Ad Agency

“The Puerto Rico Advertising Agencies Association has no wish to become a licensing body with power to sanction industry members but intends to remain a strictly voluntary group devoted to advancing the local advertising industry,” said association President Carmen Cedre.

She was reacting to the Lopito, Ileana & Howie (LIH) imbroglio, which was the focus of a recent discussion by the group’s eight-member board. An LIH official recently told the jury in the corruption trial of former Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá that the company camouflaged illegal contributions to Acevedo Vilá’s resident commissioner and gubernatorial campaigns by billing donors for services never rendered. LIH benefited from its connection with Acevedo Vilá to the tune of millions of dollars in government contracts.

Casanova Pendrill has signed on to help UNICEF support the Tap Project, a grassroots initiative to provide clean water to children around the world. From Sunday, March 22 through Saturday, March 28, 2009 (World Water Day), the Tap Project will encourage Americans to visit participating restaurants and pay $1 or more for a glass of tap water or donate online at www.tapproject.org.

República announced that it has been selected by The Nielsen Company to lead Orlando’s brand awareness and community outreach efforts of the multimedia company’s television measurement services and technology. República will continue to lead the Miami market’s outreach efforts for a second consecutive year. Nielsen launched the Local People Meter (LPM) in the Miami Designated Market Area (DMA) in October 2008 and in the Orlando DMA in January 2009.

The winner of the Bill Bernbach Award for “Best of Show” (best idea of the year on the entire DDB network) was given to the Alma DDB and FiRe team for Los Felinos de la Noche´State Farm case.

Victor Ornelas, founder of Ornelas & Associates, has joined forces with Matador Marketing Group in Fort Worth, Texas, it was announced by Luis Caballero, president of Matador. The alliance reunites Ornelas and Caballero 18 years after Caballero launched his career as an intern at the renowned Dallas agency.

Post Foods, LLC is launching a new Hispanic campaign for their star brand Honey Bunches of Oats this week. The campaign, executed by The Bravo Group, Post’s Hispanic AOR, continues the brand’s long standing commitment to the US Hispanic population, and demonstrates Post’s desire to bring the brand closer to the hearts and stomachs of the Latino population by focusing on the brand’s unique flavor combination and the joyful eating experience it elicits.

It was a tall order for any ad agency. The NYC Buildings Department wanted to do something persuasively effective to prevent construction workers from likely fatal work-related accidents. A spate of unfortunate falls had taken the lives of construction workers, with a number of Latinos among the victims.

NYC & Co., the New York City-centric ad and marketing giant led by ad legend George Fertitta, tasked d expósito & Partners with the assignment.

Bauzá & Associates announced it was hired by Bernie’s as its Hispanic marketing agency of record.

Bernie’s is New England’s largest independent retailer of TVs and Appliances with 15 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.