Howard, Merrell & Partners forms Hispanic Marketing Group .

Howard, Merrell & Partners in Raleigh, NC, formed a Hispanic Marketing Group. The Group will focus on the development and execution of advertising, direct mail, public relations and social media marketing specifically targeted at the Hispanic market.

According to Jim Cobb, president and CEO of Howard, Merrell & Partners, over the past few years, clients have been asking for the agency’s support in reaching the Hispanic community in the United States. “In order to provide the highest level of integrated service, we felt it was the right time to establish the Hispanic Marketing Group,” said Cobb.

Jim Stevens-Arce, vice president/director Hispanic Marketing, will lead the efforts of the Group. Rounding out the bilingual team are Elizabeth Romero, account supervisor, Public Relations and Hispanic Marketing, Sarah Findle, account coordinator, Social Media and Hispanic Marketing. Additionally, Becca Liberman, media planner/buyer, Interactive Specialist, who has considerable experience in media buying for the Hispanic market

“Jim, Elizabeth, Sarah and Becca are not only skilled marketing communications professionals, they are also knowledgeable about how best to reach the Hispanic community,” continued Cobb. “With our team, we are fully equipped to strategically extend campaigns we develop so they speak to the Hispanic market in their language and appeal to each region’s unique sensibilities.”

Stevens-Arce most recently headed his own creative consulting group in Puerto Rico, where he was also a founding partner at the DMC, Inc. advertising agency. Prior to that, he served as the creative director for Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising/Caribbean. Stevens-Arce’s account experience includes work for such high-profile clients as Citigroup, Sears, Mazda, Clairol, Nationwide Insurance, Max Factor, Bristol-Myers and Colgate-Palmolive, among others.

Throughout her career, Romero has developed and executed public relations programs for an array of clients and industries. She has used her knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture to effectively reach that complex demographic in local communities, both nationally and in Latin America.

Additionally, she has garnered press exposure and prepared clients for such highly-regarded media as CNN en Español, América Economía, El Nuevo Herald, Reforma, EFE and terra.com, among others. Romero’s account experience includes CORDURA fabric; Butterball, LLC; Colonial Bank; Georgia-Pacific Professional; Florida International University’s College of Business Administration; Tenet South Florida; Atlantis; Paradise Island and Macy’s Florida (formerly Burdines).

Liberman honed her knowledge of Hispanic media when she had the opportunity to work on campaigns in South Florida in which she targeted the Hispanic Consumer Market for such clients as McDonald’s and Comcast. She’s also bought media for clients such as BB&T, Sentara Health Care and Entertainment Cruises. Her experience as a media buyer led her to become involved with the growing digital segment, which is becoming increasingly important in reaching Hispanic consumers.

Findle has grown her Spanish-language skills over the past eight years, spending time in Central America and the Caribbean as part of her studies. Her extended visits to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic enabled her to witness the diversity in Hispanic culture and to understand the need to tailor communications to each region’s norms and idiosyncrasies. Her experience in social media marketing and Hispanic marketing converged when she created a blog for Cambiando Vidas, a non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic.