International marketers unveil industry opportunities and offer global perspectives.

Panelists in the "Global Digital Marketing Opportunities" session converged to share facts, trends and tips for firing up international marketing efforts.

Given the billions of potential customers in China and India alone, the "Strategic Directions" room at ad:tech this morning was nowhere near as full as it should have been for the "Global Digital Marketing Opportunities" panel. 

While the conference is bustling with marketers from across the spectrum, there were more than a few open seats at the Global Opportunities discussion. For the marketers that should have filled these seats, they missed some helpful pointers from Isobar, MediaVest, Dragon Media Online and communicate2.com executives for tackling the mass-markets of North Asia, India, Brazil and Europe.

For any international market, Isobar CEO Nigel Morris suggests starting with a plane ticket. "There's no substitute for actually going there and experiencing the market," said Morris. He also suggested defining your goals as specifically as possible. According to Morris, "You need a clear view for what you want to achieve."

Take India for example. With a market of a billion, communicate2.com Managing Director Vivek Bhargava recommends zeroing in on your target audience or zeroing out your budget with little returns. The shotgun approach just isn't economical whey you're dealing with such a large population. Said Bhargava, "You must choose your target audience carefully.  In India, there's a strong risk of burning a lot of your money." 

Dragon Media Online CMO Elizabeth Lloyd also offered some clichéd but vital advice: prepare for the unexpected. In China last year, the top mobile ad was not for basketball shoes, a summer blockbuster or a soft drink, but toothpaste. 

Europe
Each of the panelists focused on a specific international market. Isobar's Morris led off the panel with a discussion of Europe. Taken as a total market, the countries of Europe have a population comparable to the United States. "There's a whole new U.S. out there waiting to be conquered," said Morris.

In general, Morris described the European Market as mature, sophisticated and mobile. To reach this audience, marketers in the space are focusing on killer creative. According to Morris, "A very strong creative industry is taking a run at the traditional agencies." However, Morris admitted that, despite double-digit growth in online spending, there's still some improvement to be made. "A lot of money is going online, but we need to improve the creative," explained Morris.

Brazil
While the European market, in Morris' words, is "mature and sophisticated," Brazil is young and social according to Dragon Media Online CMO Elizbeth Lloyd. According to Lloyd, one of the driving factors of Brazilian internet growth is a need for youth culture to socialize.  "Kids go [to internet cafes] to make friends, not just go online." This comes as little surprise in a country, described by Lloyd, where getting a job relies more on friends and connections than a resume.

Compared to massive markets like China, Brazil is a smaller market. But Lloyd points out that mobile and broadband penetration rates are higher in Brazil than China. As the online market grows, so has online marketing spending. According to Lloyd, online spending in Brazil was up 35 percent last year. For marketers looking for the next interactive opportunity in Brazil, think IPTV. Said Lloyd, "Brazil is the fastest growing IPTV market in the world."

India
Like Brazil, India is one of those hot, upcoming markets that seems to have dropped out of the sky in recent years. The reason India has recently stepped into the picture is a shifting demographic and changes in buying patterns, says communicate2.com Managing Director, Vivek Bhargava. 

According to Bhargava, half of India's population is under the age of 25. The youth make for a rich market because they are still establishing their purchasing patterns and likely to experiment with new brands and styles. 

But it's not just the youth with purchasing patterns in flux. Across India, "a lot of Indians are watching American television and buying the brands," said Bhargava. Spending on luxury items is reaching critical mass as well. According to Bhargava, "the Luxury goods market in India is 14 billion dollars this year."

North Asia
Any time you're discussing markets in China or India, you're bound to be dealing with big numbers. However, when Pushkar Sane, director of IP, Northeast Asia, for Starcom MediaVest Group took the stage to discuss North Asian markets, he refused to use them. 

"[North Asians] are not numbers, they are people -- coming from different places and speaking different languages… I'm not going to show you numbers," said Sane. "I don't need to convince you that Asia is hot. If you want numbers, contact me, I can give you lots of numbers."

Like India, changing demographics are part of the reason we're starting to hear more about North Asia. According to Sane, half of the Asian population is below the age of 30. And just as the Indian youth, "Young people are more open to new ideas and willing to explore… less cynical and more optimistic. Thus, they are more likely to try new products," said Sane.

For marketers eyeing the North Asian market, Sane advises detailed regional awareness. One marketing message is not likely to apply to all of a country like China, let alone the region as a whole. Said Sane, "there are stark differences between regions."

To close the panel, Sane offered "three words" of advice for international marketing: "Blogging, Mobile and Act now!"

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