Agency

Customer anxiety and cutbacks are the biggest factors influencing marketing budget allocation in 2009, reports the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council in its annual Marketing Outlook study. Despite a restrained economy, however, marketers see budgets holding up fairly well with dollars being stringently controlled and directed against growing and retaining market share.

Some of the numbers are chilling.

Rome Reports and HispanicUSA Inc are teaming up to bring Hispanic audiences in the United States and Puerto Rico quality religious programming and the latest news on Pope Benedict XVI.

For years, consumers in the United States have been described as “empowered” — in control of the marketplace, wielding the power to influence everything from customer service to customized products to pricing. Empowerment also continues to be a goal among Hispanic and African-American consumers. But like many other positive experiences in life, empowerment can be complex and fraught with conflict.

Acento announced that Roberto Orci has completed a planned ownership and management transition process with Benito Martinez-Creel, the founder of Acento.

Alberto Rodriguez partner and Creative Director of New York-based Revolucion died on Sunday March 15, 2009.

The times are summoning us to wake up and participate in making the choices that will collectively move America forward into a stronger more sustainable future. The re-branding of the American mindset from consumer to citizen will take some serious focus on all our parts. It takes a lot more work to be conscious and engaged in citizenry, than consumerism.

The Nielsen Company reported that U.S. advertising for the full year 2008 was down 2.6% compared to the full year 2007. According to preliminary figures from Nielsen, U.S. ad expenditures declined almost $3.7 billion to a total spend of $136.8 billion in 2008.

Hispanic Cable TV (+9.6%) and Cable TV (+7.8%) were the only two media to show ad growth in 2008. Cable was the highest revenue-generating medium with $26.6 billion in sales.

Evelyn Soto (Media Buyer) and Francisco Garabito (Sr. Copywriter) are the driving force behind Casanova Pendrill’s efforts to collect and deliver donations for various charitable institutions in Orange County, California.

Telemundo announced that it will kick-off its 2009-2010 Upfront season with a series of client development meetings with its major advertisers and partners this month in Miami.