For the first time an event of magnitude and digital appeal has landed in the city of Asunción. It spanned for five intense days of workshops and presentations garnering the expertise of South America’s brightest in the realm of digital design, advertising, and marketing. I was fortunate enough to attend the conference and had a first hand look at the latest and greatest of South America’s digital frontier. It was a cornucopia of experts from varying fields within the digital media industry in Latin America.
The conference kicked off on Tuesday afternoon with a thorough presentation on Digital Brands by Juan Pablo Manazza of Wunderman Argentina. His main argument was that in order to engage the new and sophisticated digital native marketers need to use new digital channels. The old media models of print, TV, and radio are slowly dying, if not already in critical condition. And new forms of marketing in the form of video games, mobile, and music channels are forging new bridges between brands and consumers. For Matias Cheistwer of Cero Negativo, an interactive agency based in Buenos Aires, paradigms are continually shifting. And it’s no longer about who has the most financial power, but who’s the most agile to adapt and learn in the face of massive and constant change. We’re at a time where David beats Goliath more often than ever. It’s the nimble little guy who makes the cut. Big structures are an impediment to change and the small companies are usually more creative and quicker in response to that change. “Many small groups are more creative than a few large groups” succinctly expresses the shift in power and democratization that the internet generates.
Social Media was the center of attention with case studies ranging from Axe, Coca-Cola, and Dove. These consisted of YouTube viral videos, winning facebook campaigns and tweets aplenty. More and more brands cannot afford to be absent in this space and social medias recognition and effectiveness is no longer questioned. The old method of pushing fake messages has gone out the window and today it’s all about being authentic, transparent, and engaging in meaningful conversation. Succesful engagement requires an empathetic approach that requires us to truly become the people we’re trying to reach.
Mobile marketing also had a strong presence through the lens of Nicolas Falcioni of Movillion.com, a site that specialieces in mobile marketing news in the region. His closing argument made a challenging point. He said there’s still a long way to go in terms of exploiting the full potential of mobile marketing, but the mobile carriers have the wrong business model, thus curtailing it’s full potential benefit for brand communication. But regardless of these hurdles, it’s power is growing, citing as a vivid example the recent acquisition of AdMob by Google. A presentation on SEO and SEM by Marketing Director Federico Barbagallo of MercadoLibre.com(Latin American E-bay) covered all the bases. And as the event’s closing statement Nico Berman, co-founder of MercadoLibre.com gave an inspiring talk about the coming trends in the Digital World.
In Q&A fashion four of the main presenters, Matias Cheistwer, Mariano Dorfmann, Martin Hazaan, and Luis Cabrera presented their free downloadable e-book, The New Agency Model. Althought each had differing views on technical matters and styles, they all agreed that the most important factor in today’s digital agency is fostering a culture of seducing the consumer. It’s a completely different approach than that of traditional media which is inherently a method of interruption. In the digital world consumers and fans are converted not by way of interruption but by attraction, in which usability is a major influence.
Throughout the whole conference the caliber of the presenters was never in question and their valuable insights were well received by a receptive and hungry audience. I particularly liked the presentation given by successful local bloggers like GiannyL.com, a sexy do-it-yourselfer, who’s video on how to make your own bikini received a ridiculous number of views on YouTube. Their example only demonstrates the growth of the medium. The only downside was the low attendance, but that’s understandable considering it’s a first. Overall the conference exceeded my expectations and I will be looking forward to the next year’s Asuncion Digital Week.
