Hispanic Ad Agencies transforming themselves in Full Service AORs?

Based on industry blog postings in the last 48 hours by bloggers out there …………..

The cure for the US Hispanic Ad Agency future is to invest, pursue and pitch mainstream ad business with a Hispanic component.  Going head-to-head with all mainstream agencies on a given piece of business.

I do not know if this is even worth a comment, but I will do it anyway.

1 – Targeting mainstream and Hispanic ad efforts is probably more of a reality in a local market, than a regional or national market.  It is all about scale, expertise, resources and contacts.  So markets like San Antonio, El Paso, McAllen, etc.,  you probably could have a better shot at the business.

But LA, NY, Miami and others, you might be measured and come up short. Not by your lack of ability and talent, but by the reality & relationships of the mainstream ad Industry.

2- The re-engineering of a Hispanic ad shop to handle a large mainstream and Hispanic account has not provided the results or gains that would indicate this to be a profitable and efficient strategy.  Ask some of out Top Hispanic Shops what they have experienced once they do a profit and loss analysis regarding their efforts pitching and targeting mainstream business.

3- The majority of the dollars spent in the US Hispanic Market are influenced by a group of professionals that are Hispanic Professionals and non Hispanic Professionals with a unique skill-set.  Clients hire the best experts in each discipline and have them all work for them, alas the growth for a Hispanic, African-American, Asian and GLBT ad agencies.

4- The resources, pitch budgets and other key elements that are available to mainstream agencies to pitch a regional and national account, far exceeds the resources of our Top Hispanic Ad Agency.

5-  What we have seen mostly in the past when Hispanic Ad agencies have been highlighted for their efforts in mainstream campaign, has been confused and not been specified as creative execution only (or we have choosen not to admit this).  Not a marketing plan, not a strategic media plan or not an execution of a plan. A creative execution vs. a marketing and media planning/buying effort are two separately different efforts, with their own costs, scale and drain on resources.

On the digital front it seems to be easier to pitch a combined strategy for a whole set of different reasons than a traditional Hispanic ad agency.

So we want to be more like them and less like us.

Why?

Keep me posted on how well you do on your next mainstream pitch. But, do not forget to pitch your core skill-set.

¡Suerte!

Or as the domino playing, cortadito drinking and cigar smoking Papa Mingo at local corner hangout I frequent would say, “dejen de soñar en pajaritos preñados, que hay mucho trabajo que hacer aqui en nuestra marketa”.