Miqueli & Constanza Leave The Bravo Group …. Ño!

Mary Miqueli – SVP General Manager The Bravo Group in Miami and Gloria Constanza – SVP Director of Media Services The Bravo Group in New York have resigned from their respective agencies.

Ms. Miqueli along with her strong management and Hispanic Market skills, is considered one of the utmost experts in Telecommunications marketing to Hispanic Consumers. Having previously worked for AT&T, Siboney and for many years at The Bravo Group on the AT&T business, her departure shows a weakening of one of the agencies core strengths that has defined the agency over many years.

Ms. Constanza has been at the core of the media planning strategies and implementation department at the agency’s New York headquarters. Her leadership has been instrumental in the agency’s media planning dominance in many ad categories including telecommunications.

The Bravo Group has been the major player in the development of the telecommunications category in the US Hispanic market. Their recent loss of AT&T after the merger with Cingular has put a lot of pressure on the New York office to add accounts. After a very competitive review, the Cingular account was awarded to sister agency Mendoza Dillon under the leadership of Ingrid Otero-Smart.

Recent problems at mainstream Young & Rubicam (Y&R), who this week laid-off over 50 staffers have industry insiders speculating that the new management and direction of The Bravo Group will be used to help their mainstream counterpart Y&R win some respect back it once held on Madison Avenue.

Young & Rubicam continues to handle AT&T Consumer marketing in Latin America, insiders view the Cingular business at Mendoza Dillon as an opportunity for WPP to beef-up The Bravo Group in New York. Potential account shift in the works. Y&R will then use this initiative to solidify a potential synergy on Cingular for the general market business.

Y&R in recent years has been hurt by account losses and management instability. Y&R the brand, might not exist in the near future.

Hopefully, The Bravo Group a robust, admired and a leader in the US Hispanic Market is not becoming a ‘House of Folding Cards’. Maybe it’s time to ‘circle the wagons’ at the agency. True leadership will be put to the test at this point to maintain and grow the agency.

Many employees have yet to meet their new boss Gary Bassell who officially started last week, but has been roaming the halls of the New York and Miami offices for the last month. A new management structure is being floated at the agency and more people will probably make a professional choice.

These departures offer unique opportunities for other Hispanic agencies to add top players to their teams.