Douglas Rowell 1
The Advertising Week LatAm closed its 2020 with positive figures: 50% more brand participation and a 30% audience increase with respect to 2019, turning the encounter into a destiny for the market, as detailed by Douglas Rowell, president of AWLatAM. “In terms of audience, this is 6,000 attendees so that´s pretty good, it is a vote of confidence”. Diversity and inclusion, together with storytelling were the main trends of the event. The first topic was reflected in the presentations most of them delivered by women. “We had an amazing panel in Latina disruptors, not just women but professionals who have excelled in their field and have done things that would be remarkable, no matter their gender, race and background”. Secondly, the growth experienced by advertisers to reach their audiences. “Things are going very mobile-first, so the ability to find an integration of data.with actual strong creative narrative and storytelling is what is going to create the type of experiences that consumers want”. He estimates that programmatic and e-commerce will play a very important role, whose participation in the market has become more active. “There are big players coming to the market that are helping to use programmatic, the power of data and their platforms to make effective niche targetting, and geo-targetting possible. And online shopping is becoming the primary way that consumers are purchasing. E commerce is becoming the number one driver for how people engage with their purchasing habits and behaviors”. Rowell believes Mexico in particular has a sensitibility and identity to develop these encounters. “They can definitely and effectively mix thought leadership and learning with networking and experiences”.