Agency

Aflac will release Pep-Talk Soccer, the company’s latest Spanish language commercial on Sunday, January 19th. The new commercial leverages the hype of the 2014 World Cup to deliver an important message to the Hispanic Market. When an unexpected injury strikes, Aflac can help you stay focused on your goals.

In sights from GfK’s MultiMedia Mentor show that teenagers’ Internet use is growing faster than that of any other key age group, abetted by a variety of devices – smartphones, tablets, videogame consoles, and connected TVs. Time spent online by teens (ages 13 to17) rose 37%, to just over 4 hours per day, compared to the beginning of 2012; by contrast, online minutes remained essentially flat for those aged 18 to 64, 18 to 54, and even 18 to 49.

New York City’s distinguished dozen power players – – – Mariano Rivera, Zoe Saldana, Daisy Exposito-Ulla, Phil Suarez, Mario Baeza, Marc Anthony just to name a few. GET TO KNOW THEM ………

As lines snaked outside marijuana dispensaries in Colorado on day one of legal weed, the themes of the day were obvious and cliché: stoners, bongs, the munchies.

Yet, if legal weed is now a real product, like beer or cigarettes or Sudafed, shouldn’t we be thinking about how to market it? And, if so, what’s the creative brief going to look like for a pot brand?

Let’s take a quick hit.

Entravision Communications Corporation announced that its Luminar division, the “big data” analytics and modeling provider has added two new senior management positions which will further strengthen the company’s data analytics capabilities and programmatic ad buying sectors.

5 Rules for Storytelling to the Next Generation

Effective storytelling, as it always has, boils down to one thing: knowing your audience. No matter what the technology or the user experience, understanding your consumer’s mindset is paramount to communicating with them.  By Roberto Ruiz – Univision Communications

Entravision Communications Corporation announced that the company has appointed Jose Villafañe to EVP of Entravision Solutions and Entravision Radio Network.  His responsibilities include all national spot and network goals for Entravision owned and operated and partner radio stations. 

SapientNitro, part of Sapient, announced its acquisition of La Comunidad, a creative agency renowned for award-winning, engaging campaigns that consistently break boundaries in cross-cultural marketing.

It’s no secret that Hispanics are driving US population growth. But in recent years, the dynamics of that growth have changed. Ten to twenty years ago, young adults entering the US to look for work caused the Hispanic population to rise. Today, immigration has slowed due to the economy – but owing to high birth rates, the Hispanic population has continued its ascent.

Advertising is a driving force in the U.S. economy, serving as a generator of job creation and sales, according to a new study commissioned by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Advertising Coalition, which represents advertisers, advertising agencies, and media companies.

In my last blog I addressed the question: do Latinos need a national leader?  I proposed that Hispanics are best served by multiple leaders who offer varying perspectives that reflect the richness of Latino internal diversity.  It just so happened that I recently glimpsed a vision of that expanding leadership.  By Dr. Carlos E. Cortés is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Riverside

Thirty-four million Americans are planning to purchase a vehicle in the next six months and a new report, “Digital Influence on Auto Intenders,” from Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Prosper Insights finds that these consumers are almost twice as likely to be swayed by auto-focused digital marketing than the general population (21% vs. 12%). Moreover, automotive shoppers are 71 percent more likely to be influenced by digital advertising across multiple retail categories than the average consumer.

What’s driving this growth? Up-and-coming products—such as 3-D printers, Bluetooth wireless speakers, convertible PCs, health and fitness devices, smart watches and Ultra HD television displays—which CEA estimated would drive 65% of total industry revenue growth, despite representing just 3% of the sector overall. Revenues for these products as a whole are expected to come in at more than $6 billion this year.

Everywhere consumers go, they are being bombarded by messages that tell them that brand A is ever so slightly healthier than brand B.  Consumers are noticing, and more purchasing decisions are being made on the basis of health and wellness. The 2013 Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health, commissioned by the International Food Information Council Foundation, found that for 64% of consumers, “healthfulness” is considered to be the most important factor driving foods and beverages purchase decisions, up 6 points since 2006 when 58% considered healthfulness the most important purchase driver and trumped only by taste and price.

The need to differentiate from the competition is as great as it has ever been. While global consumer confidence was flat in third-quarter 2013 from the previous quarter, confidence was on the rise in over half of the countries Nielsen surveys, including the U.S. Still, many shoppers remain focused on value for their money. At the same time, e-commerce has attracted a growing number of users. Innovation, however, can give retailers the all-important edge.

We’re more than a week into 2014, and 2013 has already become a memory. But it was a big year in tech, marketing, and a big year for Millennials (as they officially became a buzzword), and we don’t want to let the last 12 months go without looking at the lessons we’ve learned.

History sometimes repeats itself.

So those with longer memories may start to see parallels between the rapidly growing content amplification space, led by content marketing distribution platforms like Outbrain and Taboola, and the rise of the search engine marketing industry in the early 2000’s. Will the CAA (content amplification agency) be the new SEM agency?

Meredith Hispanic Media (MHM), publisher of Siempre Mujer and Ser Padres magazines, released findings from its Auto Trends Report detailing the car-buying habits and attitudes of the modern Latina.

LAPIZ announced the hire of Diego Figueroa as SVP, Strategy and Participation Director. With a keen understanding of the General Market and Multicultural planning, Figueroa will oversee the agency’s Strategy department, which encompasses brand strategy, consumer engagement, research and shopper marketing.

Shopping for healthcare has become a frightening experience for 2 million exchange eligible consumers. Although enhancements were made to federal and state exchanges call centers and online platforms, the experience they offered was far from “best-in-class”.  This was especially so for Hispanic and Millennial (ages 18-34) eligibles, who are facing a range of enrollment obstacles that go beyond the now infamous Obamacare site glitches. The lack of truly culturally competent channels for segments with limited healthcare literacy, and the lack of clear explanation of benefits for eligible, have drastically impacted the proportion of Millennials and Hispanics enrolled in ACA exchanges by the deadline for 1/1/14 coverage.