Agency

When it comes to agency new business, agency leadership is confident on one point: “just get me in the room,” they say—as if that alone is the golden ticket. Based on experience, that is most definitely not enough. But why? One reason is that people often don’t have the skills to close effectively. Another is that they are approaching the interaction with the wrong mindset. And another is that they’ve failed to do their preparatory homework.  By Mark Duval / Duval Partnership

As the first generation born and raised in a smartphone-powered world, Gen Z (born 1998 or later) seems destined to have profound connections with and feelings about technology. New insights from GfK Consumer Life suggest that these effects are even more pronounced among Gen Z women, who love new gadgets but question their impact on quality of life.

The fundamental method by which television commercials are bought and sold hasn’t significantly changed since the first spot aired 70 years ago — but that is changing now, and changing fast.

More than 20 companies were named as winners in 12 separate categories. Grand Prize winners in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony during the ANA’s 21st annual Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, November 6–8, in San Diego. The ceremony culminates with the “Best in Show” announcement, honoring the year’s best campaign chosen from the Grand Prize category winners.

A new study by the Pew Research Center revealed that there is not only a growing division between Americans of both parties since the acrimonious 2016 election, but that levels of animosity are on the rise as well.  By David R. Morse, CEO & President of New American Dimensions

Organizations are continually tasked with understanding what their employees do, the tools they use to accomplish their work, and the environment in which they operate, and 70% of HR executives recognize the need for overall digital transformation. Just as the technology evolves, workplace culture must continue to be an utmost priority for leaders – and not just those in the C-suite.

Resilience is the “it” word of 2019. From the headlines and sound bites on the topic in political, sports, and celebrity news to the focus on health and wellness programs for employees, as well as self-care apps, resilience has entered the American lexicon as yet another personal wellness goal: to have more of it.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced the launch of the Spanish-language version of its widely popular This Shirt Saves Lives campaign at the Billboard Latin Power Players Summit Party in Los Angeles. Launching with Mexican-American singer, songwriter and actress Becky G, the new t-shirt, “Esta Camiseta Salva Vidas,” introduces a new era of the national campaign that inspired a mainstream movement to support the lifesaving work of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.

Hispanic Access Foundation released its new short film “I Am Cheo,” which explores the intersection of Latino culture and communities with the outdoors and climate issues, like wildfires, and emphasizes the need for engagement and action to preserve our future.

The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) reveals the winners of the 2019 National ¡Bravo! Awards, recognizing several categories including corporate and agency campaigns, diversity and inclusion, journalism and overall leadership in the Hispanic public relations and marketing communications industries.

In response to a recent op-ed about the missed opportunity in the streaming service market among Hispanics, Jose Villa, president of Sensis, notes that “the Hispanic market has been targeted sparingly and with mixed results by streaming video and OTT players” and opines that “Spanish-language content preference and consumption provides the best basis for identifying a unique market opportunity for streaming video in the U.S. Hispanic market.”  By Adriana Waterston – Horowitz Research

New global research released by Accenture Interactive offers guidance to chief marketing officers (CMOs) on strategies to use data respectfully and responsibly at a time when a majority of consumers (69%) would not do business with a brand if their data usage was invasive.

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises announced that it has partnered with Valence Media’s The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, one of the world’s leading entertainment news and music publishers, to launch Latin Fest+ (working title), an immersive, week-long experience for the Latin entertainment industry, artists and fans.

For every ad featuring strong women and girls, there’s the inexplicable product that was marketed specifically to women—but didn’t have to be. From household cleaners to snacks, some brands are creating unnecessarily gendered versions of products and often charging women more for it. The spotlight on this practice, which is referred to as the “pink tax,” is growing hotter. And it’s leaving the door wide open for new brands to make waves by openly calling attention to pink taxed items, challenging sexist stereotypes, empowering underprivileged women and creating products that put the comfort and desires of women, rather than society’s expectations, first.

This year marks the fifth year of our research on women in the workplace, conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org. We look back on data and insights since 2015 from close to 600 companies that participated in the study, more than a quarter of a million people that were surveyed on their workplace experiences, and more than 100 in-depth one-on-one interviews that were conducted.

The 2016 ANA report on media transparency was a welcome and long-overdue wake-up call for the global advertiser community. By highlighting the existence of nontransparent trading practices in the U.S. media market — by most measures the largest and most sophisticated in the world — the report focused many national and global advertisers’ attention on the issue of transparency in media. It was the first stepping stone on the journey to more transparent media trading.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court has settled the debate around the inclusion of the citizenship question in the upcoming 2020 census, the business community can once again focus on what truly matters: the rich data it will provide to all of us, and how to apply the new learnings that this data will unlock.  By Isaac Mizrahi-  Co-President of ALMA

A recent WARC newsletter offered up an article titled, “How e.l.f. re-engaged with consumers”. The review of how the U.S. cosmetics company achieved this was interesting and led me to reflect on the need to adapt your media strategy to be appropriate to your brand’s status.  by Nigel Hollis

With so much content available to young adults these days, their media consumption differs greatly from that of older age groups.
In this constantly changing ecosystem, TV channels and digital platforms are competing creatively to nurture their appeal to this audience.

With research, data, and insights commanding media attention today, an organization such as the Advertising Research Foundation ( ARF ) must help its membership understand and navigate the impact. The ARF is well prepared for this task. Its mission, according to Scott McDonald , chief executive officer and president, is “to further, through research, the scientific practice of advertising and marketing.”