TERRA USA – ATOMO PROJECT Q&A with Fernando Rodriguez.

Fernando Rodríguez joined Terra Networks in 2000 as Chief Financial Officer and as a founding member of the team that launched Terra.com. In 2004 he took on the position of Chief Executive Officer and he now oversees the operations of Terra Networks in the US, with headquarters based in Miami and offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He has played a key role in the growth of the organization and in consolidating Terra Networks USA’s position as the leading Internet portal for the US Hispanic market.

Under his leadership, Terra.com has grown its audience to reach over 13 million unique visitors per month, and has increased its advertising revenue to become one of the leading digital platforms targeting the Latino market. The primary sources of revenue are Spanish, English and Portuguese language online advertising campaigns throughout the United States and the Latin American region.

HispanicAd.com spent some quality time with Fernando Rodriguez – CEO of Terra USA and asked:

Q: What is Terra.com today?
A: Terra today is the destination for the US Hispanic Market. We have unparalleled original and exclusive content as well as some of the best coverage of special events and social networking elements. All these components combine to produce the most well rounded editorial 360 on any website in the US Hispanic Market available. Another significant transformation in 2008 was the shift towards bilingual content which was very successful with the audience. In fact, in 2008 we grew 40% in US audience versus prior year.

Q: What is new for Terra in 2009?
A: On January 7th, Terra launched Atom. Clients like Jack Daniels, Sprint, Toyota and Universal are marketing their brands on the new Terra. Throughout 2009 the 7th day of every month, Terra will offer marketers and users new best-in-class digital experiences. Every month we will have the best in digital content. For instance, in January Terra will bring in-depth coverage of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies, Golden Globes, Oscars, the Dakar Rally, the Libertadores Cup, and Spanish and Mexican soccer through our partnerships with Azteca, GolTV and several original productions.

Q: What is the Atom Project?
A: Atom started over a year ago with one clear goal: to develop the first 3rd generation Internet portal for Latinos. We talked to clients, users, experts and did a very thorough job understanding their needs. We engaged Razorfish in New York to help us with the design and the concepts. Atom is a revolution at terra, with users and advertisers as the central point of everything that we do, and with a central idea: to integrate the best digital content with user contributions and social media tools. That’s a very powerful combination.

Q: What is the objective of the Atom Project?
A: To better serve our audience and our advertisers.

Q: What is Terra is offering advertisers for US during 2009?
A: As budgets get tighter advertisers are looking for new ways to better connect with the sites they partner with and Atom allows them to design campaigns that can travel throughout the site with the user. Through the enhanced social networking capabilities of Atom we will also be able to allow our advertisers to share in the viral benefits of our users taking information from our site and sending it to their networks. The Atom Project also extends to mobile formats for Smartphones, including iPhone, allowing for rich media and high impact advertising.

Q: Why was it decided to launch the project over the period of a year rather than at once?
A: Terra is a very dense and in-depth site in each respective country including the US. The undertaking of a complete overhaul would create a great initial buzz, but could compromise the quality of the execution. This is the most ambitious project ever at terra and we are committed to creating the best experience possible.

Q: Was this a precaution for advertisers or for users so that they could become gradually accustomed to the change?
A: Not really. We tested the layouts and format with focus groups in different markets. We also discussed this with some key agencies and advertisers. In fact, that led to some of the solutions that are going to be deployed. In addition, we had a real life test with our 2008 Olympic Games special that was based on Atom, which was very successful with both consumers and advertisers.

Q: Where will user and advertisers be able to experience the new Terra?
A: Users and advertisers will be able to experience this revolution at www.terra.com