DoubleClick set up its Brazilian operation last April to serve about 50 clients. Although Internet use is growing, advertisers have been loathe to migrate from television, the country's highest penetrating medium. Since he assumed office in 1999, President Fernando de la Rua has had to deal with three general strikes reflecting burgeoning social unrest and growing economic disparity among Argentina's 36 million people. Protesters charge the government is doing too little to battle unemployment, currently running at 15 percent, and ignoring the plight of impoverished Argentines, estimated by the World Bank to number around 13 million. However, Ostuni said the working group, scheduled to meet later this week, would not tackle contentious issues like Argentina's Convertibility Law, which pegs the local peso at par with the U.S. dollar.
Some unions contend that the currency law makes Argentine exports uncompetitive.
Unions have announced two more general strikes in early March and April if the government does not agree to their demands, which include shelving a proposal to raise the retirement age for women. But that hope has faded in recent weeks as economic indicators have shown little evidence of a recovery.