Here are three important issues that search marketers will have to face this year in Brazil:

Qualified people - there are few good campaign managers around. If you want to hire one, you have to look into your competitors' staff, but there is an agreement among major brazilian SEM agencies to not hire from each other. On the other hand, online and offline agencies are building their own SEM teams, therefore be prepared to pay high salaries to keep your people happy and loyal.

Research - there's still no reliable research about the brazilian SEM marketplace. A local SEMPO State of the Search survey would be very appreciated. IAB SEM Committee and SEMPO Latino Task Force are evaluating that.

Google dominance - Google is by far the top search engine (and one of the top destinantions) in Brazil. As Yahoo is falling behind and without AdCenter, there are very few options to consider when planning your campaign. And everybody knows that we shouldn't put all eggs in the same basket.