Integrated Marketing Key for New Landscape

As marketers ring in the new year, the reality that media is becoming increasingly fragmented — with most consumers assuming greater control of how, when and where they are targeted — is forcing companies to seek out new strategies and adapt to the new landscape.

Data shows Hispanics are becoming more sophisticated and engaging multiple media. Plus, there is a growing number of new media avenues catering to Latinos, as well as existing properties expanding their offerings.

Latinos today are spending more time being connected, accessing different media at various points throughout the day. In a 24-hour period, a consumer can read a newspaper in the morning, check e-mail and the weather online, use a mobile phone or PDA, listen to music on the way to work or school, use a computer throughout the day, play video games in the evening, go online some more, and catch some prime-time TV, only to go back online before going to bed. The goal for marketers is to effectively follow their target audiences across these touchpoints.

“The more media fragments, the more you need to provide integrated marketing,” said David Perez, CEO of New York-based marketing consulting firm Latin Force. “Marketers can no longer be looking through the lens of one particular medium, but instead be looking through the lens of consumer consumption patterns and develop strategies around touchpoints where they interact with media.”

To promote the launch of Nickelodeon’s Go, Diego, Go!, for example, Latin Force created a Spanish-language, multimedia campaign that included radio, online and calling card programs as well as public relations.

Radio initiatives in five markets, online programs on Univision, Yahoo! and MiGente, and advertising on calling cards yielded more than 7.8 million impressions during a two-week period leading up to the launch; print mentions totaled nearly 6.8 million in circ, according to Latin Force. Online exposure resulted in 6.3 million unique visitors.

“It’s all about how you can engage the consumer,” Perez said. “It has to be more integrated into a consumer experience rather than interrupting them.”

Energized by the need to engage consumers across multiple content platforms, Fox Sports en Español this month created a new integrated sales and marketing unit to use its resources through parent company News Corp. to develop opportunities across its TV, online, wireless, magazine and VOD platforms.

The Spanish-language sports network’s integrated offerings run the gamut from branded entertainment to grass-roots marketing. Reality show El Reto Final Nissan 2, which follows last year’s five-part series that pitted former U.S. and Mexican World Cup teams for a historic rematch, is a branded entertainment effort that includes TV, online and grass-roots elements. Sprint Nextel’s “Jorge’s Picks,” across Fox’s TV, online and wireless properties, lets consumers compete against broadcaster Jorge Ramos in picking the winners for InterLiga and Copa Toyota Libertadores matches. A fantasy league tied to the Copa Toyota Libertadores is being created for AT&T Broadband.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of finding ways to do more than putting a 30-second spot on TV,” said Tom Maney, Fox Sports en Español svp of ad sales. “We live in a very cluttered media environment. The goal is to break through the clutter to connect with consumers on a personal, emotional level.”