Conill Advertising Expands.

Conill Advertising announced an expansion of its operations with twelve new staff additions to its New York and Los Angeles offices. The Hispanic marketing agency bolstered its strength in every major category – creative, account management, strategic planning and media.

Talent joining the agency are:

Pablo Buffagni – Creative Director, Los Angeles
Mr. Buffagni will direct all creative activity for the agency’s Toyota and Lexus accounts. Prior to joining Conill, Mr. Buffagni held creative posts at several prestigious U.S. and Latin American agencies, including Bromley and Montemayor in San Antonio, TX; and Argentinean shops Thompson; Braga Menendez; Lautrec NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi, Rainuzzo DDB and Cortina Vergara. During his career, Mr. Buffagni has produced award-winning work for such clients as Burger King, Chrysler, Clorox, McDonald’s, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Procter & Gamble, Sony, Western Union and Toyota.

Tom Lanktree, Strategic Planning Director, New York
Mr. Lanktree formerly Group Director of Client Services at NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi’s headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, will manage strategic planning resources for all Conill offices. Mr. Lanktree has held executive posts at Leo Burnett and J. Walter Thompson in Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico. He has worked for clients such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola.

Arturo Jara, Associate Creative Director, New York
Mr. Jara brings 7 years of copywriting experience to Conill’s New York creative team and will apply his expertise to the agency’s detergent and packaged goods accounts. Formerly an Copywriter in Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi’s Mexico City office, where he worked on Procter & Gamble’s Ariel brand, Mr. Jara has won numerous creative awards for his work with such clients as M&M Mars, Procter & Gamble, CPC Foods and Casa Cuervo. He has held creative positions at Grey Advertising and DMB&B in Mexico.

Karen Uribe, Account Supervisor, New York
Ms. Uribe will manage the agency’s Pampers and Tylenol accounts for its Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson clients. Prior to joining Conill, Ms. Uribe was Sr. Account Executive at Bozell / Siboney USA, where she worked on the “Got Milk” campaign for the Hispanic market. Ms. Uribe has also held Hispanic account management posts at Castor Advertising, New York and Leo Burnett, Mexico for such clients as General Motors, Castrol and Aeromexico.

Joe Baide, Account Supervisor, New York
Mr. Baide will manage the agency’s Head and Shoulders, Sunny Delight, Olay and Old Spice accounts for its Procter & Gamble client. He has a strong background in promotions and direct marketing, and has experience in both the General and Hispanic markets, including Goldman Sachs, MasterCard International and Time Inc. Most recently, Mr. Baide was an Account Supervisor at Mezzina Brown & Partners in New York.

Don Lupo – Interactive Manager, Los Angeles
Mr. Lupo was most recently a freelance Internet technology specialist at Conill, where he turned interactive into a successful platform for its Toyota client. In his new role, Mr. Lupo will oversee all interactive efforts for the agency. Prior to his association with Conill, Mr. Lupo owned two New Jersey-based web management companies and held Interactive posts at Answer Financial and the National Association of Printing leadership.

Conill added six additional members to its creative and client service teams in New York (2) and Los Angeles (4). In all, the 12 staff additions are part of the operational restructuring of the agency, which began in May 2002 under NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi, the Latin American advertising network of Saatchi & Saatchi.

“Our commitment to building a new powerhouse in the Hispanic market is evidenced by the investments we are making today, bringing in stellar talent from our Latin American network and beyond to create the best team in the market,” said Cynthia McFarlane, Managing Director of Conill. “The United States Hispanic market is growing and becoming increasingly complex. To create lasting connections with today’s more sophisticated Latino consumer, marketers and agencies must operate at a much higher level in terms of market insights and creative standards. The expertise of these individuals position Conill among the elite in the industry.”