In Cuba marketing is still a nascent field, although little by little, step by step, we are opening up to its new possibilities, making it an indispensable ally of our products and services. A new publicity alternative called Pixel Cubano is reaching the country’s business and private sectors.

“Pixel Cubano makes it possible for businesses to insert themselves in different media without excessive costs. Precisely because it is fresh terrain, we decided that it was a good time to launch a tool that allows clients to start exploring this new world and to analyze the effectiveness of each means of publicity with concrete figures,” Claudia Paredes, its creator, told OnCuba.

The webpage is an invitation to pay for each pixel that an ad takes up on screen, inspired by the story of Briton Alex Tew, who in 2005 at age 21 decided to start a business to finance his university studies. His idea was simple: to sell a million pixels at a dollar each. He created a webpage that consisted of a million pixels arranged in a 1000 x 1000-pixel grid. In exchange, the buyer would post on his page an image of his choosing, linked to any site. His Million Dollar Homepage was a success and Tew collected $1,037,100.

What is different in what you offer?

We also propose a set visibility in various media that are relevant for businesses. This is the principal difference with the original idea. We take the image to all the possible media. In addition, we provide users with statistics about visibility, with the aim of analyzing how effective each media is for them.

We give clients the possibility of choosing the space and the position for their promotion, according to their budgets. When accessing the website, it’s very easy and intuitive to reserve a space – users only need the promotion and an optional link to a website or their social media profile. Afterwards, we are responsible for publishing them in different magazines. Pixel Cubano proposes an interactive space where Cuban brands coexist, through a promotional image and a link to the businesses’ websites or social media. Up until now each publicity medium has focused on creating its own publicity channels. We asked ourselves: Why not use those that already exist? What’s relevant about Pixel Cubano are the media in which it is published, accompanied by statistics to analyze effectiveness. We publish in: OnCuba, Vistar, Garbos, Negolution and Havana Live.

Which businesses have tried out this service thus far?

Several brands have approached us; many represent businesses that are starting to consider investing in publicity, but they aren’t sure of how effective each medium is. For more details you can visit Pixel Cubano’s webpage (https://pixelcubano.com).

What are your aspirations?

Our principal goal is to maximize visibility of brands and businesses for consumers and to show the evolution of the Cuban business panorama.

In such a short time after being created, how do you assess the reception you have had?

It has been better than expected. Pixel Cubano proposes a new and untested model for marketing in Cuba. However, many businesses are already recommending us as an affordable publicity alternative. If you’re starting out, Pixel Cubano is your best option!

What is most important for a potential client to consider before placing an ad with you?

Clients are free to choose the space and the position they want, but they should take into account several aspects:

1. Most people read from left to right and from top to bottom. This implies that the upper corner is the most important or visible and, therefore, the most expensive. Conversely the lower right-hand corner is cheaper.

2. If you have a tight budget and want a good placement, consider situating the ad close to well-known brands.

3. All users can reserve a maximum of 2.5% of the total of Pixel Cubano for promotion and can place up to five promotions from the same business. In this way, we protect brands from other more powerful ones coming and buying half of the space.

Which are the project’s major strengths?

1. The price: Pixel Cubano is an extremely affordable alternative compared to the cost of publicizing separately in each medium.

2. The media: Pixel Cubano places your ad in at least five national and international media.

3. Statistics and feasibility study: Pixel Cubano provides statistics that allow brands to understand which media attracted the most visits and clicks.

In which sector do you consider clients will reap the most benefits?

The most likely is the private and business sector, which has the greatest need for marketing alternatives.