Kmart, Sears Holding Explore Digital Media

Kmart has tried ethnic initiatives before but what is interesting about a new campaign for Black History Month is that the Sears Holding division is making online a major part of the effort.
Kmart has been exploring how to promote itself using digital media as it struggles to reconnect with consumers after its bankruptcy, store closings and acquisition by Sears Holding. To this day, consumers will sometimes act with surprise if asked about Kmart, convinced that the company’s bankruptcy spelled its demise.

Kmart believes that technology can help raise its profile. Last spring, it launched a promotion to support a roll out of merchandise linked to the Incredible Hulk movie. The effort featured a text messaging campaign, a micro Web site and a deal that offered two free movie tickets with the purchase of a $50 gift card in a take-dad-to-the-movies-for-Father’s-Day pitch.

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Industry Outlook: Maravedis' top wireless trends for 2009

2008 was a year of significant change: the wireless industry grew data subscribers and services, and WiMAX struggled to maintain momentum as the spearhead of a new generation of wireless networks more closely integrated with IT and networking. By mid-year, the clamor of hype for the still-formative development of LTE extinguished whatever pre-market hype WiMAX had at the start of the year. In what we see as a natural course of events, WiMAX and LTE alliances were resolved more by commercial than technical priorities.

2009 is shaping up to be even more tumultuous due to a continuation of prior trends towards open device development and increased bandwidth demand on networks that have pressured operators and suppliers.

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MEC Takes Sony Latin America

NEW YORK WPP Group's Mediaedge:cia has been awarded planning and buying for Sony Electronics Latin America after a six-month review, the client has confirmed. Estimated ad spending is $150 million, per sources. Previously, the account was handled by numerous local agencies in the region. The consolidation marks the first time the client has placed all of its media business with one agency group. Other contenders for the assignment were Havas' MPG, Interpubic Group's Universal McCann (which handles Sony in the U.S.) and Omnicom's OMD.

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Can User-Generated Content Change Your World?

Every day, user-generated content (UGC) is part of the online experience of millions of US Internet users. From entertainment to communications to e-commerce, consumers are taking charge of the creation, distribution and consumption of digital content.
And it’s growing.

Up from 83 million in 2008, eMarketer estimates the number of UGC creators will grow to 115 million in 2013.

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Television growth fueled increasingly by Latinos

At the beginning of 2008, there were 112.8 million households including 12.1 million Latino homes, in the United States. At the same time that the Latino population has grown, television penetration in Hispanic households has increased from 8.7 million in 1991 to almost 10.8 percent in 2008.

Since much of the overall growth of the country, especially in youth markets, is from Latinos much of the overall growth in television audience, it follows, is in the Latino market segments. According to the Hispanic Marketers’ Guide to Cable 2008 Edition, Hispanic households grew 35.7 percent between 2004 (10.5 million) and 2008 (12.1 million), accounting for almost all the population growth during that time period.

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ImpreMedia to Market Televisa's Content for Mobile Devices in the US Market Under Partnership With globefish

NEW YORK, N.Y., Jan 27, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ImpreMedia, the No. 1 Hispanic News and Information Company in the U.S. in Online and Print, announced today that it will market Televisa's mobile content to the Hispanic community in the U.S. through a partnership with globefish, an innovative solutions provider in digital and mobile content distribution and advertising.

ImpreMedia will now provide popular mobile content to the US Hispanic market from Televisa, the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world. The mobile offering will include ringtones, wallpapers, music, games and other downloads from Televisa's highly popular television and music programming and celebrities ranging in cost from $0.99 to $4.99. This content will be marketed and promoted to the U.S. Hispanic market through impreMedia's award winning publications and new online portal, impre.com ( http://www.impre.com/) for direct download to the mobile handset.

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Hispanic mobile users get call from major marketers

Continental Airlines, General Mills, Sears, Kmart and Tag Heuer are among the major marketers planning Q1 Hispanic-focused mobile efforts, as part of an estimated 20% increase in spending in the segment this year, per one estimate. "Marketers now have significant Hispanic investment objectives written into their plans," said Eric Bader, managing partner of Brand in Hand. Advertising Age

Social Network User Demographics

Adults constitute the bulk of social networkers, but use still skews young.
The share of adult Internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled since 2005, from 8% to 35%, according to a November–December 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project survey.

Pew said adults still make up the bulk of social networking site users. But younger online adults were much more likely than their older counterparts to use social networks, with three-quarters of those ages 18 to 24 using the sites, compared with just 7% of Internet users ages 65 and older.
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No Surprise: Google Is No. 1 Internet Property Worldwide

Not that we needed any confirmation of Google’s popularity, but comScore has put it into numbers with today’s release of data about worldwide Internet usage. comScore says Google is the most popular Internet property in the world, with its sites reaching 77% of the online population that’s 15-years-old and up in December, 2008

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Global Internet audience surpasses 1 billion visitors

comScore, Inc. reported that total global Internet audience (age 15 and older from home and work computers) has surpassed 1 billion visitors in December 2008, based on data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service.

The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of global Internet users at 41 percent, followed by Europe (28 percent share), North America (18 percent share), Latin-America (7 percent share), and the Middle East & Africa (5 percent share).

“Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet,” said Magid Abraham, President and Chief Executive Officer, comScore, Inc. “It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat. The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that, until we have a truly global network of interconnected people and ideas that transcend borders and cultural boundaries.”

Chinese Internet Audience Outranks U.S.

China represented the largest online audience in the world in December 2008 with 180 million Internet users, representing nearly 18 percent of the total worldwide Internet audience, followed by the U.S. (16.2 percent share), Japan (6.0 percent share), Germany (3.7 percent share) and the U.K. (3.6 percent share).

Google Sites Ranks as Top Internet Property Worldwide

The most popular property in the world in December was Google Sites, with 777.9 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9 million visitors), Yahoo! Sites (562.6 million visitors). Facebook.com, which has grown a dramatic 127-percent in the past year to 222 million visitors, now ranks as the top social networking site worldwide and the seventh most popular property in the world.

For more information at http://www.comscore.com

Deloitte - 2009 Global Predictions for Media Industry

Deloitte unveiled what it forecasts as major trends and issues in the media and entertainment sector for 2009, including the rising cost of free online content, the increasing success of mobile advertising and the draw of 3D technology across multiple entertainment genres.

"Two thousand nine will be a year of significant opportunities and challenges in an industry that has already seen its fair share of disruption," said Phil Asmundson, Deloitte LLP vice chairman and national managing partner for Technology, Media and Telecommunications. "Economic conditions, media consumption preferences and digital technology advancements will impact both consumer spending and business investments in the year ahead."

Among the highlights:

The Rising Cost of Free Online Content

The public's 15 minutes of online fame could fast be receding, given the rising costs of storing content. For the largest sites, hosting user-generated content could cost over $100 million per year.

For more information, go to http://www.deloitte.com

Hispanic Marketer's Guide to Cable 2008

Hispanic Cable Facts and Cultural Cues from Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau

Here's your one-stop resource for connecting with today's Hispanic consumers. This comprehensive guide gives in-depth information on Hispanics and cable television from a national, local and technological perspective. A key resource providing trends, stats and television facts. In it, you'll discover:

-- Why cable is considered the fastest growing television medium
-- How cable fulfills the Hispanic viewers' desire for choice
-- The myriad networks created to reach this population segment
-- Snapshots of the largest demographic markets for the Hispanic population
-- Touchpoints for connecting with Hispanic males, females and youth
-- How media habits vary by Hispanic generations.

This is a must-have desk resource for every marketer who is serious about reaching Hispanic consumers creatively and efficiently.

More information

Ad Network Prices Take a Hit

Ad network CPMs were down in Q4 2008 compared with Q4 2007, according to PubMatic. Prices for ads on Websites of all sizes had decreased; small, medium and large sites’ ad prices dropped 52%, 23% and 54%, respectively, from the previous year.

PubMatic reported pricing data for text and banner ads sold through advertising networks only. The data reflects publisher revenues, not total ad spending—it includes only advertiser spending on ad networks.

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txtNation Connect Premium SMS in South America

With this, txtNation have now established a strong connectivity offering in one of the fastest and most untouched continents for Premium SMS, South America.

txtNation have received network accreditation to deliver Micro-payments for Web Based Access (mENABLE), content services (mPUSH) and a wide range of other direct based API services (mBILL) across Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Brazil is due to go live later in the year. For example, clients using the ever popular mENABLE Micro-billing solution, these countries are currently live and processing, with local language support.

txtNation have been in beta testing for the last several months across this region.

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2009: The Year For Hispanic Online

As I embark on my tenth year in Hispanic online marketing industry I am very bullish about our industry and have great optimism in the promise of online Hispanics for corporate America today. I know we are in the midst of an economic downturn, a recession that some say is "as bad as the great depression," but still I am confident in the Hispanic online marketing sector as an area for growth and opportunity for several key reasons.

Don't look now but the 2010 census is comingThe buzz from the 2000 Census has worn off. We Hispanic marketing professionals grabbed hold of the fact that Hispanics had become the largest minority and preached this message to anyone who would listen. As a result, most marketing executives now understand that Hispanics matter to their business and their bottom line.

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DMA: Most Marketers in Hispanic Market Use Direct Mail

A new report from the Direct Marketing Association, in conjunction with PSA and Zubi Advertising, shows that 92% of all marketers and agencies in the Hispanic market use non-catalog direct mail; over half (52.1%) use telephone marketing.

77% of active Hispanic direct marketers specifically tailor their non-catalog direct mail messages for the Hispanic audience, while about 75% of Hispanic marketers collect consumer data about language preference and proficiency, and age and gender, according to the study.

Other findings:
One out of two marketers (48.1%) who promote to Hispanics report that the majority of their Hispanic-specific promotions are written or spoken in both Spanish and English. One in five say that most of their promotions are in English only (20.8%) or that they have separate English and Spanish language versions (19.5%).
The majority of respondents (84.4%) who market to Hispanics say that they do not create different versions of their promotions based on dialect and colloquialism

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TeleRitmo To Launch In Chicago

Following the U.S. launch of two of its entertainment channels in Texas last fall, Mexican media conglomerate Grupo Multimedios has its eye on rolling out in more of the top Hispanic markets this side of the border.Most significant for the Latin music industry are Multimedios TV and TeleRitmo, which have recently gained cable carriage in Texas. Within its general entertainment programming, Multimedios TV offers variety and music-themed shows such as the regional Mexican performance-based “Gruperisimo”; TeleRitmo specializes in regional Mexican music videos.

TeleRitmo launched on Comcast in Houston in September, and is expected to launch on the cable operator within weeks in Chicago, says Gustavo Mena, a former Telemundo executive who is leading Multimedios’ stateside distribution effort. Multimedios TV launched on Time Warner Cable throughout Texas in cities such as Dallas, San Antonio and Austin last month

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Brand Building and Types of Websites

Research released in early January by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) uses brand metric data from Dynamic Logic to show that ads placed on content sites get better results than

For example, the aided brand awareness metric was up by 38% on OPA member sites—that is, content sites—versus the following:
Down 9% on portals
Down 19% on ad networks
Down 7% against control data (Dynamic Logic’s MarketNorms database)

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AT&T creates directories for Latino market

Telecommunications giant AT&T announced Wednesday it will begin delivering new AT&T Real Yellow Pages directories to Dallas-area residents this month.
The notice of delivery comes with another special feature — the company says certain neighborhoods comprised of a large Hispanic population will receive a companion Spanish-language directory.

The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce applauded the rollout of the new demographic-specific directory in a press release issued by Dallas-based AT&T (NYSE: T) on Wednesday.

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Internet Users Spending Even More Time on Web

Americans are spending more time online, on both a daily and weekly basis. At-home access far outstripped at-work access time in 2008, according to Harris Interactive. Expect both trends to continue in 2009, as a hefty percentage of unemployed people use the Internet to find jobs or additional training or education, and adults who are worried about the economic and international news check in more frequently.

However, US adults are not world leaders in spending leisure time online. That distinction goes to Internet users in China, who spent 44% of their leisure time on the Internet in 2008, according to TNS Global. The company found that Americans ranked fifth worldwide, at 30% of leisure time spent online—virtually tied with Italy (31%), Spain and Australia (29% each).

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Next internet hot spot: Latin America

Over the past several years, China and India have seen huge spurts of growth in internet usage, and now forecasters see the next burst of growth coming in Latin America. Residential users are expected to more than double in the next five years, from about 72 million to 160 million, and most will be through broadband connections. Driving much of that growth will be falling computer prices.Both ad spending and online shopping will surge ahead with the explosion in new users.That's the finding of new report from Pyramid Research for Google, based on interviews with 3,620 people across 11 Latin American countries.

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Online Video Growth Continues

As more data about 2008 Internet usage in the US is released, online video increasingly looks like one of the year’s big winners. US Internet users viewed 12.7 billion online videos during November 2008 alone, up more than one-third over November 2007, according to data released in January 2009 by comScore Video Metrix. 

comScore said more than 146 million US Internet users watched an average of 87 videos per viewer in November 2008—that’s 77% of the total US Internet audience.

eMarketer also puts online video viewers at more than three-quarters of US Internet users, and estimates that percentage will rise to 88% by 2012.

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Explosion of T.V. in English for Latinos

Robert Rose remembers when he first pitched advertisers the idea of an English language show about Latino culture.

"They were not receptive at all," says the founder and executive producer of LATV Networks, which produces the "American Latino TV" and "LatiNation TV" shows.

This was more than seven years ago, when Univision was still the 500-pound gorilla in the Latin TV market, he says.

Advertisers "were loyal to the Univision model, which was that to reach Latinos, you had to do it in Spanish. Everyone had been saying the same thing for 25 years."

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Ping Mobile and impreMedia Partner to Provide Hispanic Mobile Marketing Solutions for Advertisers

Englewood Cliffs, N.J., January 13, 2009 - Ping Mobile (http://www.pingmobile.com), a full-service mobile agency, today announced a partnership with impreMedia, the No. 1 Hispanic news and information company in the U.S. in online and print, to offer unique mobile marketing and advertising options to its media clients using Ping Mobile's flagship PingRewards platform. ImpreRewards (http://www.imprerewards.com) will serve as the leading Hispanic targeted online and mobile service providing consumers with discounts and offers.

In the current economic climate, impreRewards will provide an essential tool by informing consumers about brands that are making an effort to extend strong coupons and promotions. Providing this information directly to the mobile phone allows users to carry the coupon content and redemption information on-the-go and in certain cases makes the couponing viral. Users can forward the coupons on their mobile device to their friends and family in seconds.Commenting on the launch, Shira Simmonds, President and Co-Founder of Ping Mobile, stated, "this partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for advertisers interested in reaching the Hispanic consumer and we are excited to partner with impreMedia, given their unparalleled Hispanic audience in both online and print.

Because of the current economic climate, consumers are turning to mobile couponing and it's these consumers who will benefit from the impreRewards portal." The new Spanish-language impreRewards aims to be the preferred Hispanic Web and Mobile portal. "Given the heavy mobile usage among Hispanic consumers, impreRewards is the perfect solution for any advertiser looking to target the Hispanic market," said Arturo Duran, CEO of impreMedia Digital.

"The solid technology behind Ping's platform and the ease of use from both the advertisers' and consumers' viewpoint, will allow our users to feel comfortable using this exciting, new and innovative marketing tool in their preferred language."ImpreRewards is built upon the same platform and utilizes identical back-end technology as PingRewards. With this innovative platform, Advertisers have full control over campaign details, such as the content and timetable of each promotion. "Using impreRewards brands nationwide will be able to drive traffic directly to the point of sale within minutes." said Mr. Duran. Built as a user-friendly mobile coupon site, impreRewards is a free service for users that gives them control over the content they receive and how often they receive it.

Consumers will be able to choose from a long list of advertisers including Footlocker, ESPN Shop, 1-800 Flowers.com, Ice.com, Mikasa, Diamonds International, and World of Watches. "WorldofWatches.com is thrilled to be a part of this exciting new venture between impreMedia and Ping Mobile. We anticipate the success of mobile couponing to be of great value to us and look forward to offering customers amazing offers on over 3,500 name brand watches, straight to their mobile phones," noted Izac Ben-Shmuel, CEO of the SWI Group.

ABOUT PING MOBILE
Ping Mobile is a fresh, young, creative full-service mobile agency, providing a complete range of mobile marketing, offers, promotions and content services, with a specialization in mobile offers and promotions. A strong focus on consumers, both through the unique PingRewardsT offering and vast experience in consumer marketing, combined with industry-leading consultancy, reporting, data analysis and client services packages, makes Ping Mobile the premier mobile marketing agency for clients of all sizes. Ping Mobile is headquartered in Englewood Cliffs, NJ with offices in Los Angeles, CA and Tel Aviv, Israel. For more information please visit www.PingMobile.com or www.PingRewards.com.

About impreMedia: ImpreMedia is the nation's leading Hispanic news and information company, online and in print. ImpreMedia provides advanced multi-platform media solutions for marketers to reach the rapidly growing and influential Hispanic market. Operating 26 online and print properties specifically targeted at the U.S. Hispanic population, impreMedia recently announced the launch of the multi-media national Latino web destination, http://www.impre.com, which combined with the company's print properties, reaches 41% of all U.S Hispanic adults every month. ImpreMedia is also the nation's largest Hispanic newspaper publisher with publications in the top 10 Hispanic markets, reaching 17 markets in total, representing 65% of the U.S. Hispanic population. Leading publications include La Opinión in Los Angeles and El Diario La Prensa in New York.

Google controlled 72.1% of search in December

Google's share in the U.S. search segment for December increased to 72.1% of all queries, compared to 65.9% for the same period in 2007, Hitwise is reporting. Google's chief search rivals lost ground, with Yahoo! coming in second with 17.8% for December, followed by Microsoft with 5.6% and Ask.com with 3.4%. The New York Times/IDG News Service

Web-based marketing has long been overlooked when it comes to reaching Latinos

If a brand wanted to reach out to the increasingly important Latino consumer, there were always a variety of traditional tools to grab -- traditional being the key term. Historically, little importance had been placed on Web-based marketing. But those days are over. Just ask Alex Lopez Negrete of Lopez Negrete Communications in Houston, a leading agency specializing in the Hispanic demographic."Our gospel over the last six or seven months has changed," says the agency president and CEO. "We don't have to preach about online and digital anymore." Eighteen months ago, the firm's clients -- which include Bank of America, Tyson and Wal-Mart -- devoted an anemic 0-5 percent of their ad budgets to online efforts.

Today, every Lopez Negrete client has an online strategy, and the 5 percent spending apportionment is the new floor. Some brands now devote as much as 20 percent of their Hispanic-geared spending to Web-based projects.

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Internet use booming in Latin America

Personal Internet use is growing by leaps and megabytes in Latin America, driven by the availability of more affordable computers, an expanding broadband network and the appeal of a range of new cyber features.

New users in the region are attracted by familiar applications like e-mail, instant messaging and quick access to news and information on the Web, but features such as social networking, online bill payment and digital entertainment also are proving popular.
A recent marketing study of 10 Latin American nations and Puerto Rico projected the regional residential base of Internet users would reach 160 million in five years, up from more than 100 million now.

The survey, conducted by Pyramid Research for Google, also forecast large increases in Internet advertising and online shopping.

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The Shrinking World of Newspapers

Read? Less. Red ink? More.]

There is no sugarcoating it. The outlook for newspaper publishers in the US is dismal.
eMarketer estimates that newspaper advertising revenues declined 16.4% in 2008 to $37.9 billion.

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8 golden rules for advertising in the digital age

The emergence of digital media has created some very fundamental and important changes in the goals for advertising today. Digital technologies have empowered advertising in unique ways and provided a wide range of new possibilities for two-way communication and measurement. These changes should fundamentally redefine expectations for advertising in the digital age.

In this article, I will discuss the goals and expectations that every marketer should have for their advertising campaigns, and how digital media and technology has re-shaped and transformed those goals.

1. Capture interest and attention
Advertising is, of course, a specific communication strategy designed to shape consumer action towards, or opinions about, particular products or services. Advertising, like every other communication strategy, will not and cannot work unless it finds an audience and actually delivers its message. We live in an increasingly crowded media environment. The average consumer is exposed to thousands of different advertising messages every week. Many of those messages are repeated with a frequency that deadens the senses. Even finding the right potential customer and placing the advertising message in front of him or her does not guarantee interest or focus on what the ad message is trying to communicate.

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Mobile video use up 14%, but numbers are still small

Only 5% of the wireless subscribers in the U.S. access video content in a given month, but the 10.3 million who do represent a 14% gain from 2007, according to the Nielsen Co., which cited the growth of Internet-friendly handsets as the major driver of video viewing. Mediaweek

Televisa-Univision court clash could alter landscape of Spanish-language TV

A real-life soap opera in Spanish-language television -- a saga of family legacy, corporate ambition and allegations of treachery -- is expected to shift today to a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

The civil trial will pit two titans against each other and bring to the witness stand key executives who are accustomed to controlling the media behind the scenes rather than fighting over it in open court. At stake is the future of the widely popular telenovelas, a steamy mix of sex, romance and family intrigue that has made the Spanish-language shows among the most popular and profitable on American airwaves.

How the two adversaries -- Grupo Televisa of Mexico and Univision Communications Inc. of New York -- got to this point is a telenovela in itself. After years of squabbling, Televisa, the world's largest producer of telenovelas, four years ago sued longtime partner Univision for breach of contract, alleging it had been cheated out of more than $100 million in royalties.

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Terra Launches Atom Project in U.S. and Latin America

Miami, Fl, January 7, 2009 - Terra, a leading internet company and original digital content producer with a primary focus on the US Hispanic experience, today launched its 12-step revolution to a new Terra.com. Dubbed the Atom Project, this yearlong initiative comprises new, cutting-edge components that will be introduced one at a time to the portal’s 60 million users on the seventh day of every month. Today, the first phase of Terra’s renovations hits the homepage and main page of each channel. Among the innovations that will transform the way consumers access both editorial content and user generated content on multiple platforms include third generation social networking tools, fresh layouts and unprecedented content integration.

“Atom is the seed for the portal of the future. $10 million was invested in the program’s development, which involved the participation of 400 Terra employees and approximately 300 experts from the design and Internet industries,” said Fernando Madeira, general director of Terra Latin America. “The entire project is based on creating the best experience for users, through the multiplatform offering of content and social tools. Every 7^th of the month will be a day of innovation for the portal and its users.” 

The new Terra is designed to increase personalization, interactivity and accessibility. For example, an improved search function will enhance access to desired content; users will be able to move seamlessly between channels and subchannels; and it will be possible to simultaneously view, send and discuss a video, photo or article in a single click. The Atom Project also extends to mobile formats for Smartphones, including the iPhone, allowing for rich media and high impact advertising.

In addition to the groundbreaking technology, original content will remain a top priority for Terra. In January, Terra will bring exclusive coverage of the inauguration, the Oscars, the World Social Forum, a special on the twentieth anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Dakar Rally and the Libertadores Cup. Also in January, the online Terra Magazine will introduce articles from leading New York Times columnists Umberto Eco, Mikhail Gorbachev and Thomas Friedman.

About Terra USA

Terra USA (www.terra.com) is a leading internet company and original digital content producer with a primary focus on the US Hispanic experience including 29 channels in English and Spanish. Terra USA reaches the broadest audience in the U.S. Hispanic market according to comScore Media Metrix and Nielsen/Net Ratings. Terra USA offers interactive tools and unites the most relevant professional and user generated content, offering a unique experience to the user.

Terra USA is part of Terra Latin America, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2009. With presence in 18 countries, including the United States, Terra Latin America has approximately 60 million unique visitors per month, 8 million unique users per month on Terra TV, with an average of 66 million streamings per month and a collection of 250 thousand videos.

Terra Latin America is the leading internet company in the region. In 2007 Terra Latin-America reported $500USD million in net revenues with portals in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Perú, Puerto Rico, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

5th Annual Voz Latina Hispanic Marketing Conference

Has the digital revolution changed the way content is developed and distributed across digital media platforms to reach 46 million U.S. Hispanic consumers? As a marketer, have you taken the opportunity to tailor your messaging to reach specific Hispanic audiences in local markets? Do you have the information you need to understand the unique cultural preferences among Hispanic segments?

See more information about the conference here

Univision and Comcast Announce Multi-Year Distribution Agreement

NEW YORK, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Univision Communications Inc., the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States, and Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, announced today a multi-year agreement for carriage of Univision's owned and operated broadcast stations and affiliated stations owned and operated by Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC), Fisher Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSCI) and Equity Media Holdings Corporation. The agreement includes distribution of the cable network, Galavisión, and, outside of station markets, the network feeds for Univision and TeleFutura.

Spanish Language Media Outlook 2009

Capturing the minds, hearts and consumer dollars of the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population requires media players to convey an understanding of the cultural nuances behind the buying habits of Latin Americans. By taking a look at the Spanish language Televisa (NYSE:TV) network along with consumer product providers currently spending part of their advertising budget for airtime during telenovelas (serial soap operas) on the privately held Univision network, investors can get an idea of how to tailor their exposure to Latin American Media.

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Seven Predictions for 2009

1. No doubt about it, marketers will be cutting back on advertising spending this year. All the industry pundits, media firms, Wall Street analysts and bloggers are predicting slashed budgets across the board. A look at the latest projections for total US ad spending growth in 2009 reveals a consistently downward trend, and that’s after negative growth in both 2007 and 2008.

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Worldwide iPhone WiFi Ad Requests Grow 52%

Worldwide iPhone WiFi ad requests grew 52% month-over-month to 359 million in November, giving the iPhone a 6.3% share of global total requests and a 9.9% share of requests in the U.S., where it is now the #1 device, according to research from AdMob.

According to AdMob’s November 2008 Mobile Metrics Report, Apple’s iPhone has the most significant WiFi usage, with 42% of worldwide ad requests and 19% of U.S. requests coming in over WiFi instead of a mobile operator network, writes Marketing Charts.

iPhone statistics are notably higher than most other WiFi capable phones, which average between 10% and 20%, AdMob said. Moreover, iPhone WiFi usage is generally higher on iPhone-specific sites and applications than on normal mobile web sites.

Wi-Fi-only devices, such as the iPod Touch and Sony PlayStation Portable, generate the second and third most requests over WiFi next to the iPhone.

Other findings from the report:
Worldwide requests were flat in November at 5.8 billion. Requests from North America, Western Europe, Latin America, and Eastern Europe increased more than 10% month-over-month. These increases were offset by a 30% decrease in AdMob’s Indonesian inventory.

In the U.S., 8% of total requests in November were on WiFi networks, up from 3% in August.
In the U.K., 8% of requests in November were on WiFi networks, up from 4% in August.
After the iPhone and iPod Touch, the Nokia N95 and other N series phones are the leading WiFi devices.

The G1 (HTC Dream) generated 15 million requests in November and already represents 7% of all T-Mobile traffic. Android had a 2% share of smartphone operating system traffic in the U.S.