How Much Longer, Mediocrity?

By Silvia Alvarez / Zubi Advertising

Disappointingly, I am dumbfounded, by the acceptance of mediocrity that exists (especially) in the Hispanic market; this mediocrity is accepted at the Agency, Client, and media vendor-level… is anyone else out there perturbed?!?!

What am I talking about?  Here are two examples…

Acceptance of Mediocrity Regarding our Planning Tools (Research):

We STILL don’t have a standardized, industry-accepted Reach / Frequency tool for Spanish-Language (S-L) Television… hmmm? Is it because the S-L media networks of the world know that a TRUE R/F model (if ever released) would confirm that roughly 35 to 40% of the Hispanic audience is not reachable through S-L TV??? How many of you chose to watch what’s available on S-L TV, because it “speaks” to you?

The longer we plan without these tools, the longer Clients can accuse us of planning “in the dark”, without a yardstick, and use this as an excuse to dismiss the opportunity we represent. Undoubtedly, without the necessary (and fundamental) communication goals to guide our weight levels, we are perpetuating the notion that we are leap-years behind the General Market.

Something to think about, as Hispanic agencies are forced to go out on their own to create their own proprietary tools (a costly proposition), for lack of a standardized one…

Acceptance of Mediocrity Regarding our Media Vendors and Their Deliverables:

More often than not, it seems that we (and our Clients) are guinea pigs…major S-L broadcast and cable networks (and the list goes on…) continue to talk the talk, but they fall short in the execution…is it because we are truly pioneers and pushing them beyond their capabilities? (i.e. — we seek out “true” multiplatform campaigns, better digital performance metrics, etc.), or is it because our Hispanic vendors are well-equipped to take sales orders, but mindless, when it comes to the fundamental steps needed to deliver… I often wonder…

We coordinate, implement pre-pro’s, document deliverables, and set up templates for clearer communication of expectations, yet, when “D day” arrives, it’s like a scene out of Wannado City… at a pricey entrance fee… some recent “Wannado” images that come to mind: a “Competitive SUV” makes a slow and gracious entrance into a parking spot, in a novela where an agency/client has vehicle integration; at a shoot, there are no scripts, no ironed shirts for talent (long story), and no accountability; a sales manager admits they have brought Zubi “half-baked ideas” with no real ability to execute, a revelation they arrived at after numerous “spoiled” attempts with (again), Zubi as guinea pig?!… I think I’ll stop here…

Surely, my list does not stop here… but I’ll reserve more mediocrity gripes for my next blog…

Thoughts?

By Silvia Alvarez
Courtesy of Zubi Nation Blog