Univision is insensitive, Telemundo is trying hard and MundoFox will blow everyone away.

    I just struggled reading an article by Stephanie Da Costa – Media Director at Wing in Miami titled “Spanish-language Television Upfront And Fall Season Discourse” in MediaPost.

My first impression from reading the article is that Univision is insensitive for not changing their programming annually, Telemundo is trying hard and MundoFox will blow everyone away.

Ms. Da Costa is a recent entry into the US Hispanic advertising Industry (1 year + 1 month), but boast respectable mainstream professional experience.

The Facts, regardless of the ratings and Nielsen:

Univision and Telemundo have paved the way along with other TV Networks such as Azteca America, ESPN Deportes, Estrella TV, Fox Deportes, Galavision, Gol TV, LATV, Mega TV, Mun2, NuvoTV, TeleFutura, Tr3s and a slew of Independent TV Stations in our TV Industry.

Each of these networks and TV stations have advantages and disadvantages from a programming and distribution standpoint, but they have worked very hard at developing their exclusive niches, audiences and their success.

To compare just Univision and Telemundo by itself is worth an article.  To exclude the other viable networks at the expense of including a network that just launched only 18 days ago is not a true comparison of the current TV environment and is not comparable at this stage until metrics are available.

The Issues:

To assume that one new TV Network in today’s complex US Hispanic TV Environment is going to blow-away the competition is naive and demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the TV audience ecosystem.  Beside stating and generalizing that our TV market leader’s Upfront Presentation  “How did the Univision presentation relate to those advertisers that consistently spend with Univision and recognize the unique value and differences of the Spanish-speaking Hispanic audience when compared to the general market? I don’t think that simply shifting dollars is the answer for all advertisers. But what really struck me is how few changes were apparent in its programming. Overall, in contrast to its Spanish-language network competitors, it seems to be taking the approach that, as the undisputed market leader, minimal changes to its content is justified by its history of dominance in the market” is not representative of core marketing and programming strategies of a lead network or TV station in any TV ecosystem.

Leaders use with their most successful programming strategy and others counter program to garner shares, welcome to TVland.

I am not here to defend Univision, they have the tools, sales  and research talent to do so by themselves, it is the points of comparison that are not representative of our market or Industry.  I am a big proponent of more sucessfull media outlets offering diversified programming to reach all US Hispanic regardless of language or cultural preferences, that exemplify the complexity of our US Hispanic Consumer and opportunities for advertisers to use to reach them effectively & efficiently

One other issue I need to address is the constant efforts on the part of some agencies including Wing to write articles regarding the importance and shift to English dominant or bi-cultural Hispanics at the expense of Spanish-Dominant Hispanics.  Yes, the English dominant or bi-cultural Hispanics are an important and integral component of our Industry, but do not replace the foundation of our Spanish dominant marketing and media strategies.  That is a fact.

DO NOT kill the Goose that laid the Golden Egg every time you get a chance, you might end up without a job and a mainstream ad agency will handle the planning, creative and buying.  There are already a couple of examples that exemplify this type of thinking.

Not all EXPERTS give the correct & balanced advise and counsel to generate sustainable ROI.

In Conclusion:

This is not to say that MundoFox is not going to succeed, they deserve to succeed, we hope so and we are all counting on it.   I know the sales management of the Fox Hispanic Media team and they would not allow the “We are going to blow Univision away” sales pitch.  They are professional & knowledgeable about our industry, the TV history and the whole TV ecosystem.  I also hope, marketing and public relations at MundoFox are not over-stretching the pitch either.  But we must mention that the rumors are floating around in the Industry about ‘The Pitch’.

After 30 years in the business in media sales, management and trade marketing, laced with a historical knowledge of both mainstream and US Hispanic media & marketing, I find it very hard to envision a total blow-out or a total game changer situation in the current phase of our Industry’s development.

Maybe I am wrong.

To the Industry at large, what do you think Blow-Out or No-Blow-Out?

Eugenio (Gene) Bryan

CEO

Adnotas.com — serving the Puerto Rico advertising, marketing & sales industries
HispanicAD.com — serving the US Hispanic advertising, marketing & media professional
HispanicCMO.com — Hispanic Chief Marketing Officers exchanging ideas
HispanicPRpro.com — serving the Hispanic Public Relations professional
HispanicAccountPlanner.com — insight for reaching Hispanics
HispanicMediaSalesInc.com — Thought Leadership for the US Hispanic Ad, Marketing, Media and PR pros