Agency

Total U.S. advertising spending is expected to increase 4.9 percent in 2006 to $150.3 billion, according to the full-year forecast released today by TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information. This is a downward revision from the company’s prior forecast of 5.4 percent growth issued in January.

Zimmerman, the Miami/Fort Lauderdale agency that recently enlisted the local Nissan franchisees´business for Hispanic, has added more fun to its roster by winning the Six Flags account to service all its amusements parks and business.

The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) announces a new roster of celebrity ambassadors – Salma Hayek, Dennis Haysbert, Nick Cannon, Laura Ceron, Judy Tenuta, and Cristina Saralegui – to urge Americans at risk for HIV to get tested and get their results on June 27th — the 12th Annual National HIV Testing Day (www.hivtest.org) and the 25th anniversary year of the first diagnosis of HIV / AIDS.

With paint rollers in hand and plenty of elbow grease to spare, thirty teenagers from local community centers pitched in to help beautify the Vermont Ave. headquarters of another youth-serving organization during the annual L.A. Works volunteer day, held Saturday, June 3. The event was sponsored in part by the Majestic Realty Foundation.

For the fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup, the MasterCard All-Star Team program will recognize and honor the top football players of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Hispanic teens may be the single most important segment for future-oriented marketers to understand. They provide rich insights into the influence of ethnicity and culture in the larger U.S. consumer market. And with a current spending power of $20 billion and a projected growth rate six times higher than the rest of the teen market, Hispanic teens are a force in and of themselves.

In an analysis of US mass transit users, US consumers who use subways and railway systems, and “power pedestrians” — defined as consumers who walk three or more miles in a city or town over the course of a week — Scarborough Research found that this desirable demographic is plugged-in and more likely to plan to purchase portable electronic devices such as MP3 players and PDAs, as well as to use wireless Internet.

The pursuit of digital convergence, and the resulting “urge to merge,” will likely bring about the next boom in the technology industry. Executives have learned from the last bubble and are approaching the current round of mergers and acquisitions more strategically, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ “Technology Executive Connections” report.

Adoption of high-speed internet at home grew twice as fast in the year prior to March 2006 than in the same time frame from 2004 to 2005. Middle-income Americans accounted for much of the increase, along with African Americans and new internet users coming online with broadband at home.

Hispanics by a large margin believe that immigrants have to speak English to be a part of American society and even more so that English should be taught to the children of immigrants, according to recent surveys conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The Cartel Group announced its selection as the emerging markets efforts agency for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK.

The moving company’s decision came after a search to identify an agency to develop a strategy for working with emerging minority markets. This includes franchises, frontline employees and customers.

Sharon McSwain Homes, an Atlanta-based residential home builder, announced a major Hispanic marketing initiative in response to the growing need for residential housing for the fast growing Latino market in metro Atlanta.

Novamex introduced its new Hispanic advertising with a strong focus on strategy and sales for its four brands: Jarritos, Sangria Señorial, Sidral Mundet, and Mineragua. Long-time agency of record Los Angeles-based integrated marketing communication agency Acento managed the creative component and handled media duties for the new campaign.

Miami based Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has been interested in getting a foot hold in the television industry in the US Hispanic market and have been very interested in expanding their presence in Puerto Rico beyond their radio holdings.