Ad Agency

Last Thursday, when the announcement was made that Gary Bassell would no longer lead The Bravo Group, a strange chapter finally came to an end. The news, delivered at an impromptu meeting in Manhattan, was not exactly unexpected, though.

The Bravo Group announced today that Eddie Gonzalez has been named Chairman and CEO of The Bravo Group, in addition to his responsibilities as CEO of Y&R Latin America. He succeeds Gary Bassell, who is leaving to pursue other interests.

Eddie Gonzalez Chairman and CEO of Y&R Latin America called an impromptu meeting in the New York offices of the Bravo Group to tell the staffers that Gary Bassell will no longer function as the Chairman and CEO of the Bravo Group.

Could Daisy Exposito-Ulla be coming back?

Stay tuned ………………………….

Miller Brewing Company announced the selection of three new agencies to work on Hispanic creative and promotional marketing initiatives, reaffirming the company’s commitment and investment in the Hispanic market. The agencies, Miami-based Creative On Demand and La Comunidad, as well as Chicago-based Frankel, join MarketVision of San Antonio as agencies charged with producing impactful Hispanic programming for Miller Brewing Company and its brands. Previously, the Bravo Group handle account duties.

A few weeks ago, at the 2006 Innovative Marketing Conference–produced by Corante and Columbia Business School–I attended a panel discussion on the “changing face of advertising,” led by consultant Joseph Jaffe. Considering the conference theme was innovation, I had to ask a question of the illustrious panel reflecting my own experience working in the cutting edge of marketing and media: Why the heck are advertising and marketing agencies so often so late to invest in or experiment with new technologies and emerging media, while the marketers and clients demonstrate increasing interest and tendency to pursue them directly?

For many media planning professionals, a media plan isn’t a plan until every dollar is allocated to a media vehicle. If the client wants to spend $500,000 this quarter, you had best have all $500,000 planned for one vehicle or another–it must go someplace.

For others, there’s a distinct advantage to having a certain percentage of the media budget set aside for media opportunities that may come up during the course of the quarter. On many of the plans I’ve put together over my career, I’ve placed a small percentage of the plan’s dollars into an “Opportunistic Media Fund” to cover such scenarios.

In the Hispanic advertising and media business, there are several high-profile accounts that exemplify major brand and services categories. Walmart is on of these brands that is considered a ‘Hispanic Blue Chip’ agency account.

Walmart is opening up their entire advertising supplier list to reviewed, mainstream and multicultural. Houston based Lopez Negrete Communications has held the account for many years and has been invited to the review. Chicago based E. Morris Communications is also invited back to defend their portion of the African-American account,(we had previously reported that Global Hue was handling the Walmart African American portion and was in the review, we stand corrected.

Accentmarketing developed English and Spanish language television spots titled “Clones” for the U.S. Navy.

Novamex, the marketer of fruit flavored drinks imported from Mexico and other packaged goods, introduced its new Hispanic advertising for Sidral Mundet with a focus on the brand’s more than 100 years of tradition and quality in Mexico.