Building connections through heritage with Alberto "Banano" Pardo, CEO and Founder of Adsmovil and Nuestra.TV

Hispanic Heritage
Alberto Pardo

by: Luisana Rodríguez

Alberto Pardo, often known as 'Banano', leads a minority-owned company with over 25 years of expertise in the Hispanic mobile advertising and digital industry. He is a Colombian-born and raised businessman, one of several Latinos working in AdTech in the United States.

Pardo has a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from his home country, an MBA from the University of Saint Thomas, with a marketing specialization. Regarding his professional history, he has an exciting mix of senior tech expertise in start-ups, marketing agencies, and eCommerce. "After my MBA, I returned to Colombia and founded a company called deremate.com, which was pretty large in Latin America at the time, and sold it in 2007," he recalls. Following his passion for innovation, he launched another digital business focusing on search marketing: "I believe it was the first search marketing firm in Colombia at the time."

Understanding the cultural factor is critical for him in any sector. That's why he likes to recall the huge Blackberry moment in Latin America, which coincided with the iPhone explosion in the United States during the last decade: "Blackberry was the first pre-smartphone we had in Latin America before Android came in with Samsung, Motorola, or Nokia."

Pardo feels that when you are a minority, obstacles will always arise. As a Latino, one of these challenges is obtaining financial investment, if you are not a large corporation. "The second thing to understand is that the Hispanic market is distinct from the overall market. We all reside in the United States, speak English, pay in dollars, and visit the same sites as the general public. However, the way to engage with Latinos is different," Alberto says. 

According to Pardo, the primary goal is to empower and serve the Hispanic market, the largest minority market in the U.S. The secret is to develop emotional connections based on the language, behaviors, and content people consume from Latin America's 30+ countries. "Market connection should happen despite cultural differences and different locations." 

The entertainment component is vital for bilingual and bicultural Hispanics and their families. This is how Admovil's new project, Nuestra.TV, came to light. Alberto explains that as an advertising-based, free, video-on-demand service featuring productions from the United States, Latin America, and Spain and educational content, "We are pleased to serve the largest minority market in the United States and the globe, which is the Hispanic market." Even after its initial launch, the site includes over 40 FAST channels and 15,000 hours of premium on-demand content. “We will have lots of different types of content, from wellness and education to gaming and music,” he says.

After all, Pardo still wants to achieve new objectives for the company. Dreams are the fuel that drives every entrepreneur to reach their goals, from striving to establish a billion-dollar company to becoming one of the most relevant Latino TV platforms in the United States. Colombian Alberto Pardo gets to work every day in something he has studied for decades.

++

Editor’s pick: "People live in a mobility world, we're always moving from one point to another, and there are many opportunities for brands to engage with consumers. Latinos are no exception."

Photo credit: Courtesy of Adsmovil