and sponsored links. This will result in a massive traffic decline. The challenge will then be to transition from a quantity-based model to one focused on quality,” he explains.
Sastre foresees a return to the traditional practices of analog models, where audience profiles dictate inventory prices, content reigns supreme, and direct relationships with audiences become the cornerstone of success. “We’re not afraid of this recipe—it’s one we’ve followed successfully for nearly 80 years in our home country,” he concludes.
