Ever since it became apparent that consumers were spending more and more time on their phones (and less time tuned into the television set), companies have been scrounging for ways to avoid missing valuable touch points with key audiences.

Introducing iAds - Apple's new mobile advertising system. Developed to be part of the iPhone 4.0 OS, Apple has sold ad space to a number of big-name brands hoping to break through the clutter of mobile marketing. What makes iAds different is that once the user clicks on the advertisement, they are no longer forced to exit the app into a separate web browser. Rather, the interactive ad opens into an HTML5 window, allowing the user to stay within their current app and "emotionally experience" the ad.

But, how will people actually feel about iAds?

Reviews have been mixed. A recent study conducted by JiWire found that people have been surprisingly open to mobile advertising as a whole.

Why you might ask? It turns out that if consumers can forgo paying for an app in exchange for putting up with a few ads, they're all for it. Another reason is that mobile ads tend to be tailored to specific consumer preferences (based on their location). In this way, consumers immediately benefit from deals and offers they may have otherwise missed.

On the other hand, not everyone is looking forward to iAds. An article by Slate notes that the new ads will only contribute to the online clutter by overwhelming people and invading privacy. It's also been noted that despite the hype, there really isn't anything new behind iAds, beyond the name itself.

The comments above point back to a theme we've seen since digital and mobile marketing started gaining speed: as long as the consumer believes they are being targeted in an authentic way, everything remains copacetic. Cross that line, and that's when things start to get messy. Authenticity is key for mobile marketing. If companies are bold enough to invade people's space while they're on the go, they better have something of value to offer. This holds true whether using AdMobs (Google's version of mobile advertising), or iAds.

While iAds may have a catchy name, companies choosing to be among the first to advertise through the system have realized the value of being associated with Apple. This goes to show that you can't underestimate the value of a name and the fact that consumers expect Apple to bring their "A" game, thus making them more likely to click on the ad in hopes of discovering what the "experience" is all about.

It will be interesting to see how the success (or failure) of iAds plays out and the effects that the new system will have on the way brands and consumers play in the mobile advertising space.





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As the final presentation of last week's much anticipated Hispanic PR & Social Media Marketing Conference came to a close, the chatter online showed no signs of slowing down, with attendees and followers buzzing about the latest insights and trends emerging from the growing Hispanic segment.  

The first conference devoted exclusively to the Hispanic public relations and social media marketing industry, the three day event in Dallas, TX attracted leading brands as well as marketing and PR professionals from corporate communications, government, non profits, PR and social media agencies. Hosted by the Hispanic PR Blog -- led by founder, Manny Ruiz -- and the Hispanic Public Relations Association, the conference exceeded everyone's expectations with more than 300 attendees and 20 informational sessions.

Using the #HPRConf hashtag and following the newly designed @HispanicPR Twitter page, conference enthusiasts were able to stay up-to-date on event details and speakers.


Zócalo Group was also on-site as a presenter and the Official Twitter and Word of Mouth Sponsor, helping to co-host the event's Tuesday Tweetup with the Sánchez Ricardo Agency, a Washington DC-based multicultural communications firm. Thanks to the hard work and incredible energy by Midy Aponte, President/Founder of the firm, and her team, the event turned out to be a huge success and a great networking opportunity for attendees.

Throughout the week, the vibrancy and excitement from the conference floor was evident, spilling over into the hundreds of messages and introductions shared via Twitter and other social media channels. Discussions focused around the role Hispanic marketing and social media will play in coming years -- a conversation that will undoubtedly grow as brands and marketers work to better engage consumers.

Key Trends:

In case you missed any of the conference, check out some of the important trends and questions emerging from the dialogue.

• Hispanic PR & Social Media Conference becomes an important catalyst for industry trends and change
  
  
• 50% of moms in the US are of color and 40% of US kids are multicultural
  
  
• Digital understanding is essential for winning with Latinos
  
  
• Measurement & ROI is big - Hispanics are 73% more likely to purchase a brand associated with a cause
  
  
• PR measurement can be divided into four stages: output quantity, output quality, impact, and economic value
  
  
• How is social media going to transform Hispanic marketing?
  
  
• Latinos are quickly becoming the most active social media users, but the key is translating that into influence
  
  
• Ignore the dividing line between social media and PR as they're often seated at the same table
  
  
• US Hispanic buying power will exceed $1.3 trillion by 2013
  
  
• Want better ROI? Get away from pay media and invest in sustainable social media programs
  
  
• Is social media a PR or advertising function?
  
  
• What tools do you use to track social media campaigns?
  
  
• Latino media is all about connecting to culture, language is not enough
  
  

The conference demonstrated the importance of paying attention to the needs and issues surrounding the Hispanic segment, with marketers already rethinking their strategies to effectively target and engage this audience.

Curious about what else people had to say about the conference? Check out the key presenters, tweeters and hashtags generating some of the greatest buzz during the event.


Most Talked About & Recommended Presenters:

• Rudy Rodriguez, Director of Multicultural Marketing for General Mills, discussing their "Que Rica Vida" campaign

• Lee Vann from Captura Group and his discussion on why Latinos are more social than other demographics

• Stephen Chavez, Hispanic Marketing Consultant, and his educational session on learning CSR strategies targeting Latinos

• Mike Fernandez, VP of State Farm, touching on the importance of the Hispanic community in the changing face of America

• Glenn Llopis, Center for Hispanic Leadership, discusses how diversity propels innovation

Most Active Tweeters:

• @MidyAponte
• @MauraHernandez
• @Berly624
• @hispanicpr 
• @leevan
• @jrvilla
• @hispanicfund
• @HPR_TweetUp
• @Ivan_Leon
• @statefarm
• @jansell
  

Other Top Hashtags:

• #latism
• #diversity
• #Dallas
• #latino2
  

Links:

For more information, photos and to hear what others are saying, check out these great resources.

• Hispanic Bound
• MyLatinoVoice
  
• PRSAY
• PRWeek
  
• HispanicTalentMemo
• HispanicBusiness
• MartinCan
• LatinVisionConference

What's next? Keep an eye out for the upcoming Hispanic Social Media Guide from Hispanic PR Blog, due out later this month!





(Photo Source: Jonah Ansell, MyLatinoVoice.com, Pegasusnews.com)




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As technology and social networks grow faster by the second, it gets more and more difficult to keep up with every update. "Content curation," or the input of internet content at faster rates than it can be consumed, is a legitimate concern right now for many online users. YouTube statistics reveal that 24 hours of video is being uploaded per minute; Twitter is now reporting 50 million Tweets per day; Facebook statuses are updated 60 million times per day. With social updates occurring constantly, it's no wonder that we can't keep up with our friends, let alone world news or current events. 

Being named "the Web's biggest challenge in recent years," content curation reveals the changing ways in which consumers search out and react to information. It also brings up some important concerns. Are there drawbacks to this overflow? And are we equipping ourselves in the right ways to handle this massive quantity of information? How do we determine what's relevant?

As social media junkies, we can see the benefits to continuous and perpetual streams of information. We eat it up as each new story comes; however, the average user does not have the time or patience to spend paging through each link or story to find exactly what they are looking for. In a world where time is of the essence, everybody must realize that the inundation of haphazard online content is going to keep growing and it's up to each of us to moderate web intake. But how? In a perfect world, we would want to combine efficiency, personalization and relevance as it relates to the news and information we find online. But that's much easier said than done. 

Enter Digg.com.

Over time, social voting website, Digg.com, has become a staple for technology lovers to find the latest and greatest, most relevant stories to hit the web. Recently, the site revealed its plans to begin filtering Facebook and Twitter links through a personalized home page based on the activities of friends. Coming in the near future, Digg will let you sign in using any of your existing social network accounts and allow viewers to "Digg" stories without even logging in at all. With the plan to not only share links and updates from social networks (and the usual Digg stories), but rank them as well, there is no telling how this re-positioning can enhance the relevance of Digg to web users.

By combining pertinent news, high-interest statuses, updates and photos of social network friends all in one place, Digg may have uncovered the cure to content curation. The not-so-easy fix of efficiency, personalization and relevance may come together, but we all know how unpredictable the internet can be. Related platforms like Google Wave and Flavors.me have also attempted to guide users toward a single location for all their social networking and content needs, but in many ways have ended with lukewarm results and little widespread knowledge. 

Until we know how successful the Digg undertaking may be, we will continue to take the heaps of internet content as it comes and try to stay sane in the process.

Image Source: http://langwitches.org

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