Mr. Villa’s Phoenix.

  Mr. Jose Villa over the last couple of years, you have embarked on a journey through several trade journals to predict the demise of the current state of the US Hispanic Ad Industry.

Your ad agency Sensis enjoys the reputation as being one of only a handful of Hispanic-owned digital shops focused on the US Hispanic Consumer.

I must admit, that the reason you and some other relatively new players (many self-proclaimed experts) to the US Hispanic focused ad industry get any ink in mainstream trade journals is because of the void that exist from current industry experts with tenure that choose NOT to express the bountiful opportunities that continue to exist in our Industry.  That is a problem we have as an Industry – The VOID.  The publishers of those trade journal that give you ink do not know any better and/or understand how to seek the balance of Though Leadership in our space.

I for one, would expect much more from you and Thought Leadership that demonstrates the unique ability of our Industry to grow by the inclusion of the elements you profess are the key elements to destroy or elevate the US Hispanic Ad Industry out of the ashes (Your Phoenix) such as multicultural marketing, digital, the youth market and the Creative Destruction of our ad agencies (read his post here).

The Multicultural Bucket.

Yeah, it is a neat and simple way of putting us all together in one bucket or under one leadership at the client level to simplify or not to highlight one marketing segment over another.  But at the end of the day, Hispanic Marketing and our ad dollars represent the majority of the strategies and funds in the bucket.  DO NOT FORGET THAT.

Being PC does NOT give you ROI.

The Un-Hispanic Digital Space

You mention your agency as a leader in the Hispanic digital space and that the current offerings like Univision.com, Terra.com, ESPNDeportes.com, CNNEspanol.com, etc. are inferior to mainstream digital platforms and getting only scraps.  I would love to hear what these media companies have to say about your comments.  I challenge them to take you on front and center.

Are you not shooting yourself in the foot with this type of messaging about your capabilities and the successful digital media platforms we have currently that enjoy more ad dollars used to reach Hispanic Digital users than the dollars given to mainstream digital platform to reach Hispanics?

Why do you exist, to place media weigh in mainstream digital platforms to reach Hispanics?

That’s your agency model?  Suerte.

I can assure you that there are mainstream digital agencies with a little help with some Hispanic expertise can do it better and cheap than you when it comes to using mainstream digital and social media to reach Hispanics.

The Hispanic Youth Market

Today’s US Hispanic Youth Market is perceive as a quagmire.  Are they mainstream or are they significantly different culturally, behaviorally and linguistically vs. mainstream youth to warrant separate ad dollars and efforts?

I for one believe there is a market, but much more research and behavioral models need to be understood to build on the strategies to effectively reach them and the media to serve them.

There are some media outlets, conferences and experts trying to unravel the perceived quagmire with proven success.  It will not replace targeting Hispanic A18-49, M18-34, W18-49 and W18-34.

Paciencia.

The up & coming Blogging Experience in the US Hispanic Market. 

There are some quality Hispanic focused bloggers with a lot to say and an ability to influence consumers.

They need directionality, organization and a marketing education to hopefully become significant enough through critical mass and behavioral targeting that advertisers will spend real money and not just send products and other trinkets in the hopes of a good post or review.

This will take time and patience to build the critical mass of MILLIONS of blog flocks to get noticed by advertisers like TV, Radio, Newspaper, Magazines, Outdoor, Direct Marketing, Internet, Yellow Pages and other media that currently enjoy significant traction and ad dollars.

Though Leadership is developing in the Hispanic Social Media space area with no apparent leaders/experts yet.

You mention the inherent Social Media expertise you feel the US Hispanic Public Relations Industry enjoys.

Yes, they are the discipline that has demonstrated the most interest in handling the conversation between consumers and advertisers.  Their involvement and who else needs to be brought in to the party is evolving and it is not owned by one discipline only.

Regardless of their interest in the digital and social space, Hispanic PR agencies continue to rely on the using the traditional US Hispanic linguistic, cultural and media models for their ‘bread & butter’ business to exist.  Let’s not forget that either.

They await the critical mass to develop in the US Hispanic social space.  As we all do.

The Destruction of our ad agencies

Your are right there are new models for them to gravitate to and they are in that process, but they continue as independent agencies, multinational owned agencies and/or division of multinational agencies offering the Though Leadership that will lead our Industry into the next decade.

I have ‘much faith’ in the leadership of our Industry’s ad agencies to rise to the occasion.

Any new marketing professional being assigned US Hispanic marketing responsibilities or marketing individuals looking to reduce our ad budgets finds ammunition with your words NOT to continue Marketing to US Hispanic in any language or cultural/behavioral model.

Your thoughts of destruction and demise remind me of the handbook used by The Invisible Committee called The Coming Insurrection currently used in Europe by the anarchist, Communists and social liberals to destroy countries like Greece, France and Germany, where to be able to change a government you must bring it down to it knees to be able to build up a new populous view of the world.

“It’s useless to wait – for a breakthrough, for the revolution, the nuclear apocalypse or a social movement.  To go waiting is madness.  The catastrophe is not coming, it is here.  We are already situated within the collapse of civilization.  It is within this reality that we must choose sides.”

Really?

Opinions or not as I stated in your blog, you words have become TOXIC.

A note to Ken Muench from DraftFCB who also posted on your blog:

I also believe in change, but not your view of the immediate change necessary.  I can see why you also agree with Mr. Villa’s approach to dismantling the industry.  Your whole approach to our US Hispanic Ad and Marketing Industry could be considered just as TOXIC by some based on your blog.

If either of you try to replace the $6 Billion in ad dollars spent today in the US Hispanic Market with the models you profess are the future of our Industry in 2011, you might end up with an industry worth only $500 Million.

That is REAL change!

You are eliminating the unique selling proposition out of the equation with your views.

Your insistence in changing the model “A cojon de Oso” will make you obsolete.  Your positioning yourself out of a job.

I have a much brighter view of 2011 where we all grow and become more relevant to our Advertisers and our Consumers.

We will always challenge you or anybody else that embodies your TOXIC view of our Industry.

Gene Bryan
CEO
HispanicAd.com