Agency

Play is a vital human activity. But in today’s fast-paced, bottom-line world, adults are pushed to age out of play. We place a premium on productivity, sparing less and less time for pursuits that don’t have specific goals attached. The paradox is that to compete successfully, we need to embrace purposeless activity—which stimulates imagination and creativity, key ingredients for innovation. So increasingly, adults will seek to balance out their busy lives with more unstructured time and recreational pursuits.

The proliferation of media channels and devices makes it more challenging to find the right marketing mix to reach the right consumers at the right time and place for maximum return on investment. Adding to that challenge, media costs are rising and marketing budgets are often tight due to economic realities.

The research study— Business Owner Perspectives: 2011 Insights in an Uncertain Economy —showed that Hispanic business owners value family, community and independence, which serve as motivators for Hispanics in pursuing their American Dream as business owners

Seasoned or not in multicultural marketing, most marketers and business leaders quickly point to the Mexican-American market as the key source of Hispanic growth in the U.S. By Lili Gil, Business Strategist, Cofounder XL Alliance and Media Contributor

Nielsen announced the launch of the Nielsen Innovation Lab, a program designed to spur pioneering ideas and better, faster advancements in the area of advertising effectiveness.

eMarketer has noted that while digital has caused some traditional media to suffer in terms of consumer time and attention—notably, print and radio—TV still takes up the bulk of US adults’ time with media. And June research from Triton Digital, a digital service provider for online and traditional radio, shows the medium also garners the most trust from consumers.

This month, Tr3s wraps up the 8th season of the hit show “Quiero Mis Quinces”, which targets bilingual/bicultural Latinos. The unforgettable quinceañera party of New Jersey identical twins Saned and Camille, featuring risqué dance performances ranging from burlesque to hip-hop, as well as sexy costumes, is showcasing one of the many experiences for Latinas celebrating their fifteenth milestone. In some cases however, the tradition is no longer limited to young women: new trends show a growing number of boys wanting to have their own quinceañero parties, as well. By Insight Tr3s

A new study from Accenture finds that the threat of store-brands – also known as private-label or generic products – to brand-name products is not going away.

Web development, online advertising gain prominence in the digital realm.

Many local merchants and multiple brick and mortar retailers complain that online merchants have an unfair advantage because many of them do not charge State and local taxes to purchasers. That is an interesting empirical question, particularly in the context of our multicultural society. By Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D.

Profero announced a strategic investment in New York-based, Latino-focused advertising and content agency the vox collective. As part of this investment the vox collective becomes Vox Profero, an independent digital-centric agency part of the Profero network. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Online ad spending by the US media and entertainment industries will rise from $2.77 billion in 2012 to $4.34 billion by 2016, according to a new eMarketer report, “The US Media & Entertainment Industries: Digital Ad Spending Forecasts and Key Trends.” “As more consumers turn to the internet for news and entertainment, advertisers are using digital campaigns to raise awareness, generate buzz and encourage online sales.”

Latinum Network just wrapped up two Total Market executive roundtables co-hosted by Discovery Communications and AARP.