Spanish-language TV network Univisión sees more than 70% of its digital audiences come in through mobile.
“That’s more than some social platforms out there. We’re quickly experiencing a mobile evolution,” said the company’s SVP of digital sales, Josh Cella. “Our clients are asking for additional targeting, and we know where we need to be.”
That’s the gap that Latin American ad network Adsmovil is looking to fill with the release of its Hispanic mobile ad exchange, announced Tuesday with launch partners Univisión and Venezuelan TV and cable network Venevisión, both of which have sizable audiences of US Hispanic viewers and visitors.
Adsmovil is owned by Cisneros Interactive, the digital division of Florida-based Hispanic/Latin-American media conglomerate Cisneros.
“America is no longer just America – it has the highest multicultural engagement in the world,” said Adsmovil CEO and founder Alberto “Banano” Pardo. “There are more than 54 million Latinos in the US – that’s 18% of the population – and by 2020, Hispanics will account for more than half of the entire population growth in America [according to the US Census]. Think about it: This means that millennials are now Hispanic.”
The numbers are particularly relevant, considering the US Hispanic population’s consumption habits.
“Our audience and the Hispanic audience in general is extremely tech-savvy and mobile-first,” said Univisión’s Cella.
Adsmovil will be licensing the technology it uses to power the exchange from Brazil-based DMP Tail Target, location player Factual and Experian-owned device ID firm AdTruth. SSP PubMatic will provide the automation layer that powers Adsmovil’s exchange.
“We develop very little technology ourselves,” Pardo said. “We work with partners because that allows us to focus on creating audience and serving publishers. Technology is a commodity.”
Kirk McDonald, president of PubMatic and provider of said technology, echoed the sentiment.
“The role in all of this is for technology to become a commodity, yes, but the fact that technology enables conversations and connections is also a powerful part of the story,” McDonald said. “Adsmovil addresses the publisher piece, and we’re there to enable them as a software vendor.”
Like with any exchange, Adsmovil will help publishers make their inventory accessible to DSPs, advertisers and agencies. The difference is in the nature of the inventory and the specificity of the targeting.
“Let’s say an advertiser wants to target second-generation Mexican Hispanics in the US, or first-generation, or third – that’s what we do,” Pardo said. “Everyone’s already launched exchanges for the general market, but the Hispanic population is relevant as a specific niche. That’s why we’re launching an ad exchange with Latino flavor.”
In addition to 200 publisher relationships, Adsmovil works with a large number of multinational brands, including Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola, Visa, Honda, McDonald’s, Unilever, Red Bull, Gillette, Pizza Hut, Heineken, Rovio, Kellogg’s and Colombia’s national airline, Avianca.
The company maintains offices in LA, New York, Miami, Chicago, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, as well as several others across Latin-American markets.
