Business

Coca-Cola, Apple and IBM lead Interbrand’s 13th annual Best Global Brands report. While Coca-Cola retained its #1 position, Apple jumped to #2 with stellar sales in both developed and emerging markets over the last year. Social media giant, Facebook (#69), enters the report after making headlines as the third largest IPO in US history, and Google (#4) experienced a 26% increase in brand value over the last year, exceeding rival Microsoft’s (#5) brand value for the first time in the history of Interbrand’s report.

Univision Networks’ primary audience is and will continue to be Spanish-speaking U.S. Hispanics, but president Cesar Conde said he sees the general English-language non-Hispanic audience as a growth opportunity for the company. By: Andrea Morabito (Broadcasting & Cable)

Starting October 1, the campaign ” Positive Mix” promises to deliver a series of unique VIP music experiences to consumers who engage and participate with the brand in-store, online and in-market. ” Music has been key for Honey Bunches of Oats to successfully form an emotional connection with our Latina consumer and ignite her ‘ chispa’ or ‘ spark’!

ZenithOptimedia predicts global ad expenditure will grow 4.6% in 2013, reaching US$525 billion by the end of the year. As has been the case since the economic downturn began in 2007, this growth will be led by developing markets, which we forecast to grow by 8% on average in 2013. We expect Central & Eastern Europe to bounce back after a tough 2012 with 7.4% growth in 2013, while Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) grows by 8.2%, and Latin America grows by 10.1%.

Global ad spend rose to $139 billion USD in Q2 2012, a moderate 2.4 percent gain over Q2 2011, according to Nielsen’s quarterly Global AdView Pulse report. In a continuing trend, emerging markets saw the most significant increases. The Middle East and Africa grew 19.6 percent compared to Q2 2011, and Latin America saw advertisers increase their spend 4.9 percent.

US total media ad spending will experience a bump in growth this year, rising 4.9% over 2011, largely due to the Olympics and the national election cycle.

GFR Media announced the launch of Indice to debut in October.

Indice will combine a lively print product, social media connections, a branded website, as well as targeted distribution, marketing and promotion teams across Puerto Rico’s high-traffic public spaces.

Spending within the U.S. Communications Industry will increase 5.2% in 2012 to reach $1.189 trillion as consumers and businesses increasingly embrace digital technology and return to spending levels not seen since before the recent worldwide economic downturn, according to the 2012 Forecast released by Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS).

Following a better-than-expected back-to-school season, retailers are optimistic for year-end retail sales. According to a new survey from BDO USA, LLP, retail CFOs expect a 4.5 percent increase in total 2012 sales. While the forecast shows improving confidence when compared to sales projections for 2011 (+3 percent) and 2010 (+2 percent), retailers have been relatively guarded in year-end expectations. In 2011, total retail sales exceeded expectations and increased 7.3 percent, according to the Commerce Department.

Dial Global and National Latino Broadcasting (NLB) announced a partnership to provide a wide array of programming aimed at Hispanics across the country. Beginning in October, NLB’s two 24/7 radio formats, Cristina Radio and En Vivo, will be distributed to radio stations nationwide by Dial Global.

Univision Enterprises, a division of Univision Communications Inc., announced an exclusive global agreement to license an array of consumers products branded with the name and image of the late Cuban “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz.

In a recent Nielsen global study, all forms of paid advertising—TV, print, digital, radio—showed a gap in the “trust factor,” with a majority of respondents reporting that they don’t trust each type much or at all. Conversely, and not surprisingly, “recommendations from people I know” scored highest on trust, with 92 percent of consumers trusting this source completely or somewhat. Owned media, such as brand websites, scored higher than paid advertising but lower than social recommendations. Yet advertising as a medium continues to thrive, with ad dollars on the rise globally and in many markets around the world.