U.S. HISPANIC
ZAS Talents: Few brands make investments with talent at a regional or global level
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 23 de agosto de 2023
Sol Arnedo ZAS Talents
Sol Arnedo, CEO of ZAS Talents, sees a dichotomy between audiences and brands. “A talent that speaks Spanish can have audiences from several countries, but when working with a brand, the budgets are local. For example, Bimbo may have a presence in many countries, but the marketing team in Mexico has a budget for Mexico and seeks talent with a majority percentage of followers there. Few brands make investments with talent at a regional or global level,” she said.
She added that the talent must take note of this; “because if, for example, someone from Colombia moves to Mexico having a majority of Colombian audiences, it will be difficult for them to collaborate with brands. It also affects artistic projects. The productions in Mexico are mostly looking for Mexicans.”
Regarding how social networks have changed the relationship between talents and the audience, Arnedo highlighted the two-way relationship. “Several public figures still do not understand it and use their social media to announce projects instead of real interaction. It is not only about sharing content but talking about topics that are relevant to him/her, about collaborations with brands, and calls to action, among other things. When a profile in social media becomes relevant, it is a heritage they must take care of and value.
For Arnedo, streaming does not represent a great challenge for talents who use social platforms since they all have the option of streaming, and many do “live” on Twitch where almost all the content is streaming. “I do not see it as a great challenge for creators who are used to talking in videos, stories, among others.”
She believes that the challenges for the representatives of digital content generators are the same for everyone.”Ensuring your talents a prosperous career, enabling them to pursue their projects, opening good opportunities, encouraging them, trusting the team we put together, offering them competitive collaborators with our services, and always seeking to consolidate the commercial-personal relationship.”
Regarding what works and what does not work with brands, Arnedo highlighted “honesty” from the beginning, where the brand values the creator’s content, and the creator appreciates the brand by consuming its products. “Once a brand decides to work with the creator, it can not change their way of speaking and script everything; that does not work, the creator has to do it with their style.”
She also mentioned that, in turn, the talent must commit to excellence. “To take it seriously is important for the brand, and make an effort for the audience to value the result, being creative and functional. The expected result in terms of scope and engagement must be related to the profile, and sometimes, the brand could use this content in advertising formats to extend its reach. Organic content is also welcome to become ads.”
Arnedo said that her years in digital marketing and technology know-how have helped her to gain the talent’s trust. “It also allows me a more precise dialogue with those who work on platforms, agencies, and brands. But at ZAS, we are unsatisfied by only negotiating with the brands. Careers for our talent are 360 and involve a variety of projects. We have learned that when working with people, not everything is linear; you have to adapt to different mindsets, how people handle their time, and despite the heterogeneity of profiles, is a challenge that enriches the agency.”
