Camila Alvarenga

Meet Diego Rayón, Biddeo’s CCMO

February 1, 2023 by Camila Alvarenga

“We can reduce a video campaign’s costs by up to 80%. For any video campaign done by any company, we can reduce their cost by 50 up to 80% thanks to our technology”, stressed Diego Rayón, Biddeo’s CCMO.

Biddeo is Kimia Group’s video advertising campaign optimization company, and Diego has been its CCMO almost since the very beginning, three years ago. Before joining us, he had vast experience working as Marketing Director for companies like 20th Century-Fox, Sony Pictures, and Universal Pictures.

“Actually, I was still working at 20th Century-Fox when I met Charly Molina [Kimia’s current CINO] at a business fair. He came to me as a provider and I was his client. We ended up working together and becoming friends. So when I told him I was leaving the movie industry, he recruited me for Kimia to start what today is Biddeo”, shared Diego.

So how was that beginning? You went from one side of the movie industry to the other.

I did. But it was like starting any other company, with a small team, except this time we had a technology that we knew worked well.

The thing was that I started on a Monday and the next Monday they put us under lockdown because of the pandemic. That was obviously bad from a business perspective, but it was very good to keep developing and refining our technology. We took advantage of the situation.

What makes Biddeo’s tech so good?

We can reduce a video campaign’s costs by up to 80%, which I think speaks for itself. And, I mean, the technology is great and it does its job, but we can’t rely only on what it does, or else we won’t grow. The key to our success is that we’re constantly improving it.

Now we’re developing LAIA, a video content recognition system. It’s a brand suitability tool, that monitors and recognizes video content to classify it, which later is confirmed by human verification, to guarantee a safe ad hoc environment for each brand.

So if a brand tells us, for example, that they don’t care how much their campaign will cost, reducing costs isn’t necessarily what they’re looking for, but they want to reach, specifically, a male audience of 25 to 35 years old, who likes cars and lives in Murcia [a region of Spain], and they don’t want their campaign showing up as an ad in any video that isn’t car-related. LAIA will be able to do that, to offer this almost surgical segmentation so that ads are placed where they are most effective and impact the right audience, shielding brands from having them appear in inappropriate content.

We have it under development already and we want to make it operational in march of this year.

Speaking of this year, what goals does Biddeo have?

Well, apart from LAIA, we want to keep pushing our internationalization process. Now we have an office in Italy and we plan on start operating very very soon in Miami, to reach the LATAM market. And, obviously, we want to continue expanding in Spain.

Also, we’re trying to get brand safety and brand suitability certifications. These actually are things we’re already doing, and it’s what LAIA is all about, but we want to get special certifications to really boost our tool.

And things are already working out for us! The year has only just begun and we’re already members of IAB Spain’s online video commission, and collaboration partners of AEA, the Spanish Association of Advertisers [a World Federation of Advertisers’ associate].

somos miembros de la comisión de video online de la IAB y socio colaborador de la asociación española de anunciantes?

Those are some bold goals and big changes, Biddeo is such a fast-growing company considering it’s only three years old…

Yes, in 2022 we actually grew 300% compared to the year before.

To what do you attribute those impressive results?

Honestly, there are two things that set us apart from everyone else: our technology, which allows scalability and is led by Alvaro Salinas, our CTO; and our service, led by Laura Ibañez, Lead Account Manager.

What clients want to see is that there is someone behind the tech providing them with a service, assisting them, answering their questions… They want follow-up reports, they want people who can catch any problems, and make changes and adjustments. And our differential is that we combine both things.

We take it very seriously, too. We have a Customer Service manual that every new person that joins Biddeo has to read because we want to standardize our service. We have a series of protocols that we adopt so that the client always knows what to expect from us.

So, considering everything, what makes you passionate about Biddeo? Which part of it do you enjoy the most?

Building a company from the ground up is always exciting, and so is its internationalization, and then there’s the bittersweet aspect of working with a digital business that not everyone enjoys: it never stops changing. Technology is constantly evolving and if you don’t adapt, don’t search for something new, you won’t make it. I, particularly, find that thrilling.

Until COVID hit, nothing had changed in the movie industry’s business model for the past 100 years. The only difference was that they used to “print” movies in roll films to then distribute them, and then they started distributing digital copies instead of physical rolls. The rest stayed the same. And this is nothing like it.

You start the business working on things you think you need and then new needs come along and you have to adjust. That’s very cool.

If want to know more about Biddeo, check out their website. Follow them on social media to get in on their latest updates!

5 tips to be more efficient at the workplace

January 13, 2023 by Camila Alvarenga

We’ve all been there: tasks piling up, +100 unread emails, fires to put out, deadlines coming up and you don’t know where to start.

No need to panic, our CINO, Carlos Molina, has come up with a series of tips and strategies so you can learn how to prioritize your tasks, become more efficient, and prevent ending up buried in a pile of unanswered emails and unsolved emergencies – or clean everything up and give the year a fresh start.

“The idea is to develop a strategy that will work even if you upscale your business or grow your team. Ultimately, it’s actually about how well you can manage your tasks. So, I believe, that the highest priority you’ll ever have is getting rid of and managing tasks. If you can’t organize yourself to reduce your daily amount of tasks and prioritize them as they come in, you’re doing something wrong”, he began, highlighting, however, that there’s no “right” way to do it. According to him, his method is one in a million, but it has proven to work for him throughout the years.

We’ve compiled his strategies to give you 5 tips on how to do it. Check it out!

1. Prioritize tasks

The fewer tasks you have, the easier it is to organize yourself. “Many times, when we’re prioritizing our work, we find that we have tasks that aren’t urgent or important but take us five minutes to finish, so we should go for those first because having fewer tasks helps us to be more efficient”, he explained.

The risk of leaving quick tasks for last is that they accumulate. And what wasn’t a problem in the first place suddenly becomes one.

2. Every task must have a deadline

“Projects without deadlines get lost”, argued Molina. He said that even if there are no “official” deadlines, one must set them for oneself, realistically, as a self-commitment to get things done. If you can’t reach the due date you set, when it comes he recommends reassessing and setting a new due date.

Also, “do not leave unfinished tasks”. If that’s the case, again, set a new deadline, “because experience has taught me that, at the end of the day, if you don’t do that, you’ll just leave that task unfinished, in limbo, and once you do it for the first time, you’ll start leaving many things unfinished”, he warned.

3. Avoid accumulating notifications

If you have 600 unread emails/messages/etc you won’t be able to identify emergencies if they come up. “Whenever I have a new notification I automatically check what it’s about to decide how I’ll organize it: if I should mark it for later, answer it, or turn it into a task…”, said Molina.

He reiterated that he always tries to go home at the end of the day without having any pending notifications. That doesn’t mean that necessarily all tasks were completed, it’s just a way to avoid getting blind-sided by any last-minute obligation.

4. Write everything down

“If something isn’t important, you can later throw it away, that’s fine. But you need to have it written down to assess whether it’s important or not”, emphasized Molina. However, he adverted, try keeping your notes in the same place: have one notebook, not 8, for example. It’s crucial to be able to find the information you’re looking for.

Although Molina mentioned taking notes in a notebook, he pondered that any tool works, including your phone’s notepad. But, whichever tool you choose, be it to write things down or even organize your priorities, “it’s important to be strict in its use”. If you create an organizational system for yourself, stick to it.

5. Set aside time to finish tasks & schedule new ones

“In my weekly calendar I always set aside an hour or two where I try not to have any meetings, so I can finish whatever tasks I can and organize my calendar for new ones. Sometimes I even work a couple of hours on Sundays so I can arrive at the office on Monday and know what I have to do. Of course, sometimes all of that plan goes south pretty quickly, but I try to have one”, he concluded.

So let’s recap all the steps:

Prioritize tasks
Every task must have a deadline
Avoid accumulating notifications
Write everything down
Set aside time to finish tasks & schedule new ones

Alright, now it’s time to put the tips into practice!

3 productivity tools to make your life easier

December 19, 2022 by Camila Alvarenga

In the digital era of multitasking, having tools that make your life easier is essential. However, there are so many options out there, from free to paid, that picking one can be tough.

With that in mind, our Chief Innovation Officer, Carlos Molina, breaks it down for us: “Before picking a tool, you have to know what your goals are with those tools, and what purpose will they serve. So you’ll need one to take and store notes, and another to organize those notes – along with notifications you’ll receive through all the different communication apps you might have – and transform them into tasks”.

He recommended three of his favorite tools that he uses on a daily basis. But pondered, “no tool is ‘the best tool’. We each have our own that works for us. From experience, I have mine. But I know of people who do it all in a single notebook”.

1. reMarkable

Starting with a tool to take notes, Molina recommended his favorite note-taking tablet: reMarkable. It’s a tablet that feels like paper, similar to a Kindle, where you can take handwritten notes that are automatically transformed into digital files.

“The thing about taking notes is that it’s not about the actual tool you use, but the experience you have while taking them [that has to be similar to an actual notebook], and, for me, only a tablet can give me that. But you can take notes anywhere: on your computer or on your phone, or even on a notebook”, he highlighted.

2. Microsoft To Do

When it comes to organizing and managing tasks, Kimia’s CINO suggested Microsoft To Do, a cloud-based checklist, basically. There, you can add each and every task you have, and access them through any smart device – and it’s free to download and use.

You can create different To Do lists and organize yourself daily. According to Molina, it’s particularly satisfying and the app gives a sense of accomplishment since it’s very visual and “congratulates” the user when they finish all of the tasks in their list.

3. Zapier

When it comes to sorting through notifications and turning them into manageable tasks, Molina’s favorite tool is Zapier. It’s an automation app, to put it simply. The user can integrate all the apps they use for communicating at work: Slack, Facebook, Gmail, Twilio, Microsoft To Do, and many others (the tool supports more than 5000 apps).

Once the apps are selected, Zapier asks the user to add a trigger to what types of messages should be turned into tasks (since not every email or chat notification is relevant), then organizes them all.

Ultimately, this tool (free to download, but with paid resources) was designed to make your workflow run smoothly, saving up time, which is something Molina stressed is of great help.

He emphasized, however, that tools that work for some, don’t work for others, and that’s okay! The goal is to try out different options until you find what works best for you and to always have your notes up to date, at least.

“Taking notes is the most important part because it’s the very first step. Without it, you can’t determine what is relevant or not to become a task. I’d rather my team take notes during a meeting, then set the paper on fire because they’ve concluded those notes aren’t useful at that moment, than leave it empty-handed”, he concluded.

Tidart names a new CEO: Antonio Ramírez

December 13, 2022 by Camila Alvarenga

Tidart Digital Media & Data, Kimia’s agency, kicks off the week with an exciting announcement: Antonio Ramírez, former company COO, is now their CEO!

The new Tidart Chief Executive Officer harbors years of experience in digital and corporate marketing. He’s also been a part of the Kimia family for over five years, which rendered him the position of Tidart’s COO earlier this year.

“We have many new projects planned for next year: we want to expand our services to add even more value to our clients, and we’ll continue betting on innovation and state-of-the-art technology, ” he said.

Carlos Molina, now Kimia’s CIO

Carlos Molina, who previously occupied Tidart’s CEO chair, now becomes Kimia Group’s Chief Innnovation Officer. He won’t, however, leave the agency completely. Quite the contrary, Molina will stay intimately involved with Tidart’s technological development to ensure that the latest innovation tendencies are implemented.

“Our clients can still count on me. The whole team has always been dedicated to our clients, supported by the latest technology, which has led us towards excellent results. That won’t change”, he reassured.

Molina also highlighted Ramírez’ qualities that will make him a great CEO and an “invaluable partner to all of our clients.”

“Antonio knows the agency and has known its clients for years. He’s always been excellent, has exceptional analytic capabilities, and knows the tech and this sector in depth”, added the now CINO.

Kimia in Bangkok: a mini photo gallery

December 12, 2022 by Camila Alvarenga

The Kimia Group made itself present in Bangkok, Thailand, during Affiliate World Asia 2022. Our CEO, Daniel Gómez-Rey, was very well accompanied by the ArmorAds and the Adport teams, each with its very own booth, both designed by Kimia’s wonderful design team.

All in all, it was a fantastic networking experience. They met up with close partners, made new ones, got to showcase what we can offer at Kimia Group, and learned a lot along the way.

So here are a few snippets of what it was like.

Safe to say they enjoyed every moment of it and can’t wait for their next adventure – and we can already tell you where and when it will be! Dubai, UAE, on March 1st and 2nd, 2023! Save the date!

ClickBid World Meet up

Also, the Kimia team participated in ClickBid World’s meet up, at Octave rooftop. In fact, Adport was one of the event’s sponsors.

It was another marvelous opportunity to get meet up with some of the industry’s elite in a more laid-back setting. Check it out:

Photo 1) On the left, Hamza Al-Abrash, ArmorAds Business Director, with Cristiano Famà, Business Development Manager at Digidum.

2) From left to right: Hamza Al-Abrash, ArmorAds Business Director; Tamar Campo, Kimia COO; Paula García, Account Manager.

3) From left to right: Andy Wullmer, CEO Mobile TrafficPartner.com; Iván Carrillo, Kimia Managing Partner; Daniel Gómez-Rey, Kimia CEO; Jaime Bracons, Adport Head of Advertisers.

Doing branding campaigns for e-commerce

December 2, 2022 by Camila Alvarenga

An e-commerce‘s ultimate goal is to sell, so many don’t see the benefit or don’t know how to use branding campaigns for their business.

“Are branding campaigns actually effective in this sector? How do they affect real conversions? Anyone can get impressions, but in the e-commerce world, every strategy has to have an increase in sales as their final goal. So how do you get quality impressions? How much should you spend in branding?”, weighed Carlos Molina, Tidart‘s CEO, during the “III Foro eCommerce de La Publicidad” event, in Madrid.

He explained that there are two types of branding campaigns, each with its own goal.

Notoriety campaigns: these are campaigns with a notorious format. That means creating a campaign with a format that guarantees exclusivity to the advertiser, be it due to the advertising space it is occupying or to the prescribers associated with that advertisement. Long story short, it means creating a campaign that you can’t find everywhere, exclusive and measure-made.
Coverage actions: these generate multiple impacts within your target audience or consumer. On a practical level, they are segmented campaigns created for specific groups within your audience to effectively impact as many people as possible within that group.

Measuring branding campaigns & reaching your goals

Charly Molina, Tidart’s CEO, talked about branding campaigns for e-commerce

“Are branding campaigns effective, you might ask? They have to be. But they can only do that if we establish clear goals, what we want out of them, and clear measurement parameters. If we look at branding campaigns by themselves and compare them with direct sales results, it won’t make sense and we’ll pause them right away. Of course, the real goal is to sell more, but what about everything else?”, Molina questioned.

He emphasized that they improve an e-commerce’s performance. Notoriety campaigns, for example, increase brand perception and generate consumer fidelity, making buyers feel more confident in their purchase.

“This is super important, because, when it comes to online shopping, people don’t just buy a product based on its price. They have to feel safe about the brand they’re buying from”, he sustained.

When it comes to coverage actions, Tidart’s CEO highlighted that they lead to growth. Typical “growth campaigns” have limits — traffic limits, specifically. It doesn’t matter how much an e-commerce spends on marketing, conversions will reach a roof when they hit their traffic limit. Branding campaigns can expand the number of visits and, consequently, conversions.

But how can you actually measure performance or growth, such abstract factors?

With coverage actions, Molina listed writing down and tracking every step a user takes until conversion, to see where he comes from, and identify all the quality indicators that that traffic is generating. Basically, the idea is to find out how far the extent of the coverage and its quality.

With notoriety campaigns, you can expect high CPMs, but low CTRs – at least lower than you would get from coverage actions -since this type of campaign seeks to expand your audience and brand confidence.

So which is more valuable? A scroll through your e-commerce or a newsletter subscription? That depends, but, to determine it, Molina recommends building a funnel chart.

At the base of the funnel you’d have impressions, then clicks, then scroll percentage, and so on, until you reach sale at the narrowest point or the tip of your funnel.

Now how do you measure the value of each of the components in your funnel chart?

“Let’s take the average value of an order, calculated taking into account actual orders placed in your e-commerce. So when that average order is completed, that is, when you make a sale for that price that you’ve defined as being your consumer’s average cart, you’ll attribute to it a certain numerical value. For example, 100, to make it easier”, he demonstrated.

He, then, concluded: “now, I’ll divide that between each value of my funnel chart. As I reach the base, the smaller the number will get, and I’ll be able to see the real impact of the campaign during every step of a consumer’s journey. This will allow me to optimize my strategy, scale up my actions, grow my audience, measure my real impact and really see how my branding campaigns reflect on my sales”.

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