Danay’s Musings

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.

According to Tendencias Digitales, latam use of social networks rose 83.3% last year. For Facebook, that increase represented 828.57% in 2007.

MIAMI, Aug. 5 - Yahoo! Telemundo today announced its Top 10 Searches for the month ending July 31

( http://yahootelemundo.com/lomasbuscado ), which include the Top 10 in overall searches, image searches, as well as the most searched for Men for the month of July, as established by the millions of Yahoo! Telemundo users.

Top Trends in Search for July include:

Top 10 Overall Searches
1. Without Breasts There Is No Paradise (Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso)
2. Miss Universe 2008
3. Animals
4. Monica Bellucci
5. Love and Sex
6. Aracely Arambula
7. Galilea Montijo
8. Marijuana risks
9. Ingrid Betancourt
10. Organic Foods

Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso (literally, Without Breasts There Is No Paradise), is a Spanish-language telenovela that debuted on Telemundo on July 16. A hit in Colombia, the telenovela tells the story of an attractive young prostitute who seeks massive breast implants to attract a rich cocaine smuggler. The show was one of the network’s most-watched premieres ever and, not surprisingly, nabbed this month’s number one spot on the Top 10 Overall Searches. Also topping the list was a group of beautiful women, including Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza, Italian actress Monica Bellucci, and Aracely Arambula, who just announced she is pregnant with boyfriend Luis Miguel’s second child. Rounding out the list was former FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) captive Ingrid Betancourt, whose recent rescue after six-and-a-half years of captivity created a worldwide media frenzy.

Top 10 Image Searches
1. Tattoos
2. Adriana Lima
3. Sceneries
4. Gemma Atkinson
5. Eva Longoria
6. Galilea Montijo
7. Barbara Mori
8. Vanessa Guzman
9. Isabel Madow
10. Naruto

The number one most searched for image on Yahoo! Telemundo in July was Tattoos - tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world, particularly in North America, South America and Europe. A survey published by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have a tattoo.

Victoria’s Secret Supermodel Adriana Lima, an ever-popular name on the Top Searches lists, is still making headlines after it was announced that she and basketball star boyfriend, Marko Jaric of the Minnesota Timberwolves, will be tying the knot. Following in Lima’s footsteps - four more models were among the most searched for images in July: British lingerie model (and reality TV star) Gemma Atkinson; Uruguayan-Mexican actress/model Barbara Mori, star of the hit telenovela remake, Rubi; as well as model Isabel Madow, known for her appearances on the Mexican edition of Big Brother VIP. Mexican actress and model Vanessa Guzman (a former Miss Mexico) also peaked users’ interest as she recently went public with information that she and boyfriend Uberto Bondoni, an actor from Uruguay, were blackmailed for a sex tape that was allegedly taken from their home in Mexico.

Top 10 Men Searches
1. Thomas Beatie
2. Chespirito
3. Lil wayne
4. Don Omar
5. Luis Miguel
6. Vicente Fernandez
7. Juanes
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
9. Tito El Bambino
10. Ricardo Arjona

Ironically, the most searched for man this month is really a woman. Thomas Beatie, the world’s first person to conceive a child after a gender-reassignment operation, gave birth this past month to a healthy baby girl. Mexican television icon Roberto Gomez Bolaios, known to the world as Chespirito, also topped the list. Bolaos, best known for his roles as “El Chavo del Ocho” and “El Chapulin Colorado,” has been touring Latin America to present his play “11 y 12.”

In the number four slot, Puerto Rican Reggaeton star Don Omar has been cleared of all drug and weapons charges in relation to an incident dating back to 2004. The 30-year-old has been on trial in a court in Carolina, Puerto Rico for the last two weeks, after he was arrested in September 2004 by drug enforcement officers, who claim to have found him and two pals smoking marijuana. The agents also allegedly found a gun and $1,200 in cash in his possession. Portuguese footballer and heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Manchester United, has also generated interest amidst speculation about a move to Real Madrid. Last but not least, Guatemalan singer-songwriter, Ricardo Arjona, also generated buzz as he officially launched “Fundaci�n Adentro,” an initiative to teach music to poor children in his native Guatemala.

Every month the Yahoo! Telemundo Top 10 Searches showcases the diverse interests and concerns of U.S. Hispanics around the net, from gorgeous celebrity sightings and salacious political news to funny jokes and the latest consumer obsessions. The monthly list includes a recap of the Top 10 Overall Searches, Top 10 Image Searches and Top 10 Searches in a revolving category, which changes monthly. To come up with the Yahoo! Top Searches list, Yahoo! scans anonymous query logs from Yahoo! Search across a variety of categories to see what themes and trends bubble up to the surface. Individual searches are never used to develop these lists. For more information on Yahoo! Telemundo’s Top 10 Searches, visit http://www.yahootelemundo.com/lomasbuscado .

About Yahoo! Telemundo:
Yahoo! Telemundo ( http://www.yahootelemundo.com ), is a commercial venture between Yahoo! Inc. and Telemundo Communications Group, Inc., and is a leading online media and services community for Hispanic consumers in the U.S. This comprehensive and engaging online community for U.S. Hispanics brings together Yahoo!’s leading technology, Internet tools and services with the online assets and original television content of Telemundo, connecting the U.S. Hispanic community to their passions, their communities and the world’s knowledge.

CONTACT
Yahoo! Telemundo
Lourdes de la Torriente
lourdes@delagroup.com
305-282-4264

Source: HispanicPRWire