Agency

The line between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is blurring, as many U.S. consumers are going online for holiday deals on the biggest shopping day of the year for brick-and-mortar retailers. While shopping tendencies among all consumers didn’t shift dramatically between 2011 and 2012, there were some significant changes among multicultural consumers.

The National Pork Board will launch a social media promotion –  “21 Dias de Tradiciones Navideñas” (21 Days of Christmas Traditions) – on its Spanish-language Facebook pageas part of its efforts to engage with Hispanic consumers during the holidays.

Datalogix announced that it has named former Starcom MediaVest Group executive Steven Wolfe Pereira as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the company.

Sensis will develop a social media campaign for Tadin Herb & Tea Co. Sensis has begun developing the social media strategy and will begin rolling out elements of the campaign before the end of the year.

Harris Interactive Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Nielsen Holdings N.V.

Univision Communications Inc. launched “Univision Contigo” (Univision With You), an expansion of the Company’s investment and partnership efforts to serve and empower the 55 million Hispanics in the U.S. “Univision Contigo” builds on the Company’s 50 years of service and engagement with the Hispanic community and will further enhance and focus its delivery and partnerships toward its top priorities

Hispanic and Asian American segments are leading the current job recovery as indicated by positive Labor Force growth, Employment, and decrease in unemployment (negative numbers in chart). While White Non-Hispanics are leaving the Labor Force instead of staying as other Multicultural segments and have caused a rapid reduction in the labor market.   By Carlos Santiago / Santiago Solutions Group

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, released his discussion draft of tax reform legislation that includes a provision that will, if enacted, severely impact the economy and lead to significant job loss. This provision would allow advertisers to deduct only 50 percent of all advertising expenses in the first year and amortize the remaining 50 percent over the next five years. Advertising currently is treated as a fully tax deductible ordinary and necessary business expense.

Despite some early season promotions, retailers still expect consumers to be active for the official start of this year’s holiday shopping season. According to a survey of top retail chief marketing officers by BDO USA, LLP, retailers anticipate a 3.1 percent increase in sales on Black Friday this year, mirroring their projections from last year. However, retailers have moderated their expectations for growth in Cyber Monday sales, predicting that sales will grow by 3.7 percent this year, down slightly from last year’s sunnier 4.3 percent growth projection.

United States consumers, who are “addicted to speed” and often willing to pay more to get it, toggle between Wi-Fi and fourth-generation (4G) wireless technologies to get the fastest possible connection for their mobile devices.  Deloitte’s third edition “Global Mobile Consumer Survey” (GMCS) offers insight into consumer purchasing habits, wants and trends in the U.S., with a focus on mobile devices, technologies and services.

As the market for broadband connectivity, wireline and wireless services becomes saturated, US telecom carriers, cable TV operators and internet service providers are using online and mobile channels to promote new technology, faster networks, superior video quality and more profitable “bundled” services and data pricing plans, according to a new eMarketer report, “The US Telecom Industry 2013: Digital Ad Spending Forecast and Key Trends.”

Brands are using music as a way to connect with their consumers now more than ever. In fact, U.S. music fans actually feel more favorable toward brands that engage them through their favorite tunes, according to Nielsen’s Music 360 report.

Virtually every week, there is another story about major marketers putting their media agency in review. Most of the reviews these days are driven by price, not performance. Marketers — through their procurement officers — want lower media prices, and they want to pay lower media agency fees. Certainly, marketers and their media agencies also spend a lot of time on media performance, but it seems that the pendulum has swung a bit too far to the cost control side lately.

Advertising agency DraftFCB is shutting down its Puerto Rico operation next month, leaving its 33 local employees out of work.  Employees were informed by a stateside executive who was sent down to deliver the bad news to the team of nearly three dozen in Puerto Rico.  Courtesy of Caribbean Business

Teens are the gatekeepers of cool, always willing to try new things and setting the standard for what’s hot and what’s not. They are early adopters and an important barometer for brands. Following are a few trends we’re seeing take off with teens, pointing to what will be hot or not on the horizon. While some present challenges for youth marketers, some also offer opportunities for us to better understand and reach today’s teens.

As the most anticipated week in Latin music unfolds, the city of Las Vegas fills up with celebrities, international media crews and hundreds of marketers from around the country who gather for the 14th edition of the Latin GRAMMY Awards.  By Lili Gil Valletta, Cofounder XL Alliance, Business & Politics Media Contributor

Univision Communications Inc. unveiled plans to connect and deliver fans with direct access to the 14th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards® through first-of-its kind digital and social television integrations offered on any awards show to-date. Fans had the unique opportunity to interact with their favorite celebrities and ask questions as they participate virtually in an exclusive Google+ Hangout featured on a video wall during a green carpet broadcast.

Like other forms of entertainment, sports programming is shifting to the digital space. US sports leagues and broadcasters are streaming increasing amounts of content on their broadband and mobile channels, and consumers are responding by tuning in on multiple screens, according to a new eMarketer report, “Sports Video Streaming: More Like a Marathon than a Sprint.”

A new study from Expedia Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of global online travel leader Expedia, Inc., provides an in-depth look at the content journey of today’s traveler including platform and device usage patterns, purchase trends, and how content influences the decision-making process.

HATUEY beer launched a new marketing campaign based on HATUEY and the Arts winning design, “Beer Me,” staying true to the brand’s commitment to the community and the arts.