Business

US online ad spending will post growth well above 20% again this year to reach nearly $40 billion, eMarketer estimates, as the internet continues to prove its worth to advertisers in a tough economic climate.

Humans hate making mistakes. But the fact is, making mistakes is an essential part of being human. Somehow, we have to learn to live on the edge of this paradox. For digital marketers, our entire industry is balanced on this particular precarious precipice. There are a few rules of thumb to “screwing up” successfully.

Telemundo Media announced that Maria Lopez Alvarez has been named senior vice president of alternative programming. Alvarez, a 26-year industry veteran from Univision, will report to Alina Falcon, executive vice president, news and alternative programming, effective immediately.

Javier Garcia has been named general manager of the U.S. Hispanic business and operations for Yahoo!, and is responsible for leading, growing and developing Yahoo!’s Hispanic-facing media and advertising business.

In the NY Times article published Saturday, January 14, “For many Latinos, Racial Identity is more Culture than Color” the author, Erika Lubliner reports that Cultural Identity is the main self-defining difference between Latinos and Non-Latinos living in the U.S. today. By Red Bean Society

There is no denying that the past year brought about tremendous economic, political and social unrest. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The Arab Spring. The News of the World scandal. The Occupy Wall Street movement. Those brands that remained focused on their customers, employees, markets, demand and the environment forged ahead — and ended 2011 stronger than ever. DOWNLOAD Report Here.

While several department stores forfeited profit by deep holiday discounting, Kohl’s won the hearts and mind of the customer with the highest overall Customer Relationship Score compared to other mid tier department stores. Kohl’s edges jcpenney on two of three Customer Relationship metrics – Emotional and Behavioral – while sharing the lead with jcpenney on the Rational dimension.

Many executives foresee leadership shortages in the year ahead and are looking at programs to accelerate leadership development within their companies, according to new research from Deloitte. The Deloitte report, “Talent Edge 2020: Redrafting Talent Strategies for the Uneven Recovery,” identifies a number of significant trends driving corporate talent strategies and tracks how companies are responding to shifting economic realities. DOWNLOAD Report Here.

Fernando Figueredo has been named Director of Communications and External Affairs for Miami-Dade County. Prior to that, he was the Chair of the Public Relations and Advertising Faculty in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University.

Cheerios is adding its newest cereal flavor, Dulce de Leche Cheerios.

According to a recent Corporate Executive Board study featured in the Wall Street Journal that aggregated data of more than 4,300 exit interviews, three-quarters of departing employees would not recommend their previous employer to others. Cited as the worst percentage in at least five years, this study underscores the need for today’s employers to create, develop and maintain talent strategies that promote employee satisfaction, internal brand engagement, creativity and growth. DOWNLOAD Report Here.

The proliferation of devices is increasing access to content, which recent data suggest is driving more consumption. Deloitte’s sixth edition “State of the Media Democracy” survey reveals that the introduction of new platforms has led to increases in the consumption of movies and books.