Agency

The idea of “brand” is now synonymous with “experience.” A brand today is our cumulative experience with and perception of an entity. Not surprisingly, the single largest determinant of brand experience is an organization’s employees. Despite this awareness, the path to “employee-service-profit-chain” success is mired in obstacles.

Toyota and Honda took top honors in R. L. Polk & Co.’s 14th Annual Automotive Loyalty Awards, which were presented this evening at the 2010 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. Four new awards were presented including the Most Improved Loyalty to Make, which was won by Audi. In addition, three new ethnic loyalty awards were presented.

With 2010 Census questionnaires set to arrive in mailboxes across the country by mid-March, the U.S. Census Bureau is preparing to launch a $133 million national advertising campaign to boost participation rates in the once-a-decade population count. For every percentage point increase in the 2010 Census mail-back response rate, the Census Bureau saves $85 million in follow-up with nonresponding households.

Virtually all consumers purchase locally grown and/or manufactured Puerto Rican products, according to the latest CARIBBEAN BUSINESS/WOSO Radio/Gaither International weekly poll. A resounding 95% of those polled said they do so regularly, indicating untapped potential in the market for local products.

Despite the bad economy, blacks’ assessments about the state of black progress in America have improved more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter century, according to a comprehensive new nationwide Pew Research Center survey on race.

Brand storytelling agency Story Worldwide takes this audience seriously, and recently made its intention to reach them abundantly clear with the hire of Hispanic marketing expert Chiqui Cartagena. Cartagena has been named Story Worldwide’s Senior Vice President of Multicultural Marketing, and will oversee the agency’s growing multicultural marketing practice with an emphasis on the U.S. Hispanic and African American communities.

Arbitron has been notified that the MRC will deny accreditation to PPM services in the following local markets: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Washington, DC. Further, the MRC closed without action audits for two California markets (San Francisco and San Jose) and these two markets remain unaccredited. Arbitron will collaborate with the MRC to re-audit each of these markets in 2010.

Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which FEMSA will exchange its FEMSA Cerveza business unit for a 20% economic interest in Heineken.