Ad Agency

Back in 1992 the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid!” became a slogan for Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign against incumbent President George H.W. Bush.  The advertising industry was in a simpler place in 1992 than it is now; most advertisers paid their agencies by commission, the Internet was not yet mainstream, media unbundling was in its infancy and agency relationships were much less complicated.  By Bill Duggan, Group EVP, ANA

It is imperative that marketing leaders understand their role in driving change toward a new content production strategy.  By Jillian Gibbs, ANA Faculty

For many companies, cost reduction efforts become an endless downward spiral.  As soon as one cost reduction program is completed, it’s followed by another.  Competitors become locked in a race to the bottom, as price reductions predicated on cost reductions are countered by more cost-cutting from competitors to drive another round of price declines.  Before you know it, the industry has shrunk and retailers, manufacturers and consumers alike all lose out on greater growth and access to greater innovation.  By Jason Green, CEO, The Cambridge Group, and Dan Vucovich, former SVP, President U.S.,
The Hershey Co.

According to the NY Post in an article titled “Ex-NFLer Don Coleman’s firm failing to pay employees: suit” published on August 17, 2016, the agency and the owner have been taken to Manhattan Federal Court by their employees.

It used to be that a bunch of analysis went into understanding the target audience, developing a media mix and selecting the publishers who would be considered and ultimately recommended for your media buys.  Then you gathered the available data and determined efficiencies and audience reach as a result of your campaign.  

The media business, in the face of competition from Facebook and Google, is fighting for attention, eyeballs and advertising dollars.  And the challenges facing media sellers are becoming increasingly more complex, as our focus shifts from targeting audience “segments” to reaching individuals.  How can marketers and media brands continue to serve and succeed?

Norbi Zylberberg launched Socialisssima, a new start-up mindset agency based in Austin and focus on the multicultural market in the US.

In an innovative effort to increase brand awareness among U.S. Hispanics, the iconic 50+ giant AARP has launched a new, multi-generational and upbeat Spanish-language brand campaign, a national 360° multi-channel approach under the umbrella message: “Dedicarte a ti es hacer más por tu familia” (Doing more for yourself helps you do more for your family).

sociedAD, a new cross-disciplinary agency that offers full-service advertising and public relations capabilities aimed at Hispanic consumers, has been formed by advertising veterans Jorge Moya, who will serve as chief creative officer, and Carla Trum Mercado and Federico Mejer, who are managing directors.

These are turbulent times for marketers. The digital revolution is transforming the consumption of media. People under 35 watch as much video content as their parents do, but less than half of it is live television. In the United States, more than a third of all video content is now viewed online, much of it on mobile devices. Millennials spend 15 hours a week on their smartphones, and 89 percent check their work email outside of normal working hours. They are likely to trust the views of their peers and social-network connections over those of media professionals.  By Cody Butt / McKinsey & Company.

Delivering on its well-received campaign theme, “Siéntete Seguro™,” created by d expósito & Partners, Amica – a new and already familiar marketer in the U.S. Hispanic Market – is launching a 360°, multi-disciplinary brand repositioning, which now adds Media to the agency’s responsibilities.

Becoming a great client for agencies is not easy, but it is necessary. It’s no coincidence that successful brands are known to be great clients.  By Bruno Gralpois, ANA Faculty

MarketVision has been awarded marketing AOR for ValoraLife, a way to buy life insurance online that was inspired by Latino-market insights. Backed by MassMutual, ValoraLife.com launched in June in Houston.

Based on the importance and frequency of agency reviews, we created a short survey for client leaders in marketing and procurement and agency leaders to give a sounding board for what’s good and less good in the new business process.

Expounding on a new media-based agency campaign under the Unlimited Passion banner, Constanza spoke to HispanicAd.com in favor of her agency’s “combination of scientific media methodology with culturally-nuanced art-of-the-media plan-buy conception.”

In June, K2 Intelligence issued their report, commissioned by ANA, titled, “An Independent Study of Media Transparency in the U.S. Advertising Industry.” K2 found substantial evidence of non-transparent business practices in the U.S. market in the form of rebates as well as substantial evidence of potentially problematic agency conduct concealed by principal transactions.  ANA and Ebiquity/FirmDecisions have issued the much anticipated follow-up report titled, “Media Transparency: Prescriptions, Principles, and Processes for Advertisers,” which offer a number of recommendations.  By Bill Duggan, Group EVP, ANA

Grupo Gallegos announced that it has been named creative agency for Coronado Brewing Co., a San Diego-based brewery that continues to define West Coast craft beer.

Help the 4A’s address the critical issue of Gender and Diversity in the advertising industry.  Please take just a few minutes to share your thoughts and experiences on this important topic.

In this opinion piece, the author speculates on the future of advertising. Arguing that the challenge of predicting the future lies mainly in the lack of an acceptable definition of the field, the author solves that problem by developing a set of postulates to create boundaries for the theory and practice of the discipline.  By Don Schultz – Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

Marketers should require media agencies to be fully transparent to elevate trust and restore confidence in the client/agency partnership, according to a wide-ranging set of recommendations released \ by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and Ebiquity/FirmDecisions.  A key recommendation was that clients require their agencies to disclose all potential conflicts of interest and allow thorough audits of the agency, its parent company, affiliates, and subsidiaries to ensure full transparency and contract compliance.