Business

Over the past 15 years,1 the economies in Central America and the Caribbean (CAC) recorded an average annual GDP growth of around 4 percent, higher than the growth rates achieved by the Latin American average and most developed economies, but well below most other developing regions; regions such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa—and countries such as China or India—exhibited average annual growth of more than 5 percent during this period.

By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc / LMMiami.com

• I wrote a somewhat scalding piece about Accenture’s shopping spree last week.
• Pessimistic and gloomy some folks called it.
• I received lots of comments trying to convince me to see the glass half full.
• Your optimism is sweet and endearing, folks.

Transparency is key to authentically connecting with consumers, but are companies sharing all that their consumers want to know?

In the consumer-goods sector, agile ways of working aren’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Success depends on knowing where and how to deploy them.

Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard called for the creation of an entirely new media supply chain to address the significant challenges facing the industry in transparency, brand safety and privacy.

Packaging changes are an integral part of every brand’s lifecycle. Many changes are routine, but some are more radical; driven by changing consumer trends, the need to modernize, or signaling a more premium offer. However, even slight changes can dramatically impact sales, making it critical to get your packaging transition strategy right.  by Tara Prabhakar – Global Director, Qualitative, Client Impact Insights Division, Kantar and David Lansanah Global Head of Innovation Insights Division, Kantar

As global momentum remains strong, telecom CEOs are expressing a high level of confidence in their ability to generate and maintain top-line growth — now and in the future.  By Barbara K. Mednick

Some conventions have existed for such a long time, we struggle to recognize them as “conventions” at all. Take, for instance, the modern-day résumé. It’s a centuries-old tool, which hiring managers have used to evaluate job candidates for as long as they can remember.  By Rob Markey –  CEO HireVue

With the U.S. multicultural population projected to grow by 98 million people in the coming decades, Acosta expects multicultural shoppers will continue to have significant influence on the grocery shopping experience.

Top policy experts and trade organizations today launched the new “Privacy for America” coalition, which will work with Congress to support enactment of groundbreaking comprehensive federal consumer data privacy and security legislation.

Mundo Hispano Digital Network announced Ken Domenech will join the company as chief financial officer effective immediately. The move is part of MHDN’s plans to continue its transformation into a diversified business, with growth fueled primarily by the success of its flagship media property, MundoHispanico.com.

The price and promotion of a consumer packaged goods (CPG) product can make or break its success. Price can directly affect a product’s ability to sell, and at what velocity. And promotions have the ability to influence consumers’ purchasing decision in a particular moment. Combined, these two factors can significantly impact a product’s success on and off the shelves.

By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc. / LMMiami.com

• The global consulting behemoth Accenture acquired Droga5.
• Droga5, in case it doesn’t ring a bell, is a darling of the creative firmament if there ever was one, up there with Wieden & Kennedy, 72 & Sunny and a few others.

Univision Communications Inc. today announced that it has completed the sale of assets comprising Gizmodo Media Group (GMG) and The Onion to Great Hill Partners.

MAGNA just  published  updated  estimates  and  forecasts  on  US  media  owners’  net advertising revenues (NAR). It reveals that advertising sales reached a new all-time high  in  2018,  at  $212  billion.  Advertising  spending  grew  by  almost  +10%  (+9.6% exactly),  driven by the robust economic environment and cyclical ad spend (Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Midterm Elections).  It was the ninth consecutive year of growth   and   the   strongest   growth   of   the   twenty-first   century,   exceeding   the performance of 2016 (+9%). 

“Never be afraid to speak up and ask questions. Listen to every person in the room, not just the ones you think might have the right answers. Be fearless, hardworking and humble. The business world can be a tough place to maneuver, but I’ve found that those three qualities are pretty much always appreciated by both your team and clients alike.”

The marketing industry produces some of the happiest employees around. It’s a proven fact: According to a 2016 study conducted by Calif.-based staffing company Robert Half, marketing and creative professionals — in addition to having the highest interest in their work — are among the happiest employees in several different industries. And yet, marketing organizations are competing for talent with other industries, and sometimes losing out to industries perceived as more glamorous or which provide more favorable compensation packages.

Increased complexity has become the new standard in marketing.  Increased complexity has been exploited to justify advertisers’ increased control over marketing and to marginalize ad agency involvement.  Yet, brands continue to languish.  The complexity trend needs to be reversed.

Despite early warning signs of a global economic slowdown, the possibility of a recession is not keeping most advertisers up at night. Ad spending will continue to rise across the globe, with digital driving most of the growth. That said, total media and digital ad spending growth rates will be weaker than they were in 2018, but that’s indicative of a market in transformation rather than budgets tightening.

By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc / LMMiami.com

• We have a callous tabloid & trash TV star prone to twitter tirades in the White House and a 30something clueless hipsteress with socialist messianic delusions in the House of Representatives.