Agency

According to the Wall Street Journal, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners has hired Sandra Alfaro to lead its newly created multicultural division, dubbed Ramona, which was formed several months ago after its parent company, MDC Partners, folded a multicultural agency into Kirshenbaum.

U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $384 on Christmas gifts this holiday season, slightly less than last year’s estimate of $390, The Conference Board reports. DOWNLOAD REPORT HERE.

The Census Bureau will hold a webinar prior to the Dec. 6 release of the 2010 Demographic Analysis estimates of the national population by age, sex and race. The webinar will help explain the methodology behind demographic analysis, why it is conducted and how it relates to 2010 Census numbers and other U.S. population figures being released by the Census Bureau. Although not 2010 Census counts, these estimates provide one way of measuring the size of the U.S. population and will be used to analyze 2010 Census results.

The overall growth of the online population in the US is stagnating, and most future growth will come from increases in minority audiences including Hispanics, blacks, seniors and children.

Available at

HispanicCMO.com

HispanicPRpro.com

HispanicAccountPlanner.com

A new study by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council reveals significant blind spots in the go-to-market process as marketers focus on strategy, creative development and campaign execution to the detriment of effective demand chain provisioning.

Available at HispanicCMO.com

My wife is an AP US History teacher. She’s been doing it for 10 years. But just quit, disheartened by the homogenized Eurocentric textbooks she’s forced to teach from. The story the textbooks tell, she explained, is a white story. African Americans, Hispanics and Asians are relegated to separate chapters or sections within the book (literally), and not as part of the main narrative. And this, she feels, essentially ghettoizes these groups and forbids them a place in the identity of the nation.

By Ken Muench / Draft FCB

Available at HispanicCMO.com

Kohl’s Department Stores and Music Entertainment Sports Holdings (MESH), a division of LF USA, announced its plans to launch two multi-department contemporary lifestyle brands with globally-recognized entertainers Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, the first celebrity couple to simultaneously design collections for one retailer.

Porter Novelli unveiled a new brand identity system in offices worldwide, including a new logo and color scheme, retiring the former identity system that has been the hallmark of the global agency for more than two decades.

Available at HispanicPRpro.com

When you think about it, isn’t food the real social network of the ages? Food is, and always has been, that special bonding agent that connects family and friends—with no electronic device necessary! Whether we gather for holiday celebrations, special occasions or the traditional family dinner, food, plain and simple, brings people together. And, as the U.S. economy experienced one of the worst downturns in recent history, consumers showed a renewed focus on back-to-basics in-home cooking.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season.

The holiday shopping season is underway and American consumer interest in home technology products continues to expand. Scarborough Research examined households planning purchases of several key home technology products: HDTVs, Smartphones and MP3 players.

While some stores differentiate themselves based on prices, others attract customers through unparalleled service, or uniquely trained sales personnel. As Americans increase their online shopping and their reading of product reviews and discussions online, will the in-store shopping experience ultimately become obsolete?