Google is betting on digital education in Latin America. The tech giant has employed various initiatives and rolled out numerous tools to make an impact on the way the region views digital opportunity.
One of its latest releases is Think Insights in Spanish, a new digital marketing website designed to serve as a reference point for agencies and advertisers and a source of tools to facilitate decision making in the digital realm.
PulsoSocial sat down with Eugenia Denari, Country Marketing Manager of Google Argentina, to find out more about the company’s work in digital evangelization.
Clarisa Herrera: Google is focusing a significant amount of effort on digital education in the region. Why go that route?
Eugenia Denari: At Google, we believe that everything that has to do with digital advertising is still very new to the region. Marketing professionals of all sorts have to update and learn constantly. We have a strong commitment in the region to developing the digital ecosystem, which is why we’ve created an educational plan on three different fronts: big clients, agencies, and small businesses.
CH: Digital investment in the region is increasing. Do the big players and the little guys need tools in the same way?
ED: We believe that both sides need them, but in different manners. The big companies and agencies have to confront a change in mentality so that all of the managers within the organization embrace digital as part of their strategies and take on risks. What we’ve noted is that you’ve got to get beyond the basics in terms of digital advertising. There is a lot more to be done than having an online presence with a website, thinking up a social media strategy or creating an active campaign.
With smaller clients, what we see is a lack of knowledge. That said, there is a strong desire to get the tools and an attitude of constant learning that is very different from what we would have seen 10 years ago. Digital is within focus.
CH: What is your proposal with the launch of Think Insights in Spanish?
ED: It’s a site for advertisers, agencies and journalists who want to stay up-to-date on the latest news in the market and industry. We launched it for all of Spanish-speaking Latin America, and it is part of an integral educational plan we’ve laid out. The site includes digital marketing research. Users can find the most creative digital campaigns, discover tools like the online consumer barometer or a calculator that measures mobile value. They can read up on success stories and catch interviews. Everything is designed so that those who work at companies can learn and make better decisions tied to the web.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgo_GJsLWUM[/youtube]
CH: In what other areas is Google working on digital education in the region?
ED: In various aspects. At Think events, we discuss best digital practices. We have certification programs via Google Academy for brands and agencies (we’ve trained 1,300 people in the region so far) as well as Google Engage, which educates small and medium-sized marketing agencies, designers and web masters (it launched last year and has 25,000 registered users in in the region). In conjunction with IAE, we’ve created the CEO Digital Leadership Program. We started two months ago with 25 CEOs, with whom we debated digital integration in business. We’re doing a second edition now and have a third planned with CMOs at the end of the year.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbc9HRc0C3w[/youtube]
This text has been adapted and translated by Emily Stewart from its original Spanish publication.
