Innovative Content and Social Savvy the Keys to Success for Brands in Latin America

My latest blog post on the state of digital marketing in Latin America, based on my experiences at the Seminarium Per?/Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Per?) NED conference last week.

Latin America is a quickly expanding digital market with audiences that have a large appetite for digital content and social behaviors. Brands are beginning to move beyond basic display advertising and direct marketing to engage their audiences with content and social programs, capitalizing on local and global trends in digital marketing. 

Last week, I traveled to Lima, Peru, to speak at and attend Seminarium and IAB?s first conference on Business in the Digital Era (?Negocios en la Era Digital? or NED) ? an impressive collection of brands, agencies, and publishers sharing case studies and discussing the path forward for the region. 

While researching the state of digital in Latin America and, specifically, Peru, I learned that it is largely considered the most social region in the world, and other important digital platforms are rapidly growing as well. Social networking counts for more than 30 percent of minutes spent online, and the region hosts five of the most engaged social networking markets (more here). 

In Peru, specifically, portals still account for the largest amount of time spent online (mostly Google and Microsoft sites), with instant messaging and Facebook accounting for the lion?s share of the rest. 

Hearing brand case studies and agencies at the event discuss their work in the region reminded me somewhat of conferences I attended in the United States several years ago, as they explored ways to bring their efforts online for the first time, how to launch an e-commerce platform, and how to engage their audiences in a more editorial fashion, beyond overt marketing messages. However, there are some major differences that, although daunting at first, offer South American marketers opportunities to innovate and capitalize quickly: 

• The digital media landscape has expanded and matured ? it?s not just banner ads anymore
• Facebook, and social media as a whole, has reached global scale and adoption; viable advertising models are emerging
• Audiences everywhere are becoming accustomed to and comfortable with the idea of brands as publishers ? if it?s good, they?ll consume it
• A plethora of case studies, successes and failures alike, exist from which marketers in the region can quickly learn and adapt

As I watched the presentations, shared my own thoughts with the audience on a better way to produce content for brands, and discussed individual challenges with brand executives, it became clear that, while many of the Latin American markets may be considered ?emerging,? the road to scale and success will be short. Marketers seeking success in this region should: 

• Gather and interpret audience data. What are the audience segments that matter to you? What do they care about? Where do they spend their time? How are they already interacting with and/or discussing brands? 
• Establish a social presence. Give audiences the opportunity to get to know your brand on a personal level. Show an interest in their lives and passions and drive conversation around relevant categories.
• Experiment and innovate, especially with content. Victory is there to be taken. Creativity, great brand storytelling and clear communication will penetrate a relatively open marketplace, so now is the time to lead. 

I feel extremely fortunate to work at a global marketing agency like iCrossing, with multiple offices in this exciting region leading the way forward (Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Mexico to the north).

iCrossing Peru hosts iCrossing USA?s Rob Garner and Tarah Feinberg

Working at iCrossing allows me to delve into deep conversation about marketing challenges and opportunities with leading brands in retail, transportation, auto, consumer-packaged goods, and more. (In fact, at NED, one of my iCrossing colleagues, Rob Garner, discussed how brands can combine content with social and search to become more effective real-time marketers; he drew upon ideas in his new book, Search and Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content Marketing.)

iCrossing?s Rob Garner presenting on how to construct and measure connected brands in real-time

Rob Garner (iCrossing), Charlene Li (Altimeter Group), and Tarah Feinberg (iCrossing).

With strong agency leadership and audience management platforms, like iCrossing?s Core Audience, to synthesize the massive amounts of data available, Latin America will continue to grow as a powerful market that any of the world?s major brands would be foolish to ignore. 

? Tarah Feinberg, head of The Studio @ iCrossing

via thecontentlab.icrossing.com