Agency

Over the past 30 years, most companies have added new C-level roles in response to changing business environments. The chief financial officer (CFO) role, which didn’t exist at a majority of companies in the mid-1980s, rose to prominence as pressures for value management and more transparent investor relations gained traction.   Adding a chief marketing officer (CMO) became crucial as new channels and media raised the complexity of brand building and customer engagement. Chief strategy officers (CSOs) joined top teams to help companies address increasingly complex and fast-changing global markets.

Cinema spending is the latest victim of the ongoing declines in traditional media, according to figures from the Advertising Association and Warc. Cinema spend is expected to reduce by 15% in 2013, on the back of a 9% decline in the first half of the year. TV spend is robust, while all other media show declines, with the exception of direct mail, which is static.

The Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) has announced the 2014 HITEC 100, a premier comprehensive list of the most influential and notable Hispanic professionals in the information technology industry.

A Broken Bargain for LGBT Workers of Color examines how LGBT workers of color face unique challenges related to their race and ethnicity and their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. In particular, LGBT workers of color are hindered by three major barriers: educational barriers; hiring bias and on-the-job discrimination; and unequal pay, benefits, and taxation. As a result, LGBT people of color are some of the most disadvantaged workers in the United States—and face extraordinarily high rates of unemployment and poverty.

The Ram Truck brand recently launched the 30-second television ad “Beyond the Encore”. A 60-second spot, “Anthem,” will debut on Univision during the Latin Grammy awards ceremony on Nov. 21. An additional 60-second ad will be revealed in December in anticipation of Juanes’ new single and album release while similar ads, “The Long Haul” and “Chasing the Sun”, will air in the coming weeks. The campaign focuses on the class-leading innovations of the 2014 Ram 1500, emphasizing values such as hard work and determination shared by the brand and Latin cultures.

Lapiz USA was recently recognized as the U.S. Hispanic Agency of the Year at the 2013 El Ojo Awards in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The network won a total of seven honors – one Gold, four Silver and two Bronze awards at the ceremony. The highly prestigious Agency of the Year recognition came just after Chief Creative Officer Laurence Klinger was honored as the U.S. Hispanic Creative Director of the Year.

LEGISLATIVE ALERT!!!  Last month we reported on indications that, according to AdWeek, some in Congress are thinking about revising the tax code to eliminate, or at least seriously reduce, the deductibility of advertising expenses. We have a follow up.

Post Foods’ Honey Bunches of Oats announced a new brand anthem in collaboration with up-and-coming pop duo, Domino Saints. The exclusive “Smile While You Shake It” music video is the cornerstone of a multi-tiered entertainment program fueled by the positive power of music and is rolling out simultaneously to both general and Hispanic markets.

Standing out in a world of choice isn’t easy. Earning consumer devotion to a brand or store takes more than just offering a good product. Price, packaging, customer service and reputation are just some of the factors involved in a consumer’s decision-making process. That’s why getting to the heart of what makes a consumer stick or switch can be the difference between flourishing and fading. While Nielsen research shows that bigger rewards generally inspire higher loyalty levels, loyalty programs are no guarantee of loyal behaviors.

Heineken is returning as a sponsor with a brand new state-of-the-art consumer experience at the Heineken House, located in the Eye Candy Lounge at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Last week, we highlighted some recent shifts in Hispanic Adult Millennial employment that Tr3s has discovered in preliminary work for its 2014 study, which will focus on Hispanics 18-34 and their relationships to work and play. This week, we have some additional work-related trends on how Hispanics are faring in average number of hours worked, individual and household income, and frequency of job changes.

Nearly 60 percent of global respondents said that loyalty programs (marketing programs that reward members with purchase incentives) were available where they shopped, and of those, 84 percent said they were more likely to visit those retailers, according to a new study by Nielsen.

Facing universal skepticism from consumers and stiff competition from a sea of competitors, how can a brand differentiate itself to win a loyal following—or at the very least, to prove itself worthy of its customers’ time? It boils down to two essential elements: trust and dynamism—the consumer’s perception that a brand has delivered on the promises of the past while simultaneously helping lead the way to a better future.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced three new categories in each of its national competitions to recognize excellence in Spanish-language television programs.

While everyone gets excited over “native advertising,” the challenge remains that nobody can agree exactly on what it is — or isn’t. Or if it’s something that has existed for a long time — or hasn’t. Not only has the term native advertising become a cliche, its frequent usage to describe the indescribable has made hearing it somewhat tiring.

In recent years it’s become clear that the word “family” doesn’t have to mean a mother, father and 2.5 children. Some families are multi-generational where grandparents have a bigger role in raising their grandchildren, or include two same sex parents, and these new families translate to big bucks for retailers and marketers. New research from Mintel finds that multi-generational families are more likely than all parents surveyed to say they have increased spending on their kids in each of the categories considered, but half (50%) wish families like theirs were better represented in TV and print ads.

Until recently, I sold products based on the relationships that I had formed during career in media and advertising. Agencies like GroupM, OMG and Starcom Mediavest were accessible to me because of the people I knew and the people they knew. I took pride in the fact that I could sell products based solely on my connections.  I don’t think that way anymore.

In recent years, the costs of video production have dropped tremendously thanks to digital technology, while the barriers to distributing video content have also fallen, owing to the internet. Those two factors have likely hastened the adoption of video marketing, which is now near-ubiquitous among US senior marketing professionals, according to a survey conducted during Q2 2013 and Q3 2013 by the Web Video Marketing Council, ReelSEO and Flimp Media.

Horowitz Associates announces a call for speakers and sponsors for the 14th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum on March 20, 2014 at New York City’s Edison Ballroom.

Pin it, scan it or share it – operating in a digital world has become second nature for most shoppers today, and retailers are taking full advantage of it. The use of social media platforms and mobile devices is exploding, and for millions of consumers there’s no doubt that this digital revolution is here to stay. With the understanding that this new path to purchase offers up a unique engagement opportunity, retailers are taking over the social scene, and shoppers are reaping the benefits. In this new modern retail environment, the shopping experience has never been quicker, easier or more interactive.