Agency

Tracey Decker at the end of January will be departing MEC Bravo in New York to join Universal McCann in New York as the Sr. VP Group Media Director on Hispanic initiatives for the Johnson & Johnson account which also includes many Pfizer accounts.

You, you and you, again! It seems that’s all we hear now, thanks in part to Time’s naming of “you” as person of the year. And praise to you recently extended beyond mainstream and into the marketing-agency world, exemplified by Ad Age’s naming of you as agency of the year. That’s where I draw the line. Let’s get things straight. You, the individual, are more important to marketers now because you now have a digital megaphone in which to expose, codify and amplify what you’ve always done: express yourself, including your experiences with brands. Your expressions now are positioning, promoting and influencing brands in ways that often are more creative, compelling, credible and powerful than those of the professional agencies that brands still hire today. But should you, the individual, be crowned agency of the year? No.

The Thomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) explores issues of wealth building and economic empowerment in Latino communities, the Institute is pleased to announce the release of a new study titled Credit Card Borrowing Among U.S. Hispanics: Immigrants’ Experience with Credit Counseling Services and Industry Best Practices.

Starting Monday, Jan. 15, AT&T Inc. is launching a new multi-media campaign to begin transitioning the Cingular brand to AT&T in advertising and customer communications, throughout Web sites and nationwide retail stores, and on company buildings and vehicles.

A social networking site is an online place where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him or her to other users. In the past five years, such sites have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users. More than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites, according to a new national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Wal-Mart announced the roster of advertising agencies it has selected to implement its marketing campaigns going forward.

Houston based Lopez Negrete Communications keeps Hispanic AOR responsibilities after a very competitive review that included Accentmarketing and LatinWorks in the final round.

Just prior to the rowdy New Year’s weekend, the Federal Communications Commission quietly released 88 studies and documents pertaining to media consolidation and ownership, dating back to 2002.

Lopez Negrete Communications has been chosen to steward strategic and creative direction for ConAgra Foods’ ACT II Popcorn. In addition, the agency will assist with strategy and creative support for other ConAgra Foods brands such as Reddi-wip, Egg Beaters and Healthy Choice.

Zubi Advertising announced the formation of iZubi – a dedicated integrated marketing team that will lead the agency towards more innovative and memorable campaigns for its clients that forge deeper brand relationships with the evolving Hispanic consumer base. iZubi signals a reconsideration of mass media solutions in an era where consumers are seeking alternative methods to interact with products and messages.

CBS Research revealed surprising new data showing that as the public at large becomes more connected to digital media, the more engaged they become in primetime television programming.

There is a lot of good and a little bit of bad news for online video advertisers, according to a recent Burst Media survey of more than 2,600 online visitors.