Internet offers a global audience, but marketers cannot use the same company internet marketing tactics everywhere. Every region has unique culture and preferences. For instance, a marketing campaign designed for the US audience may not have the same impact on the Latin American audience. With the increasing mobile penetration, usage of mobile to access internet is also rising. To develop effective mobile marketing strategies, marketers need to consider cultural differences among different nations.
Mobile phone penetration in Latin American region is growing. The percentage of Latin American population using mobile phones in 2009-10 and the projections for 2011-15 are; 57.3% in 2009, 60.6% in 2010, 63.4% in 2011, 66.2% in 2012, 68.6% in 2013, 70.7% in 2014 and 72.9% in 2015. With so many people using mobiles and having access to mobile internet, the area presents a big opportunity for marketers.
Latin American region is considered under a single heading in most marketing campaigns, but CTIA Wireless 2011 panel, ‘The New Frontier: International Perspectives’ emphasized the fact that every country in the region is unique. According to the marketers operating in the region, each country has a distinctive culture, which responds in its own way to marketing campaigns and the key to successful marketing lays in fragmentation.
The panel agreed that call to action campaigns that integrated text message short codes with the traditional media were the most effective. A great example is the usage of TV ads with mobile short codes made by TIM w.e., a Portugal-based interactive marketing firm, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Use of such effective marketing tools and proper fragmentation can help marketers improve their ROI.