Agency

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.

The Board of Directors of Arbitron, Inc. announced that Michael P. Skarzynski has resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Also effective immediately, William T. Kerr, a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, will become Arbitron’s President and Chief Executive Officer. In a statement released Monday night, Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said he received information saying Skarzynski “may have provided false testimony” at a December 2, 2009 committee hearing on the PPM and minority radio.

There is something very interesting that happens when you visit Barcelona (or Catalunya for that matter). Most residents are bilingual and live in that bilingual world with ease…not very different from Latinos in the US. Now, I am very clear as to the wide political and philosophical differences that exist in Spain between regions like Catalunya and the nation. Issues that come from years of being under a dictatorship that did not allow for regional independent behaving or thinking – much less the use of a different language.

By: Enrique R. Turegano – alPunto Advertising. To read El Blog CLICK above.

It doesn’t take many creatives to argue the short-sightedness of allowing marketer procurement departments to drive down, or discount, the value of developing big brand-building ideas. After all, what are ideas except the cultural currency that ultimately differentiates one brand from another for a marketer? The problem is, we’re not the ones sitting down with these folk to remind them that ultimately, we agency folk are not only “agents” – but we are all of us fundamentally in the IDEA business.

A white paper on why business leaders must understand the context of overall environment (economy, perceptions, technology, and trends to name a few) and have sound principles to lead brands and stakeholders through the evolution of growth and innovation. Download white paper here.

PR News Online announced the finalists for their 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, where d expósito & Partners was selected among the finalists in the Diversity Communications category. This recognition came for their work on the NY Tri-State Chapter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities/HACER Scholarship Program, an account the agency has serviced since 2005.