SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico\u2014What happened in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in September of 2017\u2014with broadcast and cable television lacking a power grid\u2014can be considered a \u201ctest market,\u201d according to Andres Claudio. Among other changes over the past year, media agency Hearts & Science Puerto Rico now does more \u201creal-time\u201d media planning as people continue to migrate from cable TV to digital media.<\/p>\n
These and other impacts on the media community in Puerto Rico will be the topics of discussion during a special session at Beet Retreat 2018<\/a> from Nov. 28-30. Claudio, who is General Manager of Hearts & Science on the island, will be joined by other industry practitioners to share their on-the-ground experiences before and after Hurricane Maria.<\/p>\n In this video interview with Beet.TV conducted on the island, Claudio<\/a> says his agency is using more radio and outdoor, in addition to being more creative in the way it buys TV. \u201cWe are emphasizing the importance of digital and social media as well, because people are connected now and they are using more of those vehicles to be able to understand what\u2019s going around,\u201d Claudio says. \u201cBrands are maximizing that opportunity in creative ways to find all their options on how to become relevant within those communities.\u201d<\/p>\n A big change for Hearts & Science is the realization that it had to become more flexible in the way it does planning. \u201cIt\u2019s more real-time planning based on the situation. We are maximizing the resources the best way we can by looking at day-to-day involvement of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n As counselors to its clients, the agency \u201cnow are more on board with their businesses as well. We take into consideration what\u2019s going on and we decide what to do next in a better way,\u201d Claudio says.<\/p>\n He considers Puerto Rico to be a test market \u201cbecause everything happened very quickly. After that situation, I guess we learned that it\u2019s important to be prepared, to have plans and be ready to move on in cases of a disaster and how you maintain your brands and messages across the market without loosing your leadership and your strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n When the full extent of the impact of Hurricane Maria<\/a> became clear, it galvanized the media community to get involved so as to move forward as an industry. \u201cAnd that\u2019s all we did. We got together, we helped each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Consumers on the island \u201care now more connected than ever,\u201d presenting advertisers with \u201cgreat opportunities on TV, streaming video as well. Many people are moving from cable TV and traditional TV to other devices for content. We have been finding ways to connect with those different communities now with different opportunities,\u201d Claudio says.<\/p>\n