Gonzales Launches Publicis Sanchez Levitan @ NYC.

Publicis, part of the Publicis Groupe, S.A. announced that its U.S. Hispanic marketing communications agency, Publicis Sanchez & Levitan (PS&L), will launch a New York office and expand its national leadership team.

José González, an executive with extensive U.S. Hispanic marketing experience, will head up the New York office as senior principal, managing director, Publicis Sanchez & Levitan, New York.

Isaac Lasky, a senior executive with international marketing experience from both the agency and client sides, has been appointed senior principal, director of client services and marketing at Publicis Sanchez & Levitan to accelerate growth in the Southwest. He will be based in Dallas.

“Since becoming Publicis Sanchez & Levitan one year ago, we have expanded our relationship with Nestlé by winning new business for brands such as Nescafé, Stouffer’s, Nestea, Carnation’s Infant Formula, Willy Wonka, and Nestlé Crunch,” said Dr. Aida Levitan, co-chairman and chief executive officer of PS&L. “In addition, we added national blue-chip clients such as Fleet Credit Card Services, British Airways, BMW, Garden Ridge Superstores, Zales Jewelers, ADT Security Systems, TXU, and Hewlett-Packard and expanded our scope of work with existing clients in the Perrier Group, Denny’s Restaurants and Nationwide Insurance, among others.” Levitan added, “In just one year, our Agency has grown to $85 million in billings.”

Fausto Sanchez, co-chairman, president and chief creative officer of PS&L, added, “José González and Isaac Lasky will increase our ability to provide Hispanic consumer insights and Holistic communications programs that will build our clients¹ brands in the U.S. Hispanic marketplace. We are confident that they will move rapidly to provide our clients with the resources to take advantage of the explosion of opportunities to target this growing segment of the US population.”

“With this move, Publicis Sanchez & Levitan will deliver nationwide coverage with full-service capabilities,” said Robert H. Bloom, chairman and chief executive officer, Publicis in the U.S. “Publicis can now provide marketers in the US and New York metropolitan area with direct access to specialized capabilities and resources that tap into the enormous buying power of the Hispanic population.”

Bloom continued, “I am happy to say that with Aida and Fausto at the helm, in just one year Publicis Sanchez & Levitan has grown significantly and is poised to grow even further with the welcome addition of José and Isaac to the Publicis family.”

The newly appointed managing director of PS&L New York, José González, will be responsible for building the New York operation. Isaac Lasky will provide strategic direction and counsel to existing PS&L Dallas clients, while directing the agency’s new business effort in the Southwest region. Both will report directly to Aida Levitan and Fausto Sanchez.

González comes to Publicis Sanchez & Levitan with strong credentials after having managed the Heineken U.S. Hispanic marketing and advertising efforts at The Vidal Partnership in New York, where he was account director/strategic planning director. While there, he also provided strategic planning and direction for clients such as Buick Motors Division, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Cingular Wireless, McDonald’s and MasterCard.

Prior to The Vidal Partnership, González was account director at HeadQuarters Advertising in San Francisco, overseeing all Hispanic media, direct mail and creative strategies for clients such as SBC Communications, Bell Atlantic, and California Federal Bank. Previously, González gained extensive experience at Conill Advertising (New York and Los Angeles offices) managing major brands such as Gain detergent, Comet Bathroom Cleanser, Scott Paper products, Toyota Trucks, Minute Maid and Texaco. Earlier in his career, he was brand media manager at Grey Advertising, working on Procter & Gamble and the launch of Pantene Pro V.

Isaac Lasky, a former director for Hispanic marketing at Coca-Cola USA, most recently served as consultant and acting chief executive officer for Dollars Direct Inc., an international money transfer company in Stamford, Connecticut. Prior to that he served as president of Phones for All, a pre-paid phone service company, in Dallas, Texas. Previous to that, he was president and VP of international marketing for Moneygram (American Express/ First Data Corporation) for almost a decade.

Levitan added, “Our new structure offers unequaled management depth, geographic coverage and experience to the very promising U.S. Hispanic market and represents a very important commitment that Publicis Sanchez & Levitan is making in terms of financial investment and talent. I am proud of our entire management team which includes Joe Albonetti, executive managing director, Lisa Leknovich-Knault, principal account director of PS&L Los Angeles; Noemi Ricalo and Rudy Bozas, principals/account supervisors in the Dallas office; Vivian Estevez, director of media services for the entire agency; and Ana Eberhard, senior principal, account group director for the Miami Office. All the offices (LA, Miami, Dallas and NY) will work as a team to expand the current client relationships and pursue new business.”