It’s the way it is; we Argentineans are contradictory, we live in a constant paradox. We complain about the technological infrastructure and assure to have the worst 3G network in the world (4G hasn’t arrived yet), even though we’re the Latin American country with the highest Internet penetration.

Every month a survey on some online newspaper (1) tells us that phone and Internet service are the most criticized services by users. However, this doesn’t seem to limit us, because we have the highest daily Internet access in the region.

It’s true, the Argentinean idiosyncrasy isn’t easy to explain, and even harder to understand.

Our Latin neighbors have always said we believe ourselves Europeans; we want to copy their social organization, imitate their habits and follow their trends, (even our soccer tournaments were named and synchronized according to their calendar), but they tell us that, after all, we behave as Argentines, with the disorganization and informality that define us.

And even if it hurts, they’re right. Maybe that’s why even though our online consumption is the highest in Latin America, our Internet habits are far behind from those that are being developed in the old continent.

In our country, for example, online users still hesitate when they have to enter their credit card data, they may end up doing it, with some reluctance and looking sideways to see if someone’s watching; Argentines often think that they will be deceived or their information will be used for something else, and that can be a barrier for brands when they want to connect with their target. In fact, the Argentine is on average the Latino user who connects the least with brands online, and as in the rest of the world, they also get close to brands if they can only get something in return through special offers or raffles.

Unfortunately, this paranoia towards the system can be more justified in our country. A troubled past and a recurrent institutional crisis are more than enough to disrupt anyone’s trust when interacting socially. And what is Internet, but a new way of connecting socially?

2001 was a year that was written in stone for Argentines, because not only did it represent an economic breakdown, but also a deep cultural crisis.

But the incident which took place on December 19th, 2001 also became a stroke of reality, a slap which gave us a more accurate idea about the second place we occupied in the global picture, quite different from the idea of being an exemplary and leading country that we had created and believed for more than 10 idyllic years. (2)

The irony in all of this is that only two years after having lived the society’s savings retention, “cacerolazos” (popular local protests) and the country’s fall to economic default, Argentina began to recover as it reached close to 9% growth rate. (3)

These kind of things than often happen to us as a country, serve to confirm the words that the economist Paul Samuelson said a few decades ago: “We have the ones in the socialist orbit and those of the very heterogeneous third world; but that is not enough, because in reality there are five systems: there are two countries which must be considered separately: Japan and Argentina. Why? Well, because they do not fit in any systematization. They are so peculiar and so unpredictable that they should be placed apart”. (4)

Obviously, this peculiarity is also reflected in our online behavior. We are one of the countries with the highest online news consumption worldwide and we even surpass the LATAM average for activities such as listening to streaming radio, but if we compare our view with the rest of Latin America’s, Argentines do not feel that Internet has made their life as easy as for the rest of the countries. Once again, contradiction (and criticism) is present. Although Argentines spend more time online than any other Latin American, they don’t generate the same affinity as the rest of Latin America does with the network.

In this scenario, what should a brand do in order to reach its target through internet? What’s the formula? The strategy will always depend on the personality of the brand, but it’s a fact that Argentines need more information, and as the rest of the world, they need to feel identified with the brand’s values.

At this point is where creativity and the emotional bond we can create with our client start to gain relevance. Through brutal honesty, addressing the trend of “Flawsome” that Trendwatching published for 2012 which said that, as people do, consumers are going to create a more lasting relationship with brands that show themselves as imperfect, with successes and failures. (5)

The online bond with the consumer can also be built using the Predictive Personalization, described by JWT Intelligence as the possibility that brands have to predict and customize their target consumption due to the excessive amount of information we have of it, and thanks to this, the opportunity to be more accurate and relevant in our offer. (6)

I don’t think there are formulas, it’s a fact that being relevant to the consumer makes a brand come pretty close to success. Today, the relevance is marketing’s diva.

As we have to capture the attention of our target in an online consumption that is usually accompanied by other activities, other screens, and other simultaneous conversations, it is more difficult to reach them throughout a message.

Regarding this, if we talk about multiscreen, Argentina is no exception to the rest of Latin America. Watching TV is the most frequent activity with which we share the use of the Internet, and this combination triggers an increasingly dominant habit, debate, discussion, or simple talk on the social networks about what we’re watching on TV.

In our country most of the live TV shows have a Twitter account or a Fan Page where they strengthen the content they generate and also measure what topics or blocks are the most commented by their followers / fans.

Even if the program doesn’t generate its own hash tag, users will create it and talk about it, and it will grow by itself according to the impact and the possibility to go viral the subject will generate.

At this point, and if it’s up to discussion, the average Argentine brings out one of the features which most represent them in the rest of the world (and not always positively). We Argentines have a kind of addiction of showing what we think, giving our opinion on anything and always being right in a discussion. Partly because of the passionate nature we inherited from our grandparents, immigrants from Italy and Spain, and partly by that overconfidence that leads us to discuss about any subject, at any time, and no matter with whom. Put two Argentineans in a bar and they will fix the world, says a local phrase which jokes about our own idiosyncrasies.

Social networks, enquiry forums and news websites strengthened Argentines own ability to speak about any subject as if they were experts. In fact, the Argentine user qualifies products which they have used almost 20% more than the average in LATAM, that, somehow, shows their predilection for qualifying, for making everyone listen to what they have to say no matter what it is about, in this particular case, about something they bought or used.

And in this context in which Argentines can think freely (and very lightly) about any topic, product or news, brands must be very careful and must constantly monitor how it’s being treated in social networks, and react in time to strengthen or minimize the message, according to the nature of it.

We Argentines know we consider ourselves know-all, we know that we talk about anything and discuss with passion, but at the same time we slander that feature on many occasions. And here, once again, is when national ambivalence reappears. That’s how we are; we criticize it, but do not change; it´s in our genes.

And to explain this contradiction we can quote the national writer Marcos Aguinis, who in his book “El Atroz Encanto de ser Argentinos” [The Atrocious Charm of Being Argentine], perfectly explains this paradox:

“You may wonder … How can a charm be atrocious? How can such contradictory elements associate? Well, Argentina’s condition became something like this -contradictory, masochistic and tormented-. We are thrilled of being Argentine and also suffer because of it. We like it, but, man, it’s hard! In recent times, constant complaining started to be considered a national sport, much more than in the years in which the suffering tango crossed its golden avenues. We sigh, we curse, we complain, we analyze … and yet, we still love this terrible country.” (7)

“We are thrilled to be Argentine, but also suffer because of it,” he says, but, what is it that excites us? Where does that pride that does not seem to be justified come from? Is it true what the story “Mi Amigo Mickey” [My friend Mickey] from the writer, screenwriter and comedian Roberto Fontanarrosa says? In this humoristic and fictitious story, the writer born in Rosario made the assumption that the U.S. government had secretly and systematically conspired against the Argentinian society, because there was a chance they could dominate the world without even trying. (8) Clearly this is a humorous and ironic story in which the author makes fun of the Argentine society based on their pride and arrogance.

The Argentine is a strange human being, fresh but unbelieving, caring but arrogant, who loves and hates himself because of the same attitudes. Not even Argentines understand themselves; maybe that’s why we are the country with the largest number of psychologists per capita in the world. (9)

This same idiosyncrasy is shown in the web, perhaps with terminology adapted to online marketing, while maintaining the personality that we carry outside networks, for example, Cautious Sideliners exemplify one of the categories that most represent Argentina’s digital users, and it’s no coincidence that we talked about disbelief and distrust of national identity, as Cautious Sideliners are mainly characterized by distrusting the data they share and the personal information they provide on the internet, mainly fearing that it may be used by strangers.

Obviously, if the brand intends to grow and create a bond, they must earn that trust with creativity and relevant content for digital consumers.

There is no specific plan that works for the Argentines or the other countries, but there are some aspects that are based on specific identifying particularities and are more important in our culture than in the rest of Latin America.

One of the aspects to be considered by brands is to make use of the multi-platform combining internet and television to give place to new ways of approaching the target or to generate collaborative content. Another valid point to get closer to the Argentines would be their predilection of being a national in order to comment on forums and social networks, to speak and be heard, to give their views on a product or an experience. And finally, brands that develop proposals for the Argentine user should consider the technological infrastructure and the local connection speed to optimize the content to the top.

In short, being Argentine is contradictory, because of their history, their personality and passions. This LATAM Digitals report shows that the digital Argentine would be no exception to that rule. But do not rule out that, in some time, everything could change once again.