Portada interviewed Nicolas Guzman, CEO of McCann Erickson Mexico and new President of AMAP. Guzman shared his thoughts on the impact the 2014 Brazil World Cup will have, what audiences to target, and the best strategies for achieving a good media mix.
Translated by Candice Carmel
Portada: How will the 2014 Brazil World Cup affect the advertising market?
Nicolás Guzmán: We believe that the World Cup represents a moment of growth for ad spending in the country, but what interests us most is that the World Cup represents an opportunity for [our] society and economy.
[comillas]The 2014 World Cup is a driver and an accelerator for the economy, and we (advertising) are part of that accelerator. [/comillas]
Portada: How much will ad spending increase?
Nicolás Guzmán: Rather than focus on a percentage, I would focus on how we can use the World Cup to drive the acceleration of the economy even higher. We need to concentrate on using the communication actions [for the event] in a way that serves to grow the economy.
[comillas]We shouldn’t look at the 2014 World Cup as a specific event, but rather as an accelerator for future growth.[/comillas]
Portada: Which advertiser categories do you see strongest this year?
Nicolás Guzmán: Without a doubt, what we’re starting to see is that the strongest categories will be services and consumer goods, which are linked to people who are more drawn to the World Cup.
All kinds of products targeted to men of different ages. So there we obviously have many food, telecommunications, and entertainment companies.
But as the World Cup is becoming increasingly popular and attracting a more general audience, in recent years we’ve seen that it has also attracted a lot of attention from women.
[comillas]The World Cup is increasingly extending its reach and its impact on all audiences.[/comillas]
Portada: Which media do you think will be king this year?
Nicolás Guzmán: I think every [type of] media is finding a role in the equation.
When we deal with events like the World Cup, we see that mass media is essential for connecting with the consumer. But these [media] are integrated and completely intertwined―traditional media and digital media; proximity media.
Why? Because it’s part of people’s everyday experiences. People do not say ‘I’ll only watch TV’; the truth is that media is increasingly penetrating our lives and we consume ever more media, so what we need to seek is collaboration between all of them.
[ctalatamb]
