Industry

The big just got even bigger (but not better)

As I write this, Omnicom has confirmed that it plans to buy IPG for around $14 billion. If completed, it would create the world's largest advertising holding company. The industry headlines make it sound inevitable. Scale is everything. Except... is it?  By Amar Chohan - Founder - Department of Creative Affairs.

Alex Lopez Negrete to be inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame of 2025

The American Advertising Federation (AAF), "The Unifying Voice for Advertising," announced that Alex Lopez Negrete will be inducted into its 2025 Advertising Hall of Fame.

Roberto Alcazar to head Horizon Media new entity One Horizon

Horizon Media unveiled One Horizon, a full-service, general-market advertising agency. This new agency underscores Horizon Media's evolving vision and commitment to offering sophisticated, integrated solutions that harness the power of technology, data, and creativity to forge more meaningful consumer-brand connections. Building on a robust year-over-year growth of 35% across content services within Horizon enterprise, One Horizon positions the agency as a critical player in reshaping how marketing, media, and creative services converge to meet the complex demands of modern brands.

Omnicom to Acquire Interpublic Group to Create Premier Marketing and Sales Company

Omnicom and The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. announced their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement pursuant to which Omnicom will acquire Interpublic in a stock-for-stock transaction. The combined company will bring together the industry’s deepest bench of marketing talent, and the broadest and most innovative services and products, driven by the most advanced sales and marketing platform. Together, the companies will expand their capacity to create comprehensive full-funnel solutions that deliver better outcomes for the world’s most sophisticated clients.

Global Advertising Forecast Projects 9.5% Growth in Total 2024 Advertising Revenue [REPORT]

GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, published the topline findings of its End-of-Year Global Advertising Forecast for 2024. The report, which analyses advertising investments over the last 12 months and shares projections for 2025 and beyond, finds that strong performance of the largest sellers of advertising and increased digital expansion have propelled growth in global advertising investment to 9.5% this year. The industry will surpass $1 trillion in total revenue for the first time in 2024 (excluding U.S. political advertising) and grow another 7.7% in 2025 to reach $1.1 trillion.

Two out of three (65%) marketers expect business to improve next year while a third (34%) expect marketing budgets to increase

Optimism around business in 2025 appears to be higher, with two out of three (65%) of marketers expecting improved trading conditions, though marketing budget expectations aren’t quite as positive, according to The Voice of the Marketer 2025, a new report by WARC released today based on an in-depth survey of more than 1,000 marketers worldwide.

Empathy and AI Shape Today’s Leading Customer Experiences [REPORT]

Top performing US companies in customer experience leverage values-based empathy, personalization, AI, and other innovative technologies to gain a competitive edge, according to the new KPMG US Customer Experience Excellence (CEE) report.

MUJERES LATINAS EN ACCIÓN: A Story 50 Years in the making ……

After an exclusive premiere in Chicago, Illinois, Mujeres Latinas en Acción (Mujeres) is elated to announce the first official Puerto Rico screening of the documentary, Mujeres Latinas en Acción: A Story 50 Years in the Making by filmmaker, Glorimar Marrero-Sánchez at the Caribbean Cinemas Fine Arts Miramar on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

Entravision’s White House Correspondent Stephanie Ochoa Honored with 2024 Foreign Press Excellence Award

Entravision is proud to announce that Stephanie Ochoa, its White House News Correspondent, will be awarded the prestigious 2024 Foreign Press Excellence Award by the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA).

The real cost of business abandoning inclusion

Following Walmart and others’ withdrawal from DEIB initiatives, consultant Lisette Arsuaga explains how these businesses are out of sync with real Americans’ expectations.  By Lisette Arsuaga, Co president and co CEO

ANA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION encourages Giving Back to Marketing Industry’s Next Generation

Kicking off on GivingTuesday and through the end of the year, the ANA Educational Foundation (AEF) is doubling down on donations for its University Membership Program. The ANA Educational Foundation’s Give the Gift of ANA University Membership program allows organizations to donate an ANA membership to a school of their choice. These memberships enable both professors and students to tap into the vast network of industry programs, speakers, and curricula that the ANA and the AEF offers academia and future talent.

‘Get me on Rogan!’: PR scrambles to navigate new media

Corporate executives and other public figures emerged from this month’s election with a new task for their handlers: urgently figure out how to make them more like the loose, podcast-friendly Donald Trump, and less like the scripted and corporate Kamala Harris.

Latino Wealth Journey [REPORT]

The biggest opportunity within the wealth accumulation journey for Hispanics/Latinos lies with Emerging Affluents, according to a new report The Latino Wealth Journey: Understanding How to Expand Multigenerational Wealth Accumulation from Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Inclusion (NYSE: MS) and Hispanic Executive.

The Long Tail of the Advertising Business

To remain relevant — and profitable — agencies must regularly reevaluate their offerings to ensure they are optimizing the dynamics of the long tail of the advertising business.

Rolling Back DEI Initiatives

I considered writing a think piece on what Walmart rolling back its DEI initiatives means, but as I started, it hit me: they were never really about DEI.  By Mario Xavier Carrasco / ThinkNow

Marketing is dead. Advertising is deader. Long live growth hacking? Part 3

By Gonzalo López Martí - Creative Director

• Many growth hacks are glorified, carefully orchestrated bait & switch maneuvers.
• Throw in a little word of mouth* and BINGO.

4 in 5 Gen Z Employees Say They’re Victims of Generational Stereotypes, Costing Them Jobs and Promotions

Generation Z (Gen Z) knows they’re considered hard to work with, and they’re frustrated about it.

CMO: Facing extinction or adapting?

In many ways, the modern CMO is a bridge-builder and collaborator—a far cry from the rockstar CMOs of yesteryear.

d expósito & Partners Wins HPRA National ¡BRAVO! Award for Nielsen: Advancing Inclusivity and Representation in Media

d expósito & Partners and its public relations practice, Resonant, proudly announce their recognition at the 2024 HPRA National ¡BRAVO! Awards, winning in the B2B category for exceptional work with Nielsen in promoting inclusivity and representation in media. The agency’s strategic efforts amplified Nielsen’s inclusive representation reports, known as their Diverse Intelligence Series (DIS), which emphasize the critical importance of media diversity and actionable strategies for brands to better connect with diverse audiences.

Marketing is dead. Advertising is deader. Long live growth hacking? Part 2

By Gonzalo López Martí - Creative Director

• As we discussed last week, many growth hacking schemes are based on some sort of referral incentive: reward existing users for reeling in friends and family.