Bravo, Mosaica & Mendoza-Dillon 2.0 or Lite?

To date over 20 resignations, over 10 positions at the Bravo Group cut due to the Sears fee reductions and a massive reduction in force (RIF) at Mendoza Dillon of close to 60% of the staff scheduled for the next couple of hours.

Close to 50 very talented people have or will be departing today the leading Hispanic agency network in less than six months after a new management change.

Mendoza Dillon’s massive RIF will obviously jeopardize the performance of the agency and signals a potential closure of operations or integration as part of Mosaica or The Bravo Group.

The fate of the management teams at Mendoza Dillon, in particular the agency’s President & COO Ingrid Otero-Smart hangs in the balance. Ms. Otero-Smart has distinguished herself by leading Mendoza-Dillon for many years and recently winning the Cingular account in a very competitive review. An account that was strip from the agency this year by the new management of the agency network and given to The Bravo Group Miami office to help bolster their account list.

This talent drain cannot be tied to Daisy Exposito leaving the agency, but to the current strategy and management team.

But what strategy?

To make the network more sensitive to the importance of the growing English dominant Hispanic consumers, the media that service this segment and potentially include this segment and media in marketing and media plans?

Ño …. that’s easy. All agencies have to do this in today’s Hispanic Market advertising environment to service their clients.

Re-engineering, re-invigorating and re-directing your very talented staff you once had or still have is a way of accomplishing this task. The talent drain included very talented professionals that understand ALL of the dynamics of marketing to Hispanic (regardless of language and media usage).

You cannot get to a 2.0 version of any agency without great talent that has ‘Actual Working Experience’ in the US Hispanic Market and can still handle the traditional Hispanic account management, creative and media planning & buying duties that your clients expect.

Now, if you are looking for younger, cuter, sexier and cheaper. Then time will tell if the strategy works.

Regardless, the talent drain at the The Bravo Group, Mosaica and Mendoza-Dillon would be a nightmare for any agency head and we understand that the process is a delicate and difficult one. Suerte on this one.

It has been officially announced that the next round of Sears Hispanic media executions will be handled by Media Edge in Chicago and this represents the beginning of the transition of all buying for the entire Hispanic network to their mainstream counterparts.

¿Nos preguntamos?

What are The Bravo Group, Mosaica and Mendoza Dillon clients thinking about the talent and knowledge drain of this world class agency network?

Does it now open key blue chip accounts to an agency review?

What does Gary Bassell Chairman & CEO of The Bravo Group agency network have to say?

What does the remaining talented group of professional that are at these agencies feel about the future of their once revered and highly praise agency network?

Gary Bassell, Ingrid Otero-Smart and other key management at the agency network were not available for comment.