By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc. / LMMiami.com
- Memes, memes and more memes.
- Clogging the arteries of the interwebs like cholesterol of maximum viscosity.
- Fails, hacktivism, dancing cats, surfing cats, grumpy cats, juvenile jokes, moronic hastily photoshopped visual puns, fake news, post truth, hatchet jobs, idle defamation, character assassination, trolling, trolling and more trolling, tabloid dirt, celebrity sex tapes, hacked private footage of bedroom activity, stolen selfies, cybernecking.
- Guilty pleasures. Schadenfreude. Braindead escapism. Ironic consumption.
There was, for once, big news at the annual advertising festival in Cannes, France, but it had nothing to do with who won the grand prizes. Er, um, pardonnez-moi, grand prix. Ratherm the 2017 event — formally, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — will be remembered for a startling announcement midway through by Arthur Sadoun, the new Chairman and CEO of the giant Publicis Groupe agency company, that he was bidding adieu for the next year to Cannes Lions, along with other awards shows and events such as CES and South by Southwest.
reVolver Podcasts appointed Joe Uva as non-executive chairman of the board to lead the company’s managers on all governance matters, and to help the company with its strategy and business development.
Days after one influential financial institution issued a “double downgrade” of WPP, another has downgraded the valuations of the entire publicly traded ad sector it covers, including Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP.
Pan-American Life Insurance Group (PALIG) announced that it has acquired Hola Doctor Inc. (HolaDoctor). The acquisition is a significant strategic initiative by PALIG that both expands its presence in the U.S. Hispanic market and strengthens its position as a healthcare leader in Latin America.
According to a recent study, African-Americans and Latinos are grossly under-represented in the financial services industry and the representation of these groups is expected to drastically decline if hiring and retention efforts are not made a priority by banks and other financial institutions.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) announced that Keith Turner, president of Advertising Sales & Marketing, will retire at the end of the year. The Company will announce leadership transition plans in the coming weeks.
Ahead of 2Q17 earnings we revise our outlook and valuations on each of the four agency holding companies we cover, Interpublic, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP.
KKR announced the combination of Cardenas Markets and Mi Pueblo, two Hispanic grocery chains in which KKR made significant investments last year, alongside Victory Park Capital.
By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc. / LMMiami.com
Ad agencies and advertisers are victims of the belief that “creativity” is the basis of their current relationships, and that “more creativity” will give them more of what they need. Ad agencies have promoted “creativity” since the days of Bill Bernbach, more than 50 years ago, when agencies were at the top of their game. Advertisers, as their clients, continue to hire agencies for their perceived creativity, provided costs are rock bottom. However, “creativity” is no longer delivering improved brand performance or increasing shareholder value. The search for more creativity is making victims of agencies and CMOs alike — neither lasts very long in a relationship. It’s time for a new paradigm. The “Creative Paradigm” is out of date. It’s not working. By Michael Farmer
Adjusting to change is essential when facing relentless competition compounded by ongoing disruption and slow growth. Citing data and analysis, PwC’s 2017 Global Entertainment and Media Outlook offers compelling insights into how E&M companies are adapting, investing, experimenting and innovating amid six areas of change
MetroDimension is dedicated to offering Hispanic and non-Hispanic Millennials and Gen Z information and lifestyle/entertainment to help them as individuals to empower themselves to achieve more with their personal, business and family well-being.
The publisher and internet services company Terra Networks terminated its operations and closed down its websites in seven countries last Friday, 30 June: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, México, Peru, Spain and the UnIted States. The company’s headquarters in Miami, which was responsible for LATAM operations, was also closed down and the team was dismissed or transferred back to Brazil.
The United States always assumed that its forward momentum would carry the next generation toward greater prosperity, just as it took for granted that its technical prowess in manufacturing would guarantee its global market share. But now those assumptions have been upended. Although unemployment is down and wages are finally ticking up again, these indicators can distract from the bigger picture. Tens of millions of workers are struggling to make it in America, and even a full-time job does not guarantee a decent standard of living.
Getting your first job in the advertising industry can take a lot of work. It can feel overwhelming having to navigate the complexities of agency life while also trying to make a name for yourself. By Chris Vega, a Stanford graduate, Creative Resident/Copywriter at BBDO and the recipient of the 2017 Young Innovator Award.
To thrive in today’s rapidly evolving technology environment, companies should become “kinetic”—continually moving and adapting to changes.
In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, findings from a new Ogilvy survey released of over 1,000 Americans including over 400 LGBT allies revealed that nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) believe that LGBT-inclusive brands/businesses are good for the economy and similarly (64%) believe that these initiatives reflect our country’s diversity. However, the majority (68%) report that in order to be an LGBT ally, brands/businesses need to “walk the talk” following through on promises and plans.
Inner city bodegas, staples in urban communities, are having difficulty competing with big box stores and retail chains. Many of these small, independent, store owners are immigrants and lack the resources and access to capital to keep up with tech-savvy retail chains. 
Growth leaders are adept at finding money to invest in initiatives that drive revenue.
