Agency

A new Ipsos global survey highlights how wrong the public across 14 countries are about the scale of the basic make-up of their populations– and how the United States scores against the other 13, finishing in second-to-last place.

Before the midterm elections, the spotlight understandably is focused on the estimated 40% of voting age adults who are expected to show up at the polls next Tuesday. There has been less attention on the much larger share who most probably will not.

Cell phones and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are playing an increasingly prominent role in how voters get political information and follow election news, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center.

SSI has built a new digital survey panel with Univision called Que Crees? (What do you think?) to be the premier platform for market researchers to gain broad access to the opinions, beliefs and attitudes of Hispanic Americans.

Multidisciplinary brand culture and communications firm (add)ventures  is expanding its Miami office with the addition of Sue Tremblay as vice president of insights/analytics and Joel Velez as director of strategy/creative.

ESPN has announced that SportsCenter coordinating producer Hugo Balta will take on a new role as Senior Director, Multicultural Content for the ESPN Digital & Print Media group

Terra, in partnership with comScore, announces the results of “Terra’s 2014 State of the Hispanic Digital Consumer by comScore” study showcasing that Hispanics continue to outpace general market consumers on most digital fronts, above all in mobile, specifically among the Gen X and Millennial demographic.

Consumers aren’t the only ones who get wrapped up in the spirit of spending around the holidays. At a time when consumers are at their most generous, advertisers are upping their games and spending big to engage with consumers looking for the perfect gift and to share good tidings. Whether through images of cute polar bears sipping soft drinks or wise-cracking chocolate-covered candy, advertisers spent nearly $2.5 billion across the tech, clothing, gaming, book, kitchen, sporting goods and jewelry segments last year, up from $2 billion five years ago.

In a largely commoditized category, producing the best product is not enough to differentiate from the competition. Brands need to look at what they can authentically contribute to culture and how they can inspire their audience to build affinity. Few CPG brands are doing this well or being bold enough to do it.

Mari Tato is currently executive producer at Miami-based In&Out Productions*, one of the leading film production houses catering to the US Hispanic market today.  By Gonzalo López Martí – LMMiami.com

Univision Communications Inc. has announced plans to open two retail and specialty stores in early 2015 in the newly-redesigned Terminal 2 of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Publicis will acquire digital agency Sapiente for an estimated $3.7 billion, thus will also get La Comunidad as well to add to its roster.

The country’s fastest-growing ethnic segment also may be its most misunderstood, particularly by design and construction brands. “The Arrival of Hispanic-American Homeowners” white paper details buying power and purchasing habits of this emergent demographic for home and building product manufacturers.

The Hispanic market reminds me of the stock market. Both are filled with loud noise from its participants that make it very hard to understand clearly how to best capitalize on it.  By Arturo Nava, founder, Logra Tu Dream

The problem with brand value is really simple: no one agrees on it.  By Randall Beard, Global Head, Advertiser Solutions – Nielsen

But where will those dollars come from over the next year? Print, television and digital display are the chosen ones.

Horowitz Associates, Inc., Market and Multicultural Research has rebranded as Horowitz Research. In addition to the more streamlined name, the firm has unveiled a new visual identity and tagline: “Research. Insight. Innovation.”

I recently had a conversation with Mike Welch, who heads AT&T’s advertising business, and we very quickly found ourselves doubling back on our discussion to define the term “programmatic TV.” Impressed by the clarity of Mike’s take on the subject, and assuming that this “definition conversation” is happening in boardrooms and across lunch tables throughout the industry, I am herewith offering up a definition of programmatic advertising — particularly programmatic TV — in the public interest.

The Federal Trade Commission has charged Gerber Products Co., also doing business as Nestlé Nutrition, with deceptively advertising that feeding its Good Start Gentle formula to infants with a family history of allergies prevents or reduces the risk that they will develop allergies.

General Mills Inc. announced its exclusive U.S. partnership with GRAMMY Award-winning group Camila for the company’s 2014-2015 Musica y Sabor campaign focused on connecting with Hispanic consumers through one of their biggest passion points: music.