Business

As the United States gets ready to enter an election year, there are interesting differences in the perceptions of adults in the five largest European countries, especially compared to Americans, as to what the election may mean and how important it is. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) and over half of Italians (55%), Germans (52%) and Spaniards (51%) think the U.S. election is extremely or very important to people in other countries as do a plurality (43%) of British adults. The French, however, disagree, as just over one-third (38%) say the election is extremely or very important to other countries.

Univision Communications Inc. together with the University of Miami, made history with the broadcast of the first ever Republican Presidential Candidate Forum in Spanish. Univision’s Forum provided a landmark opportunity for the Republican candidates to speak directly to the growing Hispanic electorate whose votes will play an important role in the next presidential election.

Political campaign spending on advertising media and marketing services is expected to rocket to an all-time high of $4.50 billion in the 2008 election cycle, as an acrimonious political environment, record fundraising and the high number of presidential candidates are driving an unprecedented media spending splurge.

Talk about a turnaround: Republican presidential contenders who couldn’t be dragged near a Spanish-language debate three short months ago suddenly are tripping all over each other in the mad dash to take part in the debate next Sunday at the University of Miami.

Back in August, the Spanish-language network Univision offered the presidential candidates from both parties a chance to make history. For the first time ever, the network planned to put on nationally televised presidential debates in Spanish.

After spending the first part of this decade loosening their historic ties to the Democratic Party, Hispanic voters have reversed course in the past year, a new nationwide survey of Latinos by the Pew Hispanic Center has found.

Due to a legal challenge by DC-based Allbritton Communications, LLC the publishers of “Politico”, Arturo Villar’s just launched newsletter ‘La Politica’ was forced to change their name due to the potential of protracted litigation. The weekly newsletter will be called Candidato USA.

After two successful semesters, an online course in Hispanic Marketing Communication will be offered again this Spring by the Florida State University Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication. The center, headed by Dr. Felipe Korzenny, is pioneering education in Hispanic Marketing Communication.

In a briefing at the National Press Club, a coalition of the nation’s largest and most established Latino organizations and the country’s largest Spanish-language media companies launched Ya es Hora, ¡Ve y Vota! (It’s Time, Go Vote!), a non-partisan national voter mobilization effort targeting U.S. Hispanics.

The second annual HispanicAd.com Account Planning Excelencia (HAPE) awards were presented to 18 winners in four categories. HispanicAd.com CEO Gene Bryan, creator of the awards, handed out the honors during the luncheon at the 23rd semi-annual conference of The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York.

Sergio Alcocer – President & Chief Creative Director of Austin based Latinworks was honored by his peers in receiving the 2007 HispanicAd.com ‘Creative Director of the Year’ award at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies bi-annual conference in New York, NY on Thursday November 1, 2007.

Mr. Alcocer joins the HispanicAd.com Hall of Fame and shares the Creative Director of the Year award with Daniel Marrero – C.O.D. (2006), Favio Ucedu – Grupo Gallegos (2005), Mauricio Galván – The Vidal Partnership (2004), Pablo Buffagni – Conill Advertising (2003), Aldo Quevedo – Dieste Harmel & Associates (2002) and Luis Miguel Messianu – del Rivero Messianu (2001).

Dolores Kunda – CEO & President of Lapiz in Chicago was honored by her peers in receiving the 2007 HispanicAd.com ‘Agency Executive of the Year’ award at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies bi-annual conference in New York, NY on Thursday November 1, 2007.

Ms. Kunda joins the HispanicAd.com Hall of Fame and shares the Agency Executive of the Year award with Joe Zubizarreta – Zubi Advertising (2006), John Gallegos – Gallegos Group (2005), Ernest W. Bromley – Bromley Communications (2004), Manny Vidal – The Vidal Partnership (2003), Daisy Exposito Ulla – d’ exposito & partners (2002), Tony Dieste – Dieste Harmel & Associates (2001), Tere Zubizarreta – Zubi Advertising (2000) and Al Aguilar – Creative Civilization (1999).

A report issued by the Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust) uncovered new trends and challenges facing rural educators. Overall, enrollment in rural schools is up by 15%-a reversal of the year-over-year declines seen in these
communities. While overall enrollment is on the rise, the most startling data revealed in Why Rural Matters 2007: The Realities of Rural Education Growth, is the 55% increase in rural minority students, with some states experiencing increases of more than 100%.