Agency

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) announces that Sandra Bernardo, an account supervisor at Euro RSCG Magnet, is returning for a second year to lead the organization, while Romina Bongiovanni, a senior account executive at RL Public Relations & Marketing, Inc. takes on the Vice President role.

Advertising spending is expected to increase 5.1 percent in 2005 to $150.5 billion, according to full-year forecasts released by TNS Media Intelligence. This increase follows the estimated growth of 10.6 percent in 2004, as the U.S. economy continues to show signs of stability.

“Hispanic USA Inc is now officially open for business”, declared its Principal, Media Pioneer Jose Cancela.

Grupo PyR has established an affiliation with JL Media, one of the largest independent media buying service companies in the U.S.

Nielsen Media Research will launch a branding advertising campaign in February to heighten awareness about who Nielsen is and how its TV reports accurately reflect the viewing habits of all different kinds of people.

The California State Lottery has narrowed their review for the Hispanic portion to three finalist.

Nationwide Insurance announced the winners of the 2004 Hispanic Heritage Month Art Contest. The contest was established to highlight the diversity within the Hispanic culture and portray it through art. Entries from Texas, Florida and Ohio captured first, second, and third places respectively.

Consumers will be able to send money to Mexico for less than ever because Bank of America announced it is eliminating remittance fees and foreign exchange fees in Chicago through its SafeSend service as part of a national rollout to be completed by year-end. It is the first major financial institution in the United States to take such significant steps in the remittance market.

If you sell advertising, no matter if it’s on a peanut whistle little radio station or a major market leading TV station, you share this same issue with advertisers. When they commit dollars to your station, many of them have an unspoken expectation of what kind of results they should achieve. Or more precisely, how quickly they should achieve those results.

Recent studies show that America’s children are sleeping less than experts recommend and that the majority experience sleep problems. Parents may know this firsthand from their struggles with their own children, but many still find it difficult to arrive at the right approach to help them get the rest they need. With the assistance of Dr. Marcel Deray, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Miami Children’s Hospital, Tide is promoting Sweet Dreams (“Dulces Sueños”), a 10-step process that tells Hispanic parents how they can help their children achieve a more satisfying sleep.

Pilar Montenegro and Obie Bermudez teamed up to launch a month-long Burger King consumer promotion, A Day Your Way”(Un Día A Tu Manera). The promotion includes a consumer sweepstakes with prizes of up to $10,000 in the form of a FNBO gift card. As part of the promotion, Pilar and Obie will make special appearances at select Burger King restaurants in major markets during the month of February.

Crest turns 50 this year, and to celebrate its long-time commitment to children’s smiles, it has partnered with superstar Dayanara Torres and the Hispanic Dental Association to raise awareness about proper oral health during Children’s Dental Health Month.

Top food marketers including General Mills, Kellogg Co. and Kraft Foods, along with trade associations such as the American Advertising Federation and the Association of National Advertisers have formed the Alliance for American Advertising.