Danay’s Musings

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Was it nostalgia or was it spite? Was it relief? Or was it simple courtesy? Or perhaps the novelty of the service. No one knows for sure what led four Latin American presidents to serenade the outgoing Alvaro Uribe of Colombia.

Four traditional Mexican mariachi were sent from www.serenata4u.com to the man who led Colombia for eight years with a steady hand and without fear of controversy.

Senders with the names of the presidents of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Brazil found in the wide repertoire of www.serenata4u.com the one melody that perfectly defines their feelings for Uribe.

www.serenata4u.com allows friends and lovers to send electronic serenades in the form of music videos. Each song is personalized with a message and two photos uploaded by the person sending them.

So, Hugo Chavez, with whom Uribe exchanged harsh words on several occasions, sent “El Rey” (The King), a selection that some may read as confrontational. Link to Hugo Chavezs serenade  (http://www.serenata4u.com/app/webroot/files/final_serenatas/e6403365350214703763569edef497e0/index.php?configLanguage=es).

Evo Morales, in a message a bit nostalgic, sent the song “Volver, volver, volver” (Return, return, return). Link to Evo Moraless serenade (http://www.serenata4u.com/app/webroot/files/final_serenatas/6dd36e7dc260bc1beeb79a33da67b5df/index.php?configLanguage=es).

Ecuadors Rafael Correa, with whom Uribe had border disputes, send “Serenata Huasteca”, accompanied by a photo of him playing guitar. Link to Rafael Correas serenade (http://www.serenata4u.com/app/webroot/files/final_serenatas/d9976f1c2c0c972d1cee0c3647cbd194/index.php?configLanguage=es).

Luis Inacio da Silva, Lula sent “Las Mananitas” (Mornings), accompanied by warm, but somewhat reflective words. Link to the Lula serenade (http://www.serenata4u.com/app/webroot/files/final_serenatas/46a731f4af282372a4097ba1e4d76b95/index.php?configLanguage=es).

Whatever the reasons behind the serenades to Uribe, it is clear that the Colombian president leaves and indelible mark on the continents history.

www.serenata4u.com is a project of Freydell Torres Diversity.

www.ftdiversity.com, an advertising agency based in New York. Since its launch in February 2010, over 20 000 virtual serenades have been distributed to over 100 countries worldwide.

SOURCE Freydell Torres Diversity

NEWTON, Mass., GUATEMALA CIUDAD, Guatemala and LAS VEGAS, March 22 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — International CTIA Wireless Show — MoreMagic Solutions, a leading mobile financial solutions provider, and Claro, a leading mobile network operator, are providing immigrants in the United States, Canada, and worldwide an easy and affordable way to send minutes home to relatives and friends in an expanded set of countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. All Claro mobile operator networks are now connected to the MoreMagic Solutions International Recharge Hub, the leading platform for international TopUp transactions and settlements.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090716/NE47191LOGO )
Customers in other countries recognize the Claro brand due to the consistent reliability of our mobile services.

By going online at www.etopuponline.com, or to any of thousands of independent retail stores, a customer can purchase minutes for a Claro mobile phone. When a customer sends an international recharge, the airtime is immediately available, and the recipient is notified with a personalized SMS message. Travelers in the United States, Canada, and other countries are also able to recharge their own phones. Since MoreMagic Solutions offers the best foreign exchange rates (FX) available, Claro customers receive maximum airtime value.

“A wide-ranging community of Central Americans living in the United States, Canada, and throughout the rest of the world, gives continuous financial support to family and friends back home. Members of this vital group prefer to send airtime as a gift over any other gift, since it is inexpensive and instantaneous,” said Pankaj Gulati, CEO of MoreMagic Solutions. “Responding to growing demand from this community, MoreMagic Solutions offers international recharge service for Claro mobile phones through www.etopuponline.com, as well as at hundreds of thousands of store locations worldwide.”

“Customers in other countries recognize the Claro brand due to the consistent reliability of our mobile services. In conjunction with MoreMagic Solutions we welcome the opportunity to offer airtime to our customers at today’s exchange rate,” said Monica Ruiz, Value Added Services, Director for Claro Central America. “The extensive availability of retail locations, as well as internet purchases through www.etopuponline.com, make it easier than ever to give a gift of airtime for a Claro mobile phone, and friends and family members can immediately receive calls from the community back home.”

Claro in Central America
Claro is a subsidiary of America Movil, the third largest telecommunications company in the world, in terms of equity subscribers. America Movil uses the trademark Claro in eleven countries in Latin America. In Central America the trademark Claro is used in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua since September 2006. Claro offers comprehensive services in telecommunications, which included mobile phone, Internet, landlines, and cable television, as of December 31st 2009 for 11.8 million subscribers for its Central American operations.

America Movil
America Movil is the leading provider of telecommunications services in Latin America. As of December 31st 2009 America Movil surpassed the 200 million wireless subscribers mark worldwide, closing the year with 201 million subscribers in 18 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay).

MoreMagic Solutions
With deployments in more than 60 countries worldwide, MoreMagic Solutions offers transaction platforms for mobile operators, financial institutions, content providers, and distributors, enabling consumers to purchase goods and services on demand using a mobile phone, POS, or web. The MoreMagic Solutions high-throughput payment engine and pre-packaged applications enable revenue-generating services, including mobile recharge and mobile money transfer, both domestic and international; mobile banking; bill payment; and mobile commerce; with integration into diverse network environments, languages, and currencies. Through MoreMagic Solutions worldwide distribution, MNO-branded services are available for out-of-country customers, enabling communications with relatives back home, and increased usage on mobile networks worldwide.

SOURCE MoreMagic Solutions

Benjamín Acosta

Thursday, Oct. 15

LATIN AMERICA- Latin America reacted with pleasure to news of the awarding of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama. Latin American leaders and winners of the prize from previous years offered words of support and recognition to the US leader.

Most Central and South American presidents, including Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Argentinian President Cristina Fernández, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, sent their congratulations to Obama, according to Clarín.

According to Reuters, after thanking his counterparts in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia and other countries for their signs of support by telephone, Obama declared his intention to help Latin America meet its principal challenges: Poverty and drug trafficking.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told ANSA that the award “was recognition for his efforts and for the positive political climate” Obama had created since his arrival at the White House. This should be a “call to other political leaders to move forward with disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation,” Bachelet added.

Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, who won the same prize in 1987, termed the Nobel Committee’s decision to recognize Obama’s efforts as visionary. According to Terra.com, Arias said, “Possibly, the Obama administration’s most import foreign policy theme has been a return to multilateralism and an abandonment of domination by the world powers.”

Obama’s most significant commitments, ABC Color noted, include gradually reducing the US military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, closing the prison at Guantanamo, and nuclear disarmament.

Uribe, one of the United States’ most important allies in South America, said he “greatly supports President Obama’s efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear threat.”

Both Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchú (the 1992 winner) and Argentinian Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (the 1980 winner) also congratulated the US leader.

Shortly after learning the news on Oct. 9, Obama, according to Reuters, declared he felt honored to appear alongside persons who were his source of inspiration throughout the “valiant quest for peace.” After thanking the Nobel Committee, he said he would consider the prize a “call for action.”

While most Latin American leaders supported the decision, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez doubted the validity of awarding the prize to President Obama. Chavez, according to Reuters, stated, “The jury put store on his hope for a nuclear arms-free world, forgetting his role in perpetuating his battalions in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

http://infosurhoy.com

South African media company Naspers announced today the acquisition of 91% of the share capital of Brazilian e-commerce group BuscaPé.com Inc. for an amount of US$342m.

Buscapé, which started as comparison shopping ten years ago, currently is Latin America’s top such network for new and used goods and one of the region’s best-known internet brands. It is the exclusive provider of comparison shopping solutions to more than 100 portals and websites in Latin America, including Microsoft, Globo and Abril, with over 10 million products and over 320 000 online and offline stores.

In recent years BuscaPé acquired a competitor, Bondfaro. It also expanded with QueBarato, the leading free-classifieds network in Latin America. Electronic payments can be done with Pagamento Digital. In addition it has an affiliate advertising network named Lomadee, an e-commerce research business, eBit, and a fraud risk assessment service, FControl.

All details on Naspers’ press realease.

Google Dominates Internet Landscape in India and Brazil

Google Sites Account for Nearly 30 Percent of All Time Spent Online in these Two Markets, Three Times Higher than Average

RESTON, VA, September 14, 2009 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world today released a study focusing on Google’s relative dominance in the two emerging Internet markets of India and Brazil. As background, Google Sites ranked as the most visited Internet property worldwide with 854 million unique visitors age 15 and older in July, an increase of 18-percent during the past year. Nearly 75 percent of all Internet users worldwide visited the Google Sites property, which accounted for 9.4 percent of all time spent online. Nearly one out of every ten minutes a person spends online around the world is spent on a Google site.

Google usage is more prevalent in certain global markets than others. Two particular markets stand apart from the rest in terms of their dependence on Google: Brazil and India. In July, 29.8 percent of total time spent online in Brazil was spent on Google Sites, with India only slightly lower at 28.9 percent. The next highest global market was Ireland at 15.9 percent.
Top Ten Global Internet Markets by Google Sites’ Share of Time Spent
July 2009
Age 15+, Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore
Total Minutes (MM)
Total Internet Google Sites Google Sites’ Share of Total Minutes Spent Online
Worldwide 1,541,617 145,473 9.4%
Brazil 46,352 13,808 29.8%
India 21,799 6,294 28.9%
Ireland 1,717 273 15.9%
Singapore 3,326 475 14.3%
Portugal 4,430 590 13.3%
South Africa 2,764 358 12.9%
Mexico 23,035 2,950 12.8%
Italy 21,776 2,699 12.4%
Austria 3,435 417 12.1%
Denmark 3,458 417 12.1%

“It’s interesting that the dynamics of Google usage would be so similar in Brazil and India given that the two markets are on opposite sides of the world and quite different culturally from one another,” said Alex Banks, managing director of comScore Latin America. “As it turns out, there are interesting similarities between Brazil and India as emerging Internet markets. Google’s prevalence in these markets can perhaps best be explained by the fact that the time at which these markets really began to develop and flourish was around the same time that Google was becoming a major player in the search landscape. As a result, Google became the dominant Internet brand in these markets and its success appears to have bled from search into other areas of the web like social networking.”

Google Dominance in Brazil and India

The Google brand has extended to success across most of the categories in which it plays in Brazil and India. In some categories, Google is the only player of consequence, commanding considerably high market shares. For example, in Brazil, Google Sites accounts for 89.5 percent of all searches conducted, while Google Orkut has a dominant position in social networking (96.0 percent of time spent), as does Google Maps in the maps category (70.9 percent of time spent) and Google-owned YouTube in the multimedia category (91.6 percent).

In India, Google Sites accounted for 88.4 percent of all searches conducted, and had commanding share of time spent in social networking with Orkut (68.2 percent), maps with Google Maps (63.9 percent), multimedia with YouTube (82.8 percent). It also commanded slightly less than half of all time spent in the blogs category with Blogger (47.6 percent) and email with Gmail (46.8 percent).
Google-Owned Sites Across Selected Site Categories in Brazil and India
July 2009
Total Brazil and India, Age 15+, Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore World Metrix and comScore qSearch
Site Category Google Site Category Rank by Unique Visitors Google’s Share of Time Spent in Category
Brazil
Search* Google Sites 1 89.5%
Social Networking Orkut 1 96.0%
Maps Google Maps 1 70.9%
Photos Picasa Network 2 8.9%
Blogs Blogger 1 43.7%
Multimedia YouTube 1 91.6%
Email Gmail 2 9.7%
India
Search* Google Sites 1 88.4%
Social Networking Orkut 1 68.2%
Maps Google Maps 1 63.9%
Photos Picasa Network 1 16.2%
Blogs Blogger 1 47.6%
Multimedia YouTube 1 82.8%
Email Gmail 2 46.8%

*Search category market share based on share of searches conducted, not share of time spent like the other categories

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
Director, Marketing Communications
comScore, Inc.
+1 312 775 6510
press@comscore.com

SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)–Revenues obtained by Brazilian retailers through Internet sales, so-called e-commerce, increased by a surprisingly robust 27% in the first half of 2009 to 4.8 billion Brazilian reals ($2.59 billion), according to a report Tuesday by consulting group E-bit.

E-bit said Internet sales rose, in part, because of government tax cuts covering a wide range of home appliances. The cuts were designed to stimulate consumption during a brief recession.

Internet sales also rose as new sellers came onto the market, including the Brazilian unit of Wal-Mart and home appliance chain Casas Bahia. E-bit said both new and existing retailers increased their Internet advertising this year.

Meanwhile, many Internet retailers offered longer terms and lower interest rates on installment buying.

E-bit said it began 2009 with a growth forecast for Brazilian e-commerce of 20% to 25% but may shortly revise its forecast higher.

- By Tom Murphy, Dow Jones Newswires; 55-11-2847-4519; brazil@dowjones.com

More than six years after the launch of the iTunes Store here in the U.S., Apple has finally rolled out the world’s most popular media store in our great neighbor to the south, Mexico. At last, access to the iTunes Store blankets North America, from Tapachula, Chiapas to Ellesmere Island.

The iTunes Store in Mexico launches with millions of tracks from the four major labels, all in Apple’s DRM-free iTunes Plus format, as well as from hundreds of the smaller indie labels. In particular, the company touted the inclusion of Mexican artists such as Paulina Rubio, Vicente Fernández, and Zoé.

Like iTunes customers in other countries, Mexican users can take advantage of features like Complete My Album and the ability to purchase advance tracks; iPhone owners in Mexico can also download tracks directly to their devices over the 3G network. The App Store has been available in the country since the launch of the iPhone 3G there in July 2008.

However, some things are lacking: in particular, the Mexican store does not feature movies or TV shows, though it does offer music videos and a wide variety of podcasts, including many popular Mexican shows.

What of price? Apple says most songs will go for 12 pesos apiece (that’s about $0.92) while most albums will sell for 120 pesos (just over $9). Music videos will be available for download at a cost of 24 pesos.

Apple’s also selling iTunes Gift Cards in popular Mexican chains like Liverpool, Mixup, and Office Depot, as well as at iShop, iStore, and MacStore. They’ll be available in 200, 300, and 600 peso denominations.

source: PC World Magazine

Manuel Mazzanti to spearhead marketing activities for starMedia in Latin America and the U.S.

MIAMI, April 22 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — starMedia today announced that it has expanded its management team with the appointment of Manuel Mazzanti as Regional Marketing Director. Mazzanti, one of the industry’s most experienced marketers, joins starMedia from Yahoo! where he was responsible for marketing and public relations for Yahoo! Hispanic Americas.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/CLW103LOGO )

Mazzanti will be responsible for overseeing all starMedia’s marketing activities including market research, branding, public relations, product and campaign launches. The appointment marks further growth for starMedia, as the company continues its investment following the recent openings of new offices in Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

“I’m thrilled to join starMedia, where I will have the challenge to lead a growing marketing team that will allow us not only accelerate the pace of the activities, reinforcing starMedia’s leadership, but also to better serve both our audience and advertisers through one of the best online platforms in the region,” said Mazzanti.

Mazzanti has worked in the technology, internet, and telecommunications fields throughout Latin America for more than 15 years. Before joining Yahoo! in 2005, he owned a broadband company in Mexico. Prior to that he held senior marketing positions at Diveo Mexico, a leading outsourcing provider for mission critical IT systems, OptiGlobe Mexico, a leading Data Center services company in Latin America, Iridium South America and SkyTel Argentina.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mazzanti holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Social and Business Sciences University (UCES) of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

About starMedia
starMedia is a free-to-web global portal connecting more than 24 million Spanish-speakers through the Internet as well as providing them with the most relevant and extensive information and services. starMedia has local operations in Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile and throughout the United States (Los Angeles, Miami and New York); and, is wholly owned by Orange (http://www.orange.es ), a subsidiary of the France Telecom Group (NYSE: FTE).

SOURCE starMedia

The dangers of sharing personal information on the internet may not be as serious as in Mexico but brands can learn much from that country’s caution, Angelica del Valle says.

We Latins are a wonderfully social breed: we are a society that loves to party and is in constant hunger for recognition. We are natural voyeurs and we love to watch and to be seen.

So it’s no surprise that visiting our friends online has become such an incredibly popular way to stay in touch before the partying starts.

Updating our social profiles is now an important part of our everyday activities. A great profile lets you strut your stuff even before you arrive as well as adding to the gossip and sense of occasion.

Sadly, however, this is one party that might be over and for serious reasons. Recent investigations revealed that social networks have become authentic paradises for kidnappers who have a profitable business in Mexico.

The media verdict has been delivered by national TV: avoid problems by not using these sites. They warned that criminals can use such information to select future victims and even join their friends’ networks to learn more about them.

Social networks have become the security-free back door that has left the rich vulnerable. Some social networks, such as MySpace and Facebook, have responded by sending newsletters recommending how and what to publish as well as encouraging consumers to use the privacy settings that are a built-in, but rarely used, feature of these sites.

Such concerns have forced us to become extremely innovative if we want to connect brands and consumers in what is now a complicated security-focused environment. We’ve developed four guidelines for digital planning in social media in Mexico, but they apply to any market where privacy concerns are rising.

They reflect the reality that the era of being free and easy with personal information on social networks is over.

Build trust. Always remember to separate interaction from database capture. Don’t force users to give you their information before they can get to know you. Give, give, give and only then ask. Once users are confident that you are honest, then they will trust you.

Be security obsessed and brag about it. Talk about how much you will protect consumer information and promise to keep it to yourself.

But stay relaxed. Nobody likes a brand that freaks them out about personal information: it creates doubts. Just be simple, firm and friendly.

Your brand is an endorsement. Great brands can generate an “I belong” feeling. A strong brand can be your best security credentials.

Here in Mexico these lessons are hard won. As digital leaders, we need to educate our brands, our consumers and sometimes, even the social networks on how to regain what we as a society have lost … the freedom to trust strangers online.

Angelica del Valle is the digital project manager Mexico for Universal McCann.

source: Campaign Magazine

Publicis Worldwide has appointed the chief operating officer of Publicis Latin America and president of Mexico’s Publicis-branded agencies, Alejandro Cardoso, as the chief executive of Publicis Latin America.

Cardoso, who joined Publicis in 2003 when he became the chief executive of Publicis Dialog in Mexico, replaces Paulo Salles in the role. He has been made a non-executive chairman of Publicis Latam.

In his new position, Cardoso will be responsible for leading Latin America as a region and overseeing regional relationships with key clients. He will also continue to lead Mexico as country chairman from his base in Mexico City.