Business

Sprint Nextel announced changes in its senior management team. Paul Saleh, Chief Financial Officer, Tim Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer, and Mark Angelino, president, Sales and Distribution will leave the company Friday, January 25.

QuePasa Corporation announced the appointment of Jeff Valdez as Chairman of the Board. In that role, Valdez will help guide the company as it continues its growth in the online Latino market.

The Kelsey Group has identified more than two dozen key trends to watch in 2008 in the global Yellow Pages, local search, interactive local media, vertical directories and classified media markets.

As someone who’s been practicing Hispanic marketing for many years, I’ve always been a huge advocate of educational programs and tools that advance the cause of multicultural marketing, especially conferences for marketing professionals interested in learning more about marketing to Hispanics.

But I’ve also been troubled by the seemingly endless presentation of Hispanic marketing conference “factories.” By Manny Gonzalez

You’ve probably heard of the enormous sales growth of the Prius in 2007, which more than a car has become a badge of sophistication. But the environment isn’t a fad- there are many documented examples proving that this particular phenomena has transcended “trendiness” and has become not only a lifestyle choice but also an economic imperative.

According to consumer technology industry analysts from The NPD Group 2008 could be a year of transition for the industry. The impending analog television shut-off, the drive toward connectivity, and the growing penetration of broadband Internet access in American homes will more actively shape the kinds of consumer technology products and services consumers can expect to see and buy in the coming year.

As one of the hottest new products to hit markets in California and Texas cities, followed by tremendous success in Arizona, Colorado and Nebraska, Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light & Clamato Chelada will arrive in convenience stores, supermarkets and grocery stores nationwidey.

Approximately 50 percent of U.S. consumers consider at least one sustainability factor in selecting consumer packaged goods (CPG) items and choosing where to shop for those products, according to a recently released survey conducted by Information Resources, Inc. (IRI). The 22,000 U.S. consumers surveyed were asked to determine the impact of four key sustainability features in their product and store selection—organic, eco-friendly products, eco-friendly packaging and fair treatment of employees and suppliers.

midst the hubbub that continues to surround DVR use, television commercial ratings and the fact that viewers are becoming more and more capable of skipping ads, there remains more than a glimmer of hope for advertisers– particularly those with time-sensitive holiday messages. That’s because, while more viewers are recording programs with their DVRs, they’re actually not delaying viewing for very long, according to a recent analysis conducted by Palisades MediaGroup.

MRM Worldwide is developing a digital marketing program for MSN Latino that will enable the Internet portal’s advertisers to more effectively reach second-generation Hispanics in the United States.

In a throwback to the Y2K transition, a number of Web sites are running countdown clocks that, presently, read “426 days, 8 hours, 39 minutes, 31 seconds.” That is the time remaining until Feb. 17, 2009, the deadline set by Congress when all US broadcasters must cease analog broadcasting and switch to all-digital signals.

At the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft President of the Entertainment & Devices Division Robbie Bach unveiled several new entertainment services and partnerships, including new deals with Disney-ABC Television Group, NBC Universal and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), that demonstrate how software is improving people’s ability to connect with their favorite content and communities through new and expanded forms of entertainment experiences.

Total U.S. measured advertising spending is projected to increase 4.2 percent in 2008, according to the full-year forecast released by TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. Measured expenditures are forecast to grow by 3.6 percent in the first half of 2008 followed by a gain of 4.7 percent in the second half.

Entrepreneurship, the willingness to take a risk and start one’s own business, has always been the driving force of the U.S. economy. Research indicates that among American minority groups, Hispanics are the most likely to start their own business. The most recent government data shows Hispanics own the largest number of firms.