Business

Consumer optimism signals a return to happier holidays

In 2020, the global economy experienced one of the worst declines since the Great Depression.  Yet, while the ripple effects of COVID-19 have thrown many businesses into disarray, some companies have not only managed to stay afloat amidst the chaos—they’ve thrived. Using data from Kantar BrandZ, this graphic looks at the top 100 most valuable brands of 2021.

Synchrony announced the Latinx Executive Alliance, a coalition that allows C-suite executives and business leaders from different companies, industries and sectors, to collectively help Latinx employees advance in corporate America.

Gina Oliva-Pinto has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing for NBCUniversal Local, a division of NBCUniversal.

This is the seventh year of Women in the Workplace, the largest study of women in corporate America. This effort, conducted by McKinsey in partnership with LeanIn.Org, analyzes the representation of women in corporate America, provides an overview of HR policies and programs—including HR leaders’ sentiment on the most effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices—and explores the intersectional experiences of different groups of women at work.

Despite higher inflation, labour shortages, and wage inflation, corporate confidence is growing across the world. There is a consensus that, despite the lingering impact of the pandemic, we are through the worst of times. Consumer confidence is also high and rising, starting with China and the West and gradually spreading to other economies.

With employees having more job opportunities to choose from, 91% of HR leaders are increasingly concerned about employee turnover in the coming months, according to a survey of 572 HR leaders in July 2021 by Gartner, Inc.

Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) released a new report, the 2021 Latino Board Monitor, revealing a lack of US Latino representation on the largest company boards in the country. Latino directors are missing on 47% of Fortune 100 boards, while the Fortune 1000 fares worse with 69% of companies lacking a US Latino perspective.

The unprecedented growth in advertising spending in the first half (+32%) was more than low comps due to the COVID lockdown and recession last year. It was caused by a unique combination of national brands reconnecting with consumers and competing for a limited amount of traditional media inventory, while the lasting changes of COVID on lifestyles and marketing methods continue to fuel huge digital advertising spending from both big brands and small businesses. These ongoing organic growth engines, combined with Olympic budgets and the Mid-Term election spending, will continue to generate double-digit spending growth in the second half and into 2022.

The Desert Southwest region has long set a dizzying pace for population growth, expanding by at least twice the national average every decade from 1950 and 2010. Does business growth in this region mirror this population change?  In a word — yes.

Companies are increasingly desperate for workers. As they continue to struggle to find people with the skills they need, their competitiveness and growth prospects are put at risk.  At the same time, an enormous and growing group of people are unemployed or underemployed, eager to get a job or increase their working hours. However, they remain effectively “hidden” from most businesses that would benefit from hiring them by the very processes those companies use to find talent.

Some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have played a central role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enrique Dussan has passed in Austin, TX on September 11, 2021, he was a gentle, intelligent and media planning executive in our Industry.  Mr. Dussan, a veteran media planning executive of our industry, worked for Marca in Miami, Republica and Wing / GreyGlobal Group.  He also played a role as a judge in our HispanicAd Media Planning Awards.

The figures are out from the latest U.S. Census, and it’s clear Latinos drove population growth in the U.S., having increased from 50.5 million in 2010 to 62.1 million people in 2020. That accounts for 51.1% of the overall population growth of 22.7 million.By contrast, the general population in the U.S. only grew by 7.4% during the same period.  By Karla Fernandez Parker

The study, “My Voice Matters: Linking Inclusion to Business Growth,” investigated levels of inclusion when making business decisions, determining career progression and growth, and evaluating a sense of belonging within the industry. The report queried respondents in three key areas linked to business performance: My Voice in the Room, My Voice in the Company, and My Voice in the Industry.

In the latest of our regular series of expert webinars, Ebiquity’s Global CEO, Nick Waters, hosted leading media industry analyst, Ian Whittaker, to set out what he believes will be the priorities and challenges for brands, media, and advertising in the coming months.

Joseph Jaffe is an author, CEO, futurist, disruptor, and now, a late-night talk show host. During the pandemic, he launched “Corona TV” to give himself — and the marketing world — something to do. Now, over 150 episodes later, the newly rebranded “Joseph Jaffe is Not Famous” is a show about hope, positivity, optimism, and, if there’s time for it, marketing. This jack of all trades discussed the creator economy, streaming, cryptocurrency, diversity, and more in a special two-part series of the Futures Podcast.

How is the Job Market Shifting Over the Next Decade?

The Tao of Strategy is not simply about Taoism and strategy. The word “Tao” in the title has a variety of meanings — the Way, “the nature,” the origin of all things — while also connoting Eastern wisdom. Our observations of institutions facing strategic challenges, plus recent research positing strategic intuition as the source of novel strategies, led us to explore how Eastern philosophy complements Western strategy-making.

“You wanna go where everybody knows your name,” according to the famous theme song from the television sitcom Cheers. But according to a new study from NameCoach, work is not as inclusive as Cheers when it comes to pronouncing names correctly. The new study reveals that 44% of respondents had their names mispronounced in an interview, and 41% had their names mispronounced in a customer meeting. The survey of U.S. workers shows that Hispanics were among the most impacted, with 59% having their name mispronounced in an interview.