Agency

As part of our ongoing series with Geoscape, this month’s MarketPulse is focused on New Mainstream vacation preferences. As we dive into the dog days of Summer, many of us are traveling to the beach, the mountains or just embarking on “staycations” to relax in the warm weather. The travel and tourism industry is incredibly lucrative and marketers must understand New Mainstream behaviors in order to capitalize on opportunity. Check out some of the surprising data below to learn how America is spending their time off.

The much-awaited hit summer concert series, Descarga con Telemundo y mun2, is back and ready to entertain audiences in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and, for the first time, in Chicago.

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced today that U.S. Hispanic advertising expert, Liz Sarachek Blacker, will join the company as Executive Vice of Hispanic Strategy and Sales, effective August 4, 2014.

If you’ve had sporadic communication with some of your South Florida-based peers and clients since June 12, you’re likely not alone.  By Adam R Jacobson

With more people saying they’re willing to pay more for products and services from socially responsible companies, how can companies communicate that they’re on the same page? The most direct option may be how you’ve been communicating with them for years—at the point of sale. Making your social commitment clearly visible on your product packaging is not only a good way to tout your product’s benefits, but it can also be the difference between a purchase and a pass for many consumers.

Terra announced new additions to its U.S. operations team. Emilia Peña has been appointed Director of Sales while Luciano Islas joins as Senior Programmatic Sales Manager in the U.S. Liz Sarachek Blacker, who has served as Chief Revenue Officer for Terra for more than three years building a strong sales team, will move on to pursue a new opportunity.  

A recent Harris Poll found a strong majority of Americans believing economic inequality in the U.S. today is a problem (79%), with over half believing more specifically that it’s a major problem (54%). New findings further reveal that U.S. executives are even more likely than the general population to see it as a problem overall (88%), albeit less inclined to see it as a major problem (44%).

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is, to date, the most-streamed event ever. Obviously, the fact that technology today is a lot more “stream-friendly” than during World Cup 2010 helps a lot, with a far larger global audience living online with access to higher speeds and better devices. But we should also recognize that this high online streaming rate is not just a matter of better technology, but reflects a need that is being met.

Dallas-based agency iNSPIRE! has announced the hire of Rafael Ramirez as Chief Creative Officer. Rafael, an industry veteran, joins the firm from Conill Saatchi & Saatchi Miami, where he led the creative team as Vice President, Creative Director responsible for the agency’s roster of creative for Pampers, Crest, Tide, Aflac, Abbott, among others.

Creative professionals still prefer to sit down with a pen and paper for most activities, but mobile devices are reshaping many parts of their jobs.

Today, there is a lot of talk about “social consumerism.” But, at what point is social consumerism really capitalism in disguise?

Total media ad spending in the US this year will see its largest increase in a decade, according to new figures from eMarketer. On the strength of gains in mobile and TV advertising, total ad investments will jump 5.3% to reach $180.12 billion, achieving 5% growth for the first time since 2004, when ad spending increased 6.7%.

At 2014’s halfway point, Americans are loosening their purse strings in several key areas, backing off of several key efficiencies and cutbacks in comparison to a year ago, indicating Americans may be a bit more confident in their financial prospects for the near future. Looking further back, American financial attitudes continue to show great improvement over a few years ago.

Digital technologies have considerable potential to transform how companies create revenue and results via innovative strategies, products, processes and experiences. But do companies recognize that potential, and are they mobilizing to capitalize on it?

When asked to imagine what the U.S. will look like in 2024, 65 percent of American respondents are not convinced the country will be on the right track in 10 years. Two-thirds of respondents do not believe that America will be considered the “land of opportunity” in 10 years, and seven in 10 Americans are not certain that working hard and playing by the rules will bring success in 2024. However, a new social consensus is emerging, with overwhelming majorities believing that same-sex marriage (73 percent) and marijuana use (66 percent) will be legal in most states.

When I hear someone say, “we want to target men for our marketing campaign” or “we want men’s publications for our PR campaign,” that raises an immediate red flag to me as a marketer and an analyst.

The so called “American Exceptionalism” is still alive and well. The United States continues to live to the beat of its own and unique drumbeat. The belief in the “American Dream” and its meritocracy continues to be strong. Millions of people around the world still desperately want to come to “the land of opportunity,” the country that continuously advocates and supports democracy, freedom and liberty around the world.  By Carlos G Giron

Lupe de los Santos has joined Walton Isaacson (WI) as Senior Director, Hispanic Market Strategist.

Sun Broadcast Group, Inc. announced that Edwin Rivera-Searles has joined the company as Sr. Vice President of Digital Initiatives. Rivera will oversee development of Sun’s digital products.

Lagrant Communications announced, Senior Counselor Paulo P. Lima, Ph.D., has been appointed to lead the firm’s Hispanic Practice as Vice President, Managing Director.