by Talia León-Villanueva
Growing up in a Hispanic household, girls are taught that their absolute purpose in life is having children. Getting a good education, being successful in a career, living in a lavish home, etc. falls second to having a family. What they don’t tell you is that once you have a child, there is a constant worry about whether or not you’re doing it right. I’m not talking about the worry you feel about your child being abducted. This we learn VERY early on. I’m talking about the worry you feel about the influence you have on their entire life. I never heard my mother or grandmother talk about this. They never showed any doubt or regret about the decisions they made as mothers. They just did what they did and that was that. I’m sure in their minds there were tons of doubts and especially guilt but in true Latina mother fashion, they never showed it. Now, on my very first Mother’s Day, I’m realizing that this day is not just to show your appreciation but it is to say, “Bravo”.
The first year of being a mother is filled with doubt about whether or not you are making the right decisions. Is she eating enough or the right foods, am I doing enough to help her progress fundamentally according to “the norm”, why is she so big, why is she so small, am I teaching her bad sleeping habits, is the reason why she doesn’t smile more because she is unhappy, if I use the snot sucker, will I be sucking out her brain cells??? Seriously!! Not to mention, the worry you feel about what others think about your Motherly performance. Does my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, friends, etc., etc., think I am doing right by my child? This is enough worry to make someone go crazy!! All the while your little angel thinks the world of you and wouldn’t know what a bad decision is if you dropped them on their head, not that I’ve ever done that, ok maybe I have…
So this weekend, when you say Happy Mother’s Day to the amazing women that have influenced your life, remember to say, “Bravo”. Everything they say and do, as whacky as they seem, is because they just want you to be the best you can be. (And not embarrass them!!LOL J/K)
by Isabella Sanchez
Last week we were honored with seven out of ten possible “Hispanic Media Planning Excelencia Awards”. This competition was created by Hispanicad.com over a decade ago, and is presented at the annual AHAA conference. This is the only competition fully dedicated to recognizing media planning excellence in the Hispanic market.
We competed among some of the best in the industry; over 50 entries were submitted by 9 different agencies.
I truly wish that our clients, Michelle, Joe, and everyone at the agency could have been there to celebrate the moment with us. While they are entitled “media awards”, they truly are so much more. Everyone who touches these accounts, internally and externally, contributed to their success.
Although each of the winning campaigns was very different, they all share three key commonalities and are reflective of: 1) the depth of our clients’ commitment to the Hispanic market, 2) Zubi’s Hispanic expertise, 3) Zubi’s full-service collaboration and integration.
Each plan began with clients who are willing to innovate and establish leadership positions for their respective brands. We truly are privileged to work with clients who align with us as we push boundaries and elevate media planning across all platforms. Our work is clearly a reflection of our clients’ commitment to succeeding in the Hispanic market.
Internally, each plan began with research and strategic planning which led to in-depth target insights and the development of a core idea. The ideas were then developed in conjunction with the account service and creative teams. They were then fine-tuned with our media partners, enhanced by our integrated marketing team, extended by our social media team, negotiated and implemented by the buying team, and then stewarded, measured, and optimized by our analytics teams. Notice the consistent use of “team” here…true team work, at its best. Everyone at the agency contributed to their success in some way, and the results could not have been possible without our clear collaboration, integration and expertise.
While these awards are entitled “Media Planning” awards, perhaps they should be renamed “The Best of Hispanic Expertise, Insights and Agency Integration”? Unfortunately, that’s probably too long of a name for an award competition.
Five weeks ago, Tere was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame, and while she is no doubt still smiling about that honor, we hope this contributes to continuing to make her proud.
Reality TV has never been my cup of tea. I do admit to watching the occassional episode or two of Protagonistas de Novela, Belleza Latina, Bailando (and Cantando) por un Sueno, DWTS, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and of course, American Idol, but the truth is that none of these programs held my attention for the entire season. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these programs. In fact, their ratings indicate the total opposite: they are America’s TV darlings! Millions are glued to their screens each week waiting to learn the faith of fulanito and fulanita. Their journey is the draw, and producers know how to keep audiences hooked week after week.
Enter QViva – The Chosen, a different type of reality TV…
I can honestly say they had me in episode 1. Let me explain. This show is not a competition per se. It’s a Latin America talent search produced and hosted by none other than Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and mega producer Jamie King. Unlike other reality-based TV, this show’s ultimate goal is NOT to choose a winner. Instead, J-Lo, Marc and Jamie are tasked to select the most amazing acts (from an already spectacular pool of talent) to be part of their upcoming QViva The Chosen Live Show/Tour….a show that is to celebrate the best of Latin American.
After watching episode 1, I didnt care to see the rest of the season. I had made up my mind. I was sold. I want front-row seats to the live show in Vegas! I can not wait to see how the chosen acts will be polished and mashed-up to bring us what will no doubt be a multi-sensory celebration of our culture.
I urge you to watch at least one episode but be warned: the documentary-style format and monotone voice of the narrator may put you to sleep. Just wait until the performers come out. Your blood will get pumping again.
I’ve noticed something lately; bloggers seem to be taking over the world. It has become increasingly popular to follow blogs that pique your interest. For example, I never miss checking out beautiful ideas for parties, entertaining and food on the Hostess with the Mostess blog. Since I love to entertain, I check it religiously to get ideas for keeping my gatherings fresh and innovative. When I was planning my wedding, I had five blogs I checked EVERYDAY to make sure I was up-to-date on all things DIY (that’s do-it-yourself for all you non-crafty people). I stumbled upon all sorts of blogs throughout my wedding planning and I figured that after my wedding was over that would be the end of my blog surfing. But it wasn’t. I eventually found out that there are blogs for just about anyone who has an interest in anything. I quickly found my favorite gossip, entertaining, foodie and decorating blogs which I check frequently. The attracting characteristic of bloggers is that most of them are regular people who decided to voice their interest through a blog and in turn you connect with them because of your shared interest. Recently, I’ve noticed that some brands are capitalizing on this connection between bloggers and consumers.
TJ Maxx has their “Maxxinista” campaign centering on Fashion blogger, Lindsey Calla. The campaign focuses on the idea that TJ Maxx is the place to achieve high fashion looks on the cheap. The marriage of Lindsey and TJ Maxx makes perfect sense. Lindsey’s blog SaucyGlossie.com is a collection of her everyday outfits, most of which are compiled from stores which the masses can afford. TJ Maxx shows up frequently in her looks. The campaign has large scale channels like TV but also has deep digital and social roots. TJ Maxx and Lindsey will actually be hosting a Twitter party tonight, if you’re interested!
Check out some of the campaign elements here:
Pantene also used a blogger to launch their new Aqua Light product line. Sarah James has two hair-centric blogs Whoorl.com & HairThursday.com. Sarah has captured her Pantene commercial making journey through her blog. Sarah actually took over Pantene’s Twitter and Facebook Page earlier in March to connect with consumers and answer any questions they had.
Check out the TV Spot
So I pose the question, in our market where we know word-of-mouth is extremely powerful, how impactful can Hispanic campaigns featuring bloggers be?
I am privileged to have traveled to different countries, experienced different cultures, and in the process, struggled with languages not my own. While visiting a foreign country, I always try to learn a few key phrases in the native language. Attempting a simple “thanks” or “good morning” surely goes a long way. I often marvel at the fact that no matter which country I’m visiting, a vast majority seems to be bilingual. I applaud those countries that make bilingualism mandatory! I wish the United States of America would make bilingual education a must. It’s a way of bonding and breaking barriers. Plus it’s fun…and apparently, it makes us smarter too. The link below is from a NY Times article claiming benefits of bilingualism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=1
When I was asked to speak to an audience of small business owners at Miami Dade College this past week, my boss knew I would jump at the shot. Ya see, I fancy myself a student of public speaking and I’m a bleeding-heart that relishes the opportunity to help anyone, anytime. This was a no-brainer, except for one thing. I had to deliver my presentation in Spanish. Sure, I speak conversational Spanish, with an ill-defined accent. I can yap about music, movies and cuisine all day long, but a professional speech about growing a business? That elevated the challenge. I sorta dug that aspect of it. I was drawn to the fact that I had to stretch outside of my comfort zone if I wanted to provide useful info to this appreciative audience of business owners. So off I went, and discovered that I would learn more about the American Dream than I could ever teach about growing a business.
The audience was compromised of mostly middle-aged Hispanic immigrants with deep accents, humble but hungry to achieve in this foreign land, with its foreign language and laws. Businesses spanned the spectrum from Child Care Services, to Import/Export, to Landscaping — there were over 30 business owners present. In their eyes, I saw fear and hope, struggle but determination. I was inspired by their bravery, not just to leave their land to start anew on our land, but the extra risk they were all willing to endure to fight for their piece of the American Dream.
Later in the week, I was at work. The founder of Zubi Advertising is being inducted, posthumously, into the Advertising Hall of Fame on Tuesday in New York. The children of the founder, and current leaders of the agency, shared with us a tribute video they will unveil at the induction ceremony. It captures the essence of their mother, a Cuban immigrant, with an accent, who founded what has become one of the leading Hispanic advertising agencies in the country. Over 30 years ago, that could have been her sitting at Miami Dade College, listening to a local professional like myself. Wow.
This reminds me that we are all connected to humble and hungry immigrants, who may have been scared, but remained hopeful, may have struggled but were determined to get their piece of the American Dream, and they all had an accent, beautiful accents, from all around the world.
By John Consoli — Broadcasting & Cable, 3/28/2012 1:58:45 PM
Joe Zubi is CEO of Miami-based Zubi Advertising, one of the largest Hispanic advertising agencies in the country, with annual billings of about $200 million a year. The agency was founded in 1976 by Zubi’s late mother Tere Zubizarreta, who on March 27 became the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame. Zubi agency clients include Ford, JP Morgan Chase, American Airlines and Walgreens, among others. He was in New York to attend the AAF induction dinner on behalf of his mother and took some time to talk with MBPT about this year’s Hispanic upfront.
What type of ad spending do you think will take place in the Hispanic TV upfront this year?
I believe this is going to be one of the best upfronts in the Hispanic ad marketplace. In 2000, great numbers came out of the census regarding the Hispanic population, but then in 2001 we had the tragedy of the September 11 attacks, and for a couple of years, there were ad cutbacks. Then the 2010 census numbers came out, again reflecting huge growth in the Hispanic population in the U.S., but we were still in a tough economic marketplace that was still recovering from 2008-09. But finally this year, marketers seem more positive about spending again. Most have positive cash flows and are showing sales growth. This Hispanic upfront will be one of the most aggressive in years.
How does that translate in dollars?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see an overall ad dollar volume increase of 15-20% in the Hispanic upfront.
Where will that increase come from?
I think most of it will come from current clients on Hispanic television that will be spending more.
What impact do you think the new network being formed by News Corp. and RCN, MundoFox, will have on upfront spending and ad dollars?
It’s hard to tell. We are going to have to rely on ratings promises since the network has no track record. So we will have to be cautious since they may not achieve the ratings they project. They will have plenty of content and they will have solid distribution. But we haven’t seen their business plan so it’s hard to tell. Right now they seem to be concentrating on growing their station base. It’s not likely they will be releasing any programming information until their upfront presentation. I have to believe right now that their take in the upfront will be relatively low and that a lot of advertisers will buy them in scatter as they start to see what kind of ratings the programming gets.
What ad categories do you believe will bring in more ad dollars in the Hispanic upfront?
I believe automotive will be stronger with companies like Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen spending more. I also think the financial category will pick up.
What are some ad categories where you see room for growth?
I think electronics is not spending what it should be, considering Hispanics’ passion for that category. And packaged goods still has a lot of room for growth, not so much with new companies coming in but with the companies that are advertising now. There are so many more brands they should be promoting.
When do you expect selling to begin in the Hispanic upfront?
Over the last couple of years, media agencies have been buying Hispanic TV at the same time they were buying English-language television, so I see that continuing. I expect buying on English-language and Hispanic TV to be going on simultaneously.
Do you believe Telemundo will continue to make some inroads in picking up more upfront dollars?
While Univision will continue to get the bulk of the dollars, Telemundo is getting more dollars. It introduced some strong novelas this season and programming-wise it is moving in the right direction. I believe that Telemundo will grow its share of advertising a bit again this year.
SOURCE: Broadcasting Cable
by Maria Budet
As I remember it, even Tere Zubi’s manner of speaking was three dimensional. Her words danced with the same kind of energy that vibrated through the rest of her, like she was moving in 20 directions at the same time, her unique syncopation helping her stay ahead of the game. Someone who loved her dearly recently referred to her as un personaje (“quite the character”), and she was. More than just special, Tere was vibrant, hysterical, dynamic, demanding, giving, insightful, irreverent, charming, strong-willed, quick-witted, resourceful and real. It comes as no surprise then, to those who knew her well and to those who’ve admired her from a distance, that tonight, Tuesday, March 27th, Tere Zubizarreta will be the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.
Tere wasn’t the first Cuban mom to go to work outside the home, reinventing herself in exile, nor was she the first to work her way up, to start her own business, to be successful… But who got there first was less important than whether or not it was done right and, although she’d be the first one to tell you she was figuring it out as she went along, the lady got it right. And this time, she also got there first.
A lot of Tere’s success was built on two pillars: her gut and her team. In the days where data and measurement tools for the Hispanic market were scarcer than an iPad3 on release day, the Gut-Powered Gauge was a barometer to be reckoned with; lucky for Tere and her clients, hers was a good one. She augmented that instinct with a talented team that she always said worked with her, not for her. One of my favorite examples of that is Zubi’s Winn Dixie pitch. Tere and two of her cronies, the original Zubi All-stars, drove a Winnebago to Winn Dixie headquarters. They moved their pitch meeting with a bevy of suited white males from a boardroom to a crowded RV kitchen where three Latinas illustrated Hispanics’ unique relationship with food by literally whipping up traditional Hispanic dishes. Those execs left that RV with full bellies, educated palettes, a window into their consumers’ needs, and a new Hispanic AOR.
Mama Zubi was always all in, personally invested in the success of her clients, her family and her team. Walk the halls and you still find the corporate culture is a unique hybrid of professional and home, powered by cafecito Cubano, creativity and sheer force of will. Familiar, friendly, frenetic and fantastic, Tere popped her head into a heated discussion about how we were going to talk about roaches/cars/planes/household cleaners/(insert relevant product here) to Hispanic consumers in an insightful, culturally-relevant way, stopped at your desk to ask about your kids, and followed the family dogs into her office for a conference call with the United Way… all before lunch.
An independent spirit, she was always happy for those working to better themselves, especially if they played a role in building the industry that she laid the foundation for. You cannot be a woman in this industry and not feel how solid the path she laid down for us is. It’s our own efforts and our families’ sacrifices that secured our educations, but it’s the work of pioneers like Tere that’s made it possible for Latinas to sit in boardrooms across America for the past decade and talk about the U.S. Hispanic market in an intelligent, strategic way to business leaders that actually listen. Tere and her generation yelled loudly so we wouldn’t have to; if it “takes a village”, they were the settlers.
These days, I’m grateful to catch her eye whenever I pass the sunlit portrait of her that sits in Zubi’s reception area, where she watches over her extended family. Sometimes, I could swear she’s winking at us, knowingly… It’s exciting to have the AAF wink back.
Ad agencies have been spending the majority of their billable hours figuring out how to better reach their client’s customers in the digital space. We are all consumed with the latest technological breakthroughs and the most recent social media phenomenons. Foursquare is dead, long live Pinterest, Snapfish, Sprout Social, Google Latitude and many more. Well, if the Dade County jury pool room on an average Wednesday is any indication of what we should be doing to capture the attention of the masses, I have found the secret weapon: old Robert De Niro movies. There are approximately 300 people in this room and roughly 80% of them are glued to the televisions that surround us. I only see a handful of computers, people are looking at my iPad like it’s some kind of Star Trek device that can beam me out of here at any given moment (if only) and believe it or not, there are dozens, seriously dozens of people here using flip phones!…not even Razors. When the bailiffs announced that Wi-Fi was available in the room, a large group of people looked at each other with the same question “what is Wi-Fi??”…like it was some sort of beverage they could purchase. To verify the concept that people of like minds tend to stick together, I’m sitting at a table with one other guy named Steve who has a BlackBerry® and felt confident enough to ask me if he could sit at my table. As it turns out, Steve is a Hurricane fan, a topic that arose when he admired the Gator skin on my iPad. We totally bonded. I may be oversimplifying the marketing equation here but my point is that sometimes we need to ground ourselves in what the “average” consumer is really all about. A jury pool is supposed to represent a true cross section of a community and if that is the case, we should never lose sight of the fact that broadcast programming is still the most powerful tool to elicit an emotional response from the masses. Just looking at the faces of these people, I know these are our customers. Now granted, this is a captured audience with nothing better to do right now as we wait for our name to be called, the same way you would find them in a doctor’s waiting room or a car dealership’s service department. The fact is, they have a choice of how they want to spend their downtime, just like they choose how to use their time at home after work when it’s raining. You could also argue that this is Miami, not New York or LA, but I doubt you would see much of a difference. As we head to this year’s Upfronts, let’s not forget that programming is king and find out which network has the largest inventory of old Robert De Niro movies.
by Dario Cosmelli
Thanks to Groupon, this past weekend some friends and I hit the local comedy club and after some drinks and friendly banter, one not-so-funny comic took hold of the mic. After 15 minutes of gratuitous use of terms such as tweet, status update, and unfriending, I came to the conclusion that delivering a good stand-up routine is similar to delivering a positive user experience for a brand in social media.
It’s a stretch, but hear me out…
Know thy audience…
• COMEDIAN – routine about online dating woes in the digital age to the senior center. #fail
• SOCIAL MEDIA – act like a formal spokesperson to Gen-Y Facebook users? Sure, I’ll engage … by clicking the X button. #yawn
Let’s be real, a branded page is not really a friend, but that doesn’t mean the communication needs to be cold and corporate. Don’t just about throw in trendy acronyms and one-liners, but also be able to engage with the users in a relevant way without coming off as “trying too hard.” Also, chances are most fans will not be hardcore brand enthusiasts, so the content should be relevant to the brand but also to the user’s lifestyle, to ultimately solicit engagement.
Timing is everything…
• COMEDIAN – awkward pauses and the crowd starts to feel like they just took an Ambien.
• SOCIAL MEDIA – 15 days with no new content on Facebook. Umm, who are you again?
Finding that sweet-spot on how often to update a brand’s content is not an exact science and trial and error probably comprise a big portion the “content strategy.” However, being able to stay top of mind with timely relevant information is key, especially if awareness is a primary objective. I probably won’t see every single post, but when I do, my reaction should NOT be “huh, who is [insert brand] and why are you on my feed?!”
Sometimes, less is more…
• COMEDIAN – 2 minutes of “your mama” jokes is funny. 2 hours of “you mama” jokes and I wish your mama would’ve muzzled you.
• SOCIAL MEDIA – post about your promo… awesome! Post about your promo every 10 minutes… “unlike”!
Not updating enough is a problem, but updating ALL THE TIME is just annoying. It’s great (and expected) to hear about promos or new products, but there are only so many times I can “like” your BOGO post. Instead, keep me abreast without being pushy and weave the message in with other relevant content. If you want me to react, use varied clever messaging as opposed to repetitive spam-like posts. Create a sense of urgency… not a sense of irritation.
Moral of the story? Stand-up comedy and branded social media pages have tough crowds, especially at the beginning. But use the basics as a foundation along with some fine-tuning and you’ll find your crowd.
And when in doubt, post a video of a kitten… a million hits guaranteed.
