Performance Marketing within LATAM, Disney & Beyond

Welcome to the Nearshore Cafe podcast, home to the most interesting stories and people doing business in Latin America.

Welcome to the Nearshore Cafe podcast. I'm Brian Sampson, your host. Today we have a very special guest, Vicky Marco. But before we connect with Vicki, just a quick shout out to our sponsor, Plug Technologies. That that's P L U G G Tech Plug provides software developers all over Latin America to US companies. Vicky, welcome. So nice to have you on the show today.

Hi, Brian. Thank you. Nice to be here. I'm so excited.

Good. Hey Vicky. I loved how well traveled you are and I think that's a great place to start. So to set some foundation, like where are you from originally and then where have you migrated over this past year?

So I'm from Argentina. I've lived in Buenos Aires my whole life, but during the past months pretty much. I mean, I've been working full remote since 2018 and I've always liked to travel so I can work wherever. And I've been taking advantage of that since this year. So, I mean, I'm from Argentina, I'm currently in Ciudad, Mexico. I came from Brazil and just to add up, I work for a company that is based in Colombia. So that makes it like a good mix.

Amazing, amazing. And you said Buenos Aires, like city of Buenos Aires is where you're from?

Yeah, exactly. I'm from the city of Buenos Aires.

Yes. Now, much of our listening audience knows Buenos Aires and Argentina, but for those that don't, maybe what are some things that someone who's never been to Argentina before and Buenos Aires in specific, what should they know? Like what are the couple things that you'd want them to know?

Ah, that's a good question, I think. I mean, it's an amazing city. I love Argentina. I love Buenos Aires. It's great. You have like great food, great wine, great people, you know, people are fun. Everybody like loves to have a good time and they're like really welcoming. You know, it's a really like open culture. But mostly we're well known for our wine and our asados. Asado is like a barbecue, I guess, but I don't know, I guess the meat is really good. I don't eat that much meat, so I wouldn't know. But everyone is like obsessed around Argentinian meat, so I guess we have to give them some credit. And yeah, I mean, that's really nice. It has a really good cultural offer. You know, you can always see like bands and you know, art. So it's a really interesting place to be. And yeah, mostly I guess culture and food. We also have tango, which is really famous, which is this dance that's from Buenos Aires. It's not from the rest of Argentina. In the rest of Argentina, what they dance, the traditional dances are called folclore, and they've got nothing to do with tango, and I like them much more.

Okay, great. Yeah. As a, as a tourist in Buenos Aires, you know, we would always see the tango shows and the plazas, especially in San Telmo, you know, in Boca, you know, around there, it's, you know, I, I of course, am obsessed with the meat in Argentina, but an interesting piece that maybe not everybody thinks about is not only the, the Spanish culture and the steak, but the Italian side of that. And there were some amazing Italian restaurants and pastas and so forth. And maybe you, you can share a little.

Yes, well, Argentina has a very European footprint, if that makes sense, especially Buenos Aires. So if you've been in Europe, Argentina might ring a bell because Buenos Aires is very similar to some European cities in the architecture and of course, the food. Yeah. So it's really like in the DNA of our culture because during the end of the Second World War, we had a lot of immigration from Spain and Italy mostly. So it's pretty recent. You know, so many people have, like, many people my age have direct Italian. Yeah, well, as I'd say, grandfather, grandparents. So. Yeah, so it, yeah, so it has a really, really, like, strong, you know, Italian thing about it. So. Yes, Italian food is a. Is a big thing. Like pizza and pasta. Yeah, it's. It's. It's huge.

Yeah. Now pizza in Buenos Aires especially is quite unique, I guess I could say Argentines love their cheese.

Yeah. I think what we do is like, we enhance whatever comes, you know, so we have, you know, you have empanadas, which are like this kind of like stuffed things. They are all over the world, but in Argentina they are huge. You know, you get your pizza and then it's like one kilo of mozzarella cheese, which is nowhere else in the world, but I mean, that's literal. You know, we had this episode in Netflix where they showed you like a very traditional Argentinian pizza, which is called La meseta. It's really small, but yeah, like one of them has like a whole kilo of mozzarella cheese inside and that is like regular. So. Yes, that's all we do.

Amazing, amazing.

We over exaggerate stuff. Yeah.

And as you mentioned, the Italian ancestors and the heritage. I once heard someone describe the Spanish of Argentina as Spanish spoken Like an Italian with, like, big. As you mentioned, you know, big food, big hands, big expressions.

Yeah.

You know, it's a very.

I shocked a lot of hands. Yes, we do that a lot. And we shout and we're like, yeah, very effusive. And, you know, if anyone has seen images of the last World cup, it was crazy. And people were like, it was crazy. And. Yes, I know. Like, I think that if you've heard Italian and you hear Argentinian, like, the cadence is kind of similar, you know, so, yes, it's got a very, very strong Italian thing going on.

Now, did you see the World cup from Argentina or were you in Brazil at that time?

No, no, no, I was in Argentina. It was absolutely crazy. They estimated that, like, maybe 4 or 5 million people were on the streets those days, just in Buenos Aires, which is. I don't know. Like, the city is absolutely not prepared for that. It just worked because everyone was so. So festive about it that it just worked. But it had all the key ingredients to be a Casta Stover, you know, it could have been mayhem, but it worked out somehow. Yeah.

I remember seeing drone footage of the large avenue Nueva de Julio, and the Obelisco, and there must have been, like 2 million people just on this road or something. It was insane.

Yes. It was absolutely crazy. And there was, like, no police, no nothing. Like, there were no bathrooms. It was crazy. It was pretty crazy. But it turned out well. Yes. Yeah. That's a fun fact about Argentina. I think we have, like. Well, I don't know now, but at least when I was small, Nueva de Julio was, I think, the widest avenue in the world.

I think it still is. I think it still is the biggest. Yeah, yeah, it is.

It is. I'm sorry, you need, like two or three stops intervals to get one way. It is crazy.

That's right. Yeah. You need to plan that into your trip as you're walking, as you're crossing the avenue. That's for sure. Yeah. And you started your marketing career from Argentina before you started to migrate?

Yes, yes. I mean, I've worked from Argentina. Yeah. Since I got my degree, actually. That's a fun story. I didn't tell you this before, but when I graduated from school, I went for a trip with a friend of mine, and I was sending curriculums as we went, you know, from hostel to hostel. I would connect into the Internet, you know, you had to dial in, and it was. It was a thing. So I borrowed the computers and I would send CVs, and I got my first Work while I was in Accenture here. But at the interview I got it while I was from. While I was in Costa Rica, I think.

Oh, no kidding.

Yes. That's how it started. That was my first job. Yeah. But ever since I've been working in like based in Buenos Aires. And yes, I've worked. I was in an office until 2018. Then in 2019 I left and I thought it was going to be like something that I would go back to. I didn't know how was my life, you know, out of being in an office. So I thought it was a good in between thing, you know, like it'll pass, but for now I think I'm okay. I just, I had this old chair and I just bought like, you know, a table and like I got my. Yeah, like my desk. So it was very rustic and yeah. Like I never went back. Like it's been five years and I don't think I'm ever going back to an office ever again.

Amazing, amazing.

But yeah, before I was in Buenos Aires, even though I didn't go to the office, but I mean, I worked from Buenos Aires for a Colombian company for a year and a half, more or less. And before that I worked for Argentinian companies from Buenos Aires. But no, no offices for me.

You know, one, one of those companies that I wanted to ask you about is the famous Disney. And you know, and I'll be honest, you know, I just took my little kids to Disneyland last year and many people know about like Tokyo Disney and Disney Paris and stuff, but I had no idea about Disney's presence in Argentina. Can you, can you give a little background and like what Disney is doing there and recognizing you're not there anymore, you're not a spokesperson for Disney. But I would just love to hear about like, what was Disney doing there? What was your experience? What was your role? Like, how did that connect to, you know, Disney, Us? Yeah.

Yes, yes. I'm not a spokesperson for Disney. I've never been, but now more than ever. No, but Disney, the thing is with Disney, everyone knows a lot about the parks. So parks are in Tokyo and then in Florida and Paris. But then they have offices, just offices all over the world. Right. So they have presence in different offices in Argentina. We had the Latin America, the headquarters and the Argentinian office. Right. So we had two offices in one. And what we did was, yeah, we run campaigns for. Yeah, I mean campaigns and everything. But we managed businesses that were not related with parks. Right. Parks are only in those places. But then you have presence for Example, you have live shows and you have TV shows in Argentina. A lot of local TV shows were produced. I don't know if you have kids, but yeah, it was not a big thing. Maybe in the us but it was big in Europe. Violeta, which was our first huge hit as Latin Americans. And yeah, that was a production that we did from Latin America and co produced with Disney. Emea, but it was produced here. Right. And so yeah, that's what we did. I mean I worked specifically for the, for the TV line of business, but then there were other like live events and then movies, what they call theatrical theater. I don't remember anymore. So you do those lunches and co marketing deals and everything about creative and about local productions. We did everything. And of course, yeah, there's consumer products, which is huge. And those. Yes, are also locally produced. It's not that they come from abroad. Right. So there's a lot of business units and it's just that parks, which is what we all think about when we think about Disney, those are, those are not in Latin America. Yeah.

Now when we think about consumer products, you know, I think like our house is loaded with this stuff. Right. Like we've got, you know, the like Mickey dolls and Mickey T shirts and Minnie and all this. And does that translate directly to the Argentina market? Is it localized at all? How is the buyer market? Look at those.

No, actually it's very, very standard. Like Disney. That's why they have such a strong brand equity and that's because they've managed to have this huge consistency over every market. And over time you see a Disney product and it's perfect anywhere in the world, you know.

Yeah.

So they're, I mean Disney is not cheap at all. It's not. But then it's always perfect, you know, so they deliver like high quality, standard and that's what you expect as a consumer. That's why maybe if there is another brand and they have like this sloppy behavior, you'll, you'll look the other way. But if it's Disney, then you won't because you really expect it to be perfect. So yeah, it's good. Yeah, it's good though.

Yeah, that's amazing. That's amazing. And your focus was entirely on the marketing side when you were at Disney?

Yeah, I've always worked at marketing. Yes. So yeah, I did marketing for the TV line of business and I was specialized in local productions. Local productions are those TV series or shows that were locally produced. Of course. And it was a big a challenge, you know, because normally things will come like from abroad. Right. From the US or from, from Europe. And you just localize. Yeah, you make them, you know, you translate them and you make them like small adjustments for kids to be able to watch them in Spanish. Right. Or in Portuguese because we also had Brazil in our scope of work. But then when you do a local production, you just have to do everything yourself, which is great. You have to create this brand and see how you will be doing the go to market and how everything needs to coincide. You know, the CD launch, the music, the MP3, the live show, the TV show, the stickers, albums, you know, everything needs to be perfectly coordinated. And of course you wouldn't guess, but in order to have consumer products on your shelves at the same time as you have the show on air, that needs to be produced like years ahead. So maybe you don't even have the main character yet, but you need to be defining stuff. So it's super challenging. Yeah, so yeah, it's huge. You need to do the whole puzzle and just wait for the last piece to come and just press play and everything starts going on. Yeah, it's super exciting.

That's some, that's some serious pressure too. So I know you're used to driving into that and then your career, you know, if I'm reading it right, migrated a little more into like tech type of world. You know, you're, you're welcome to talk about the companies specifically or broadly, but would just love to hear a little more about, you know, what you were working on the last couple of years.

Yeah, when I left Disney, I've always been like really curious and I've always read a lot. You know, I read a lot of blogs and I like to take courses and like really be up to date with everything, marketing wise. But when I left Disney, I started working kind of like by chance in tech and I really fell in love with it. I started to see that maybe what I was doing, which was a lot of like branding and advertising, it was great. But then it was very difficult to like to defend. You know, it sometimes goes into this gray areas where it's just like what you like what you don't like and it's difficult to measure. But then when I started doing performance campaigns for small clients or whatever, because that's where I started. I didn't start directly on startups. I started doing performance marketing for small clients. And that was really, really defendable. You know, you had this budget and you had your channel and we only charged for whatever we like, whatever marginal gains we were giving them. So it was crystal clear and I kind of fell in love with that. And I also fell in love with startups and, you know, going into the startup world and the VCs and yeah, I had to like relearn everything because I was used to these huge projects, you know, with years ahead of planning and I started hearing about, you know, MVP and like, if you launch something you're not ashamed of, then it's late. And I was like, why? I came from Disney, you know, you know, quality was what I was used to doing. So how am I going to launch something that I'm, that I'm not comfortable with? It was crazy for me and no PNLs and no, it was just. Everything was just testing and let's see what comes back. So it was huge and, you know, MVPs. So yeah, I had to relearn everything and it was really challenging. But then I kind of got the taste of it and everything was like, so fast. And, you know, I was used to seeing maybe impact, like in the long term. But here in a startup, you change something today and maybe tomorrow or the day after you'll immediately see results. So it's huge. You know, it's also a lot of pressure because then you've got no one to blame and no one to share the guilt with. So when it's good, you get all the applause and when it's bad, you get all of the hits. But I found that really, really, you know, nice and empowering. It was good. And so, yes, that's why I've been working in tech ever since. Also I started like, you know, getting into startups and I was like, there must be some kind of marketing that is related to growing startups. You know, this is huge. I hadn't heard about it, but you know, startups existed before, before I discovered them. So yes, that's how I go into growth marketing with some, you know, papers and small courses and yeah, then I got into this really nice course that is called Growth Rockstars. And then I got into Reforge. So that's how I've been like training myself, you know, to. Yeah, to be up to date because everything changes so fast, you need to be always learning.

And you know, as we talk about the tech scene and the startup scene in Latin America, I'm really interested in your perspective and especially if we could give our audience a little bit more, more background, you know, you know, most of our audience knows about like Mercado Libre and Globent and you know, some of like the major tech powerhouses. And they know, you know, Mulesoft and Medallion, some other companies that have moved down there. But how about, like, the burgeoning up and coming startup scene? We'd just love to get your perspective on, like, what you're seeing across the. The startup ecosystem in Latin America and especially ARG these last couple years.

I think that what I've seen during the last years is that everyone is. I mean, more and more people are getting the grip on what a startup is and what venture capital is. And I've seen more people, like, chasing their own startups and doing their own things, you know, and trying to get funded for stuff. And that's. I mean, 10 years ago, I think that was unimaginable, at least for me, or I hadn't seen a lot of it around me. But now, like I say, I work at a startup and everyone knows what we're talking about. Right. And so I think that that is really growing fast in Latin America. And I think there are these, like, hubs where you've got a lot of things going on. Colombia is one of them, I think. You know, we've seen Rapi, which was like the first one, but then there are. There's a huge. You. Yeah, like, startup hub going on in Colombia, like Medellin. I haven't been there yet, but. Well, I worked at a Colombian startup also. Yes, Argentina. Yes, Argentina has always had this DNA of entrepreneurship. But yeah, I mean, Fintech is huge. We have Mercado Libre, of course, and Mercado Pago, which are huge. And this is crazy. When I was in Brazil a couple of months ago, I was talking with this guy who was absolutely certain that Mercado Oliver was from Brazil. So that is crazy, you know, And Mercado living in Brazil is huge. And so, yes, Brazil also has this startup scene which is really, you know, bubbling up. I've been in a cowork in Brazil and there were a lot of. Of course, not Brazilians, but a lot of people from Colombia usually. And everyone. Yeah, I was working on different startups and, you know, everyone had had their projects. Yeah, I was sitting side by side with this guy who saw I was working at Alegre, and as soon as I stopped a call, he started pitching me on his project, which was nice and fun. But, yes, I think what we're seeing is that there is a lot of movement and people in Colombia, in Argentina, in Brazil and Mexico too. Especially Mexico and Colombia are huge markets. So I think what we're seeing and what we'll probably See in the next years as a trend is that we will see more and more Latin American startups, which is great. And it's a really exciting moment.

Yeah, absolutely. When I think about startup centers in places that are really thriving or they're trying to thrive and you know, some of the criteria that I think about a lot, of course you need capital, you need funding in these markets, you need talent, you need energy, and then you also need knowledge and experience that's kind of recycled, you know, over and over and over again. Like you have an exit and then you become a mentor. Right. And like, or you, you know, work at this company, it goes really well and then you go to another company and you pass that knowledge down. Right. So when you think about that, like capital, talent, energy and experience and knowledge, where does Argentina rate really high on and where is there maybe some room for improvement?

I think Argentina rates really high in talent. We've got really formed people, really educated people, especially because university, college or school. Yes. Is free in Argentina. So it's public and everyone can get a degree. So I think like the media is a really educated people, which is awesome. Right. But yeah, I think there is a lot of talent. And also you've got like this thing going on where, you know, the market is so, so unstable. I guess, like, everyone is specialist in like doing everything as best as they can and, you know, having the workaround. And they're very like creative finding solutions. That's why Argentinian. Argentinian people are very creative. That's why they always win those prizes in advertising. And yes, we have really good advertising and I think that creativity translates into, or cascades into whatever we do. Right. Because we need to be. We always know how the market is doing because it's really unstable. And that doesn't happen if you live in a regular economy. But we always know about inflation rates and how the dollar is pricing, you know, on different kinds of dollars. So it's. It's kind of crazy. It's a crazy economy and I guess that makes us a really valued talent. So I think we lack or we're kind of behind in funding. And of course, I don't think there is like this huge tradition of entrepreneurship and those kind of. We did this huge company and I don't know, made an IPO and now I'm a mentor. Those are like small cases, right? Well, you've got my. Probably. Of course we had like Globe and you know, which is huge. Those are huge examples. But they are. It's not that regular. So we're starting to see those cases but it's not like we've got a lot going on. So I think yes, we'll be seeing more of that now that the market is opening. You know, on Argentinians, it's not a thing from Argentina but I guess it's all about latam and you know about this. But like frontiers are kind of diluting. Right. So now talent can work from wherever, for wherever and that gives us access to different kinds of experiences and maybe hopefully we'll see more of that. Having had this huge experience and now turning the other way around and you know, giving that back. I think we'll see that in the next years. Hopefully.

That's an excellent, excellent perspective and great segue into a topic I wanted to get your thoughts on as there's, there's more awareness I think going on than ever before in the States about Latin America. And of course anytime you mention Latin America and talent, Argentina comes up. So there's a lot of like curiosity I'd say amongst like people that I know, business people for those that maybe. Let's talk about marketing because that's your domain. For US companies that are looking, looking to Argentina maybe for near shoring opportunities to get work done out of Argentina for, for their US company or US brand. What advice would you have for them to find the right people and, and have a successful engagement?

We have this kind of like way, you know, that we're, we tend to be like, you know, kind of like fun maybe we're not that structured, you know. And so that may come off as, as kind of unprofessional but I think like everyone deserves a chance, you know, I mean it's happened to me. I've been rejected at jobs because she loves too much. Like actually that has happened to me. No, no, no, she's going to get bored. She doesn't seem like very professional because she's always, you know, laughing and I mean I have a great sense of humor. That doesn't make me unprofessional, but whatever. So I guess that can happen.

Yeah. So maybe, maybe what I'm hearing is like recognize that passion and energy will be. There's a lot of extroversion and you know, fun energy, passion and don't be turned off by that. Like embrace it, you know, go, go into it.

Yes. And we are very kind of like direct, you know, especially when you, when you compare Argentinian kind of like, like the Argentinian way with like the rest of Latin America. We're very, very straightforward and that may Come as kind of like breathtaking. You know, it's hard for some people because we have no problem, you know, regarding feedback. So yes, we're very, very direct. And so from my perspective, that is a really good advantage. Right. Because it cuts right through. You know, you'll get, you'll get a yes or no. You won't get something around. You know, some cultures are more indirect. Japan being like the most indirect. You'll never get a yes or a no or maybe you'll never get a no. Argentinians will just say like, no, that's not gonna happen. And it may come off as rude, but then as the way I say it is just like you're time affected. And I am very like that. So I mean I've had, I've come across those challenges where it's like, I think, Vicky, you're being like very straightforward and you know, it sounds kind of, you know, bad or like kind of military. But then I don't know, I just think it's effective and I think that is, that is something that has to do with the Argentinian way. Know that it's not personal, it's just the way we are. Then it's good, you know, and it's quick and it's fast and then you'll just go grab a beer and everything will be fine. I mean, work is work, right?

Good, good. Thank you. I just have a few more fun questions here. Vicky, you've obviously traveled quite a bit outside of Argentina. If you could think about the best purchase you've made outside of the country and we'll say like within a budget of $50 or so, so 0 to 50. What would you say? What would you say is the best purchase?

I've got that answer. Like I don't even have to think about it. I bought during that trip where I told you I was in Costa Rica, like sending my CV for my first job interviews. I bought this dress in Panama which was like, I don't know, maybe $12. I still have that dress, I still use it and it's perfect and I love it. And that has had the better return on investment. It was amazing.

I love it.

I love that.

Excellent.

That's a no brainer for me. It's paid it's debt.

Excellent. Obviously English is not your first language, but you're very fluent in it. Do you have a favorite English word?

I don't know, I think it's, I mean I do have some words in Spanish which, which I think sound funny, but then a word in English the word flake kind of like. I don't know why, but I just think it's like, cute and it always sounds good, you know, it's like flake. I don't know, I just. I love the word.

That's great.

I know it doesn't make any sense. It's just the sound of it. I just think it's. It's cute.

I love it. Excellent. Well, Vicky, it has been just a great pleasure having you on the show. I learned a. Learn a lot about Disney and perspectives and startup and marketing life. So thank you for your time. Let me just give a shout out to our sponsor here, Plug Technologies. That's Plugg Tech Plug provides software developers all over Latin America for US companies. Vicky, thanks again and hopefully we'll see you soon.

Thank you, Ryan. It was great. I had a lot of fun, so thanks for having me.

All right, we'll see you all soon on the next show. Thank you.

Thanks for joining us at the Nearshore Cafe podcast. Tune in next week for a new episode featuring another special guest with exciting stories.