Lápiz sharpens offerings with Digital & Shopper Marketing Practices.

Lápiz announces the addition of Digital and Shopper Marketing practices to its already thriving advertising services. With the addition of new agency resources, including retail and digital subject matter experts, methodologies and processes, Lápiz can now expand its multiple touch points with U.S. Hispanic consumers to help brands achieve their goals.

“We have a strong reputation of having the most intimate understanding of Hispanic consumers’ behaviors, and can swiftly apply that knowledge to our new practice areas to move consumers to action,” said Dolores Kunda, president and chief executive officer, Lápiz. “Bringing full capabilities in-house allows for the full breadth of our people’s talent to be leveraged so that we continue delivering best-in-class marketing communications for our clients.”

With a 2010 Census forecast estimating that 50 million Hispanics are living in the U.S., reaching the community is of utmost importance to many brands’ strength, growth and survival. Furthermore, the evolution of a multi-channel marketplace has had substantial impact on the retail market, as customers now balance their purchasing habits between the online and offline world. With a laser focus on Hispanic communities and the belief that marketing efforts need to mirror the way consumers live, Lápiz Digital and Shopper Marketing capabilities provide blended techniques to effectively activate consumer purchasing.

Two seasoned leaders within the Leo Burnett family will drive the respective disciplines:

Eduardo Alvarez, senior vice president, leads Lápiz Digital. He brings more than 20 years of international experience that spans the globe across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, with expertise in Direct, Database Marketing, and planning of Integrated Marketing Communications. Importantly, Eduardo brings extensive experience working with multinational accounts managing some of the biggest marketing databases in the world.

Toni Knoop, account director, leads Lápiz Shopper Marketing. Toni offers 15 years of experience, targeted almost exclusively to the U.S. Hispanic consumer, and has most recently led Hispanic marketing initiatives for numerous MillerCoors brands, as well as general market campaigns for MillerCoors’ Import and Above Premium brands.