Archive → Marzo, 2011
L’Oreal USA Sees Growth in US Hispanic Market
Hispanics accounted for half the growth of the total U.S. population in the last decade, and they are expected to exceed 50 million in number, according to the most recent wave of census data.
That’s why “Hispanic consumers are a very, very important target,” according to Marc Speichert, chief marketing officer at L’Oreal USA. “We see it as a growth opportunity for the future,” Speichert tells the New York Times.
One way L’Oreal USA is reaching Hispanic consumers is through a promotional tie-in with Telemundo, a television network known for broadcasting telenovelas.
These serialized shows are not unlike the early daytime “soap operas” popularized by Procter & Gamble, who both produced them and initially supported them with commercials for soaps and laundry detergents. Now L’Oreal USA is updating the P&G strategy in a collaboration with Telemundo, assisted by digital agency Moxie Interactive, to form an online club for fans, “Club de Noveleras.”
The club has all the classic elements of both a fan and loyalty club — photos, videos, articles, and an interactive community, plus a loyalty program consumers can use to accumulate points and redeem them for various telenovela and L’Oreal-related merchandise. Jacqueline Hernandez, COO at Telemundo’s New York office, tells the Times the new website is “novela fantasy league… We’re creating a community, a virtual community online” that will “turn viewership into a relationship.”
Moxie Interactive chief executive Joel Lunenfeld adds that the club Website will help L’Oreal to learn “what fans opting in like, and we can see trends in real time… we’re creating content as a brand.”
L’Oreal USA’s Speichert says, “This is the first time we’re creating such a platform. There are a lot of things that are innovative and new, a lot of experimentation.” One of the possibilities L’Oreal is considering is product integration within the telenovelas and possibly other Telemundo programs.
While television is an important medium, the online world is particularly fertile ground for reaching Hispanic consumers. “Hispanics go online to socialize, research new products and find good deals — more so than many other groups,” according to a report issued by online research firm eMarketer. Nearly 60% of the U.S. Hispanic population went online at least once a month last year, says eMarketer, and by 2014, that will increase to 70% — about 39 million people.
The mobile market is increasingly important as well. In the past five years, cellphone use among Hispanics increased 26%, compared with 18% for the general population, according to Scarborough Research. About 82% of Hispanics currently use mobile phones. The Pew Internet & American Life reports that Hispanic adults lead all other groups in wireless Internet access.
Despite such promising statistics, L’Oreal USA is on the leading edge of marketing such brands as Garnier and Maybelline to Hispanics. The “2010 Hispanic Marketing Trends Survey,” conducted at the beginning of last year by Orci, a California ad agency, reports that only around 50% of U.S. advertisers include Hispanics in their marketing efforts.
Survey respondents included senior marketers at business-to-business and consumer Fortune 1000 companies. According to the survey, 51% of respondents did not market to Hispanic consumers, and 82% had no plans to “begin or increase existing efforts” to market to Hispanics in the next twelve months. In fact, 78% of respondents’ companies did not use social media to engage Hispanics.
Hector Orci, chairman of the agency that conducted the survey, told Hispanic Market Weekly that companies are missing a major opportunity. “It’s about not understanding how important that trillion-dollar income really is. Boards of directors have to understand that they are leaving money on the table by not targeting this consumer.”
http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/03/29/LOreal-USA-Sees-Growth-in-US-Hispanic-Market.aspx
Marketing to Latin America: It’s All About the Image
Latin American consumers don’t buy expensive imported goods like smartphones and name-brand hand bags just for their practical utility, said Ricardo de la Blanca, CEO of DLB Group, a marketing services firm focused on selling to Latin America.
Perhaps more importantly, they view them as a display of status and success.
“For Latin American people, it’s important to look successful, to look like you’re somebody, through the physical things you own,” he said.
Moreover, culturally, it’s common to behave that way, according to de la Blanca.
While wanting to display success is a common theme in Latin America, the way to do it is different various countries. Therefore, it’s important to conduct regional-specific market research to discover which products convey status, said de la Blanca.
For example, luxury watches do the job in Mexico.
Once that target product is identified, the next step is marketing to the consumers. In marketing, image and experience is everything.
First, the point of sale is important, said de la Blanca.
Therefore, it pays to hire local people for that experience and process. (Moreover, Latin American local wages are relative cheap by U.S. standards). For example, if the product is about luxury, the physical setting and staff at the point of sale should convey that.
Internet and mobile marketing are also effective ways to reach wealthy consumers because many of them are tech savvy. However, de le Blanca said selling the product directly online doesn’t work so well yet because customers don’t want to conduct financial transactions online.
Lastly, the public image of the product is crucial.
If the product is promoting a certain type of lifestyle, it pays to be actually associated with it. For example, if the brand is about enjoying life, be close to entertainment venues. If it’s about sophistication and class, be involved with universities and museums.
More than just display advertising and jargons, companies must prove their image to customers with real life involvement, said de la Blanca.
http://hken.ibtimes.com/articles/123445/20110317/marketing-to-latin-america-brand-image.htm
Spanish Advertising Man Aspires to Join Obama’s Reelection Campaign
Spaniard Ruben Figueres, who washed dishes and distributed towels in a gym to make ends meet before entering the advertising world and becoming an advisor to Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanual, now aspires to be part of President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.
“I don’t think I could get much higher in my professional career,” Figueres told Efe in discussing his goal to be part of the team that will seek a second term for Obama in 2012.
His advertising agency, the Alario Group, already has had initial contacts with an eye toward being one of the firms tasked with preparing the political ad campaign directed at Hispanic voters.
However, the 37-year-old Spaniard prefers to remain cautious and only says that the new challenge “is brewing behind the scenes” but we will have to wait until summer to know whether it will be confirmed.
“I’m interested first as a ‘fan’ of Obama and then (in terms of my) professional career,” said Figueres, who was part of a select group of people who advised former White House Chief of Staff Emanuel in his successful mayoral bid.
Figueres worked on Emanuel’s campaign with well-known political strategists like Stanley Greenberg and David Axelrod, both key advisers to Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
“I’ve got anecdotes from that experience that I’ll tell my grandchildren,” he said, recalling his work designing the policies and initiatives of interest to Hispanics.
The same group has already begun meeting in Chicago to prepare the reelection campaign and Figueres could be among them.
The son of a paper manufacturer and a former local beauty queen, Figueres said that as a child in Spain he was a “kid fond of playing jokes and a sports devotee.”
After earning a degree in management from Esade business school in Barcelona, he went to Miami in 1995 as a backpacker with the aim of learning English “so that I could get ahead in the corporate world.”
With the objective of getting hired by Leo Burnett, the world’s biggest advertising and marketing agency, he moved to Chicago in 1998 and went through the tough initial experiences of virtually all immigrants.
“I don’t want to give any details so I don’t scare Obama,” Figueres quipped, “but I lived … with nothing, using every trick to survive,” and so he washed dishes, was a door guard at a bar and passed out towels at a gym, “the most stable and best job” he had because they allowed him free use of the facilities and he could meet future potential tennis students.
After sending off resumes and letters to all Burnett’s departments without getting any response, one of his tennis students opened a few doors at the agency just when he had made up his mind to return to Spain.
One day before he was due to travel back to Spain, he received “the dream call” from Starcom, Leo Burnett’s Hispanic media department, which wanted to hire him and was ready to help him get a three-year work visa.
Soon his name began to be heard in professional circles in Chicago and other job offers arrived, including from the marketing and sales department of Telemundo Chicago, which he left in 2002 to start his own agency.
“Not bad for someone who left Gandia (his Spanish hometown of some 30,000 residents) at age 18 seeking new opportunities,” Figueres said. EFE
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=389983&CategoryId=12395
Tecate launches new bilingual campaign
Tecate launched a new advertising campaign that celebrates the bold character of Hispanic men through a series of humorous spots showcasing how ingenuity, valor and determination can get them out of compromising situations. Created by KBS+P’s Ramona, Tecate’s advertising AOR, “Celebration” is an integrated program that marks a turn-key moment for the brand, showing a clear evolution of Tecate’s marketing strategy in the United States.
While the brand’s previous campaign “Anthem” focused strictly on recognizing the perseverance of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. through a serious undertone and real-life scenarios, the 2011 spots are jovial and carefree in nature, incorporating both Tecate and Tecate Light in the celebration. Another key differentiator is that the new campaign includes ads in Spanish and English for the first time in the brand’s history, designed to better reach Tecate’s expanded target audience comprised of all Hispanic men in the U.S.
“Previously, Tecate’s communication strategy was centered on touting Mexican men’s inherent traits of hard work, sacrifice and determination. This new approach, however, incorporates a key component shared across Hispanic culture: gregariousness and festivity. It’s not just about recognizing our consumers’ struggles, but rather, being the brand that celebrates their carácter,” said Felix Palau, VP of Marketing for Tecate.
In each of the: 15, :30 and :60 TV spots, as well as the complementary radio, out-of-home and online ads, celebration is at their core. In one spot, a man who manages to keep his attention on his girlfriend when a striking woman walks by, is thrown a spontaneous party complete with Mexican wrestlers, carnaval dancers and fireworks. In another commercial, three gentlemen dressed in knight armor are toasted to by their bartender after they offer a seat at their round table to an older woman.
“Celebration” will be experienced by more consumers than previous campaigns, with an ad buy focused on the brand’s expanded key markets, such as Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa and New York, with a national overlay. Handled by MediaVest MV42, the buy places television spots in networks like Univision, Telefutura, Galavision, Azteca America and Fox Deportes; while :60 second spots and DJ endorsements will run on Spanish-language stations across the country. Bulletins, graffiti murals, bus shelters, mobile billboards and wrapped trucks will also celebrate the carácter of consumers across all key markets.
http://hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=31655
Why Are Hispanics Missing in Leadership at Media Companies?
Luis Morales
Fifty million people. One trillion dollars in buying power. Ad spending up 164% since 2001 to $3.88 billion. Hundreds of Spanish-language TV stations across the U.S.
Those eye-catching numbers represent the immense, and largely untapped, scale and wealth of the Hispanic-American media market. Put into greater perspective, if Hispanic-Americans comprised their own country, it would be the fifth-largest, by population, in the European Union. And this demographic is growing — rapidly.
Despite these figures, one component is still missing in the media industry’s quest for greater diversity: Hispanic leadership in the executive suite at media companies.
As a Hispanic-American executive, who also happens to be female, I have seen first-hand the immense growth and impact diversity is having on the American economy and culture. Media executives, marketers, communicators, lawmakers and all of America are hurtling into an era where the business and marketing of diversity — particularly the Hispanic-American market — will be at the forefront of the American conscience.
Where Are The Hispanic Execs?
And yet a wide divide still exists between this reality and the promise for greater diversity in the ranks of media, PR, and ad agencies’ senior management.
“The future of our nation depends on what happens in [the Hispanic-American] population, a segment of Americans that have not always gotten the opportunities,” they deserve, said Manny Ruiz, founder of Hispanic PR Wire and Hispanicize.com, in a recent PRNewser interview.
This lack of opportunity has led to Hispanic-Americans being underrepresented in corporate boardrooms. According to the 2009 Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility Corporate Inclusion Index survey, only 4.8 percent of all Fortune 100 executive- and director-level positions are held by Hispanics. Similarly, Hispanics account for only 6 percent of representatives on Fortune 100 boards.
It took my own professional organization, the Public Relations Society of America, 48 years before Luis Morales became its first Hispanic president in 1996. Fifteen years later, I’m the first Latina to serve as chair and CEO.
My question is: Why was there a gap in years for the PRSA to select another Hispanic leader? I also wonder, why aren’t there more Hispanic-Americans, whom I know are succeeding in the business world, stepping forward to executive and board positions across the media and PR industries?
More Questions Than Answers
Is it an issue of being the “token”? Nearly 20 years ago, I remember looking around the boardroom and finding that, not only was I the only woman in the room, I also looked different from everyone else. Feeling like “the only one” didn’t stop me from finding common ground with my colleagues, and it shouldn’t be an impediment for greater diversity within media’s C-suite.
Is it an issue of language? Many times, people assume that all Hispanic-Americans speak Spanish and prefer Spanish. That is as much a myth as is Spanish fluency for those who do speak Spanish. There are Hispanics, like me, who are just as comfortable communicating in Spanish or English because of our bi-lingual fluency. But, there are just as many who are only truly comfortable in one language — English.
Is it cultural? Business development and growth is part of the Hispanic-American spirit. Our culture thrives on entrepreneurship. Hispanics aren’t fond of sticking to the “way things have always been.” We’re living proof that change is the only constant; thus we prefer acculturation instead of assimilation.
Slow Progress
I’ll admit, the level of diversity within public relations has progressed significantly in recent years. For example, 14 percent of PRSA members are self-described “diverse;” that’s an increase from 7 percent in 2005.
But we still have quite a ways to go in order to meet the global business community’s diverse communications and marketing challenges.
Playing a leading role in conversation development across societal, economic and ethnic variances has always been one of PR’s strongest areas of focus. A key factor in continuing a surge in value will be the industry’s ability to generate two-way, conversation-themed strategies. And this can only come from the inclusion of non-traditional hires, such as bloggers, social-media influencers and analysts that come from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Diversity is Worth Trillions
It’s quite simple, really: Diversity within PR will be crucial to agencies’ success in years to come, as businesses continue seeking a more global perspective to their communications.
That means it is the responsibility of the PR industry — along with the media companies that use our services — to place an immediate focus on the business value of diversity and a diverse boardroom. Businesses must be prepared to tap into burgeoning and increasingly diverse markets for new revenue and growth. And having a more diverse executive suite, which reflects the modern ethnic makeup of the U.S., will better prepare the media industry to reap the immense financial rewards of a modern and very diverse America.
In today’s stagnant economy, can any media company — and the PR and marketing firms working within that sector — afford to go without the diverse leadership that could help it tap into a $1 trillion market? Not likely.
(A tip of the hat to Julian McBride, whose excellent MediaShift post on fixing the tech PR industry’s diversity issues inspired this post.)
Rosanna M. Fiske, APR, is chair and chief executive officer of the PRSA. She is also director of the Global Strategic Communications master’s program in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University in Miami. With more than 20 years of experience, Fiske began her career as a journalist, and then moved to marketing and corporate communications. She has held senior communications counsel, marketing and management positions in agency and corporate settings.
Hispanic Marketing for the Business Center 101
Yesterday OfficingToday looked at a laundry list of statics that proves the U.S. Hispanic market is growing in size, economic spending power, and entrepreneurship.
Yesterday OfficingToday looked at a laundry list of statics that proves the U.S. Hispanic market is growing in size, economic spending power, and entrepreneurship.
The question, then, becomes: How can your business center tap into this potentially profitable niche? Of course, there have been entire books written on this topic—many of them. But there are a few best practices that can take your business center a long way toward winning favor with Hispanic entrepreneurs.
Four our slice of the Hispanic marketing pie, we’ll take a look at reaching Hispanics online. Online advertising is one of the most cost-effective strategies a business center can employ—and Hispanics are turning to the Internet more and more to find news, information and services.
The Hispanic online population reached a record 20.3 million visitors in February 2009, representing 11 percent of the total U.S. online market, according to comScore. During the past year, the growth of the U.S Hispanic Internet audience outpaced that of the total U.S. online population in terms of number of visitors, time spent and pages consumed, as Hispanic online adoption and engagement accelerated.
And according to a study from Ipsos U.S. Hispanic Omnibus, 79 percent of Hispanics turn to the Internet to research products. So if your business center wants to reach Hispanic consumers online try some of these strategies:
• Develop Hispanic marketing goals from the get-go.
• Provide content on your Web site that caters to Hispanic entrepreneurs.
• Put a translator button on your Web site so Hispanics who prefer to read in their native language can easily do so.
• Produce YouTube videos that target Hispanics.
• Distribute press releases that attract the Hispanic market.
• Advertise in search engines using Spanish keywords.
• Target sites like Yahoo! Telemundo, Google España, Univision.com and StarMedia.com.
• Purchase an ad in the Hispanic Yellow Pages online.
• Seek to build relationships with this market rather than just sell.
• Advertise your bilingual receptionist and/or translation services.
Those are just a few ideas. If you live in a region where the Hispanic population is growing, now is the time to start considering your business center’s Hispanic marketing plans.
http://www.officingtoday.com/index.php?news=616
Chrysler ups ad budget to hawk new models
Chrysler Group LLC finally has an abundance of new models to sell, but now faces the challenge of marketing them all.
From: cochesadictos.com
The Auburn Hills automaker is boosting its advertising budget nearly 70 percent this year, to about $2.9 billion.
That figure is based on Chrysler’s $1.72 billion advertising budget in 2010, outlined in documents filed recently with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and its comments to dealers last month that it would increase spending by 68 percent this year.
In the last half of 2009, when Chrysler was newly out of bankruptcy and partnered with Italy’s Fiat SpA, the automaker spent just $677 million on advertising, according to the SEC filing, mainly to remind consumers it was still in business.
The 2011 budget hike makes Chrysler a competitive voice again after two years of relative silence when the automaker’s future was uncertain, it had few products to promote and critics pummeled the quality of what was in its lineup.
Selling cars and trucks isn’t the only motive behind the marketing push: In the ramp-up to an initial public stock offering expected later this year, Chrysler must convince investors that improving finances and fresh products make it a good bet.
The next few months are critical, said analyst Ricardo de la Blanca, chief executive of DLB Group in Miami, an independent company that develops marketing strategies but did not advise Chrysler on its plan.
“No matter how good or bad the new products are, it is all about perception now,” he said. “It is safer to buy a competitor’s vehicles, so the challenge is to engage consumers.
“If they do it right, they will be able to create hype,” de la Blanca said. “It is critical because they also need to satisfy investors and the government.”
It will take a lot of money to get the message out, said Dave Sullivan, an analyst with AutoPacific Inc. in Ann Arbor. “Chrysler still suffers from the stigma of bankruptcy and a handout, and there is still the perception the money went to a lost cause,” he said. “But they have an impressive turnaround story to tell.”
Chrysler has resources it did not have prior to bankruptcy, said analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham. But the automaker still must tailor its marketing to a finite budget.
The money must be spread over 16 new or revamped vehicles from five brands, including the return of Fiat to North America after 27 years.
To mastermind it all, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who is also CEO of Fiat, asked Fiat marketing chief Olivier Francois to head Chrysler’s marketing, as well.
The two men began by throwing convention to the wind.
One of Francois’ first moves was to cancel longtime contracts with advertising agencies, including BBDO Detroit, replacing them with new players hired for specific tasks — such as national branding or multicultural ads — rather than the old way of aligning agencies with individual brands.
Chrysler also adopted Fiat’s practice of including marketing costs in the business case for each vehicle, as opposed to a separate marketing budget, said Ralph Gilles, head of the Dodge brand.
“It is progressive of the company,” Gilles said. Because Dodge has eight new 2011 models, “it gets a bigger piece of the marketing pie this year,” he said, and each nameplate will get its fair share of advertising dollars.
Laura Soave is overseeing Fiat’s return to North America, starting with the tiny Fiat 500.
The Fiat 500 is a niche model and “it doesn’t have to be everything to everybody,” Soave said. And Fiat is not a mass brand, “so I don’t need to be everywhere.”
Fiat’s “Life is best when driven” campaign will rely on less-expensive social media and events, she said.
Chrysler is getting more heavily involved in social media and uses Twitter more than its competitors, Sullivan said. Jeep has more than 1 million Facebook fans.
Event sponsorships include marathon and race series for Dodge, and a presence at award shows for the Chrysler brand.
“I have to invest my money where I think it will be most efficient,” said Francois, who was criticized by dealers for post-bankruptcy ads promoting brands but not individual models as U.S. sales plummeted.
Francois was unfazed by critics and stuck to a plan that began with promoting the Ram heavy-duty pickup in the first half of 2010. Advertising switched to Jeep for the summer launch of the 2011 Grand Cherokee, with a commercial promoting American manufacturing. Jeep sales swelled, and the ad set the emotional tone for phase three: the Chrysler brand.
A risky, $9 million, two-minute Super Bowl spot featuring Detroit rapper Eminem driving a Chrysler 200 through his hometown captured the imagination of a nation rooting for a comeback. Suddenly Chrysler had buzz
.
Shopper interest, based on hits received by auto websites such as Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book, remains high. Chrysler’s U.S. sales rose 13 percent in February.
“It might be enough to get people to test drive them,” said James Bell, a former KBB analyst.
Bob Shuman, co-owner of Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Walled Lake, said he was worried a year ago about the ability to market the new vehicles but “it doesn’t seem to be an issue” with the launches under way.
Sol Trujillo and his latest amigo
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The former Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo, who lashed out at Australians for repeatedly highlighting his Mexican heritage, does not seem to mind playing it up himself.
Trujillo, who was born in Wyoming and who branded Australia a racist country after his departure in 2009, has launched a consulting business focused on the Hispanic market.
The three-week-old firm called Garcia Trujillo, based in Miami, claims to be ”a long-term focused merchant bank, built on the philosophy of giving back”.
”Garcia Trujillo provides Hispanic-owned companies and Hispanic-focused businesses with top-flight strategic and operational advice designed to help them beat their competitors,” says the Trujillo-chaired firm, which was co-founded with Charles Garcia.
”Garcia Trujillo is uniquely dedicated to the advancement of the Hispanic community.”
One wonders if Trujillo has had time to have noticed the plunging profitability and share price of his old telco since heading back to the US.
The Garcia Trujillo website notes: ”At Telstra, Mr Trujillo completed the company’s privatisation and led an end-to-end transformation of a traditional government-owned telco into an integrated media-communications company with world-leading results.
”These achievements were recognised by his selection as ‘CEO of the Year’ for 2008 by Australian Telecom Magazine.”
In 2006 Trujillo was the least admired chief executive in the BRW East Coles Most Admired Companies survey.
IN FIRING LINE
The Sydney versus Melbourne battle for Folkestone Limited has taken another melodramatic twist, with one group of investors now threatening to call a meeting to dump the board of the property outfit if it delays for a third time a shareholder vote on a proposal to hand management control to the former Mirvac chief executive Greg Paramor.
Just days after a shareholder vote was delayed for a second time, the Adelaide-based investor and former fund manager Erik Metanomski has sent a letter to the Folkestone chairman, Alistair Maitland, on behalf of a ”number of disillusioned and disgruntled shareholders to express our heightened level of frustration and disappointment”.
One concern raised was the latest delay being announced the day shareholders were to vote on a recapitalisation plan that also involves Folkestone also buying the Paramor-founded business Equity Real Estate Partners (EREP) for $1 million in scrip.
The Folkestone board has now switched its support to a capital raising proposal led by Melbourne’s Pratt family investment company Thorney, which has a 9.6 per cent stake, and Bell Potter. ”Given the significant time delay in presenting any proposal to shareholders, we are appalled at the most recent postponement of the meeting and wish to strongly voice our concerns as to the preferential treatment that the board appears to be bestowing upon the non EREP proposal,” said Metanomski’s letter.
”In particular, we have grave concerns with respect to the timing of the revised competing proposal and that the basic principle of confidentiality with respect to proxy vote counting has been adhered to.”
Metanomski has also questioned why Maitland has still failed to release a KPMG independent expert’s report on the rival proposals.
”This is shareholders’ money that is being spent on providing a [report] that should be presented to shareholders to assist them in forming an informed opinion on how to vote,” he told CBD.
THORNEY ISSUES
Thorney meanwhile attempted to poke more holes yesterday in the Paramor proposal, by questioning the proposed purchase of EREP for $1 million. ”What is EREP anyway?” Thorney asked in a letter that was sent to Folkstone shareholders yesterday.
Thorney managed to sway the company away from supporting the Paramor proposal through its revised recapitalisation plan last month. But at a cost.
Folkestone independent director (and former tennis junior world champion) Kaye Dening resigned just hours after the chairman, Alistair Maitland, indicated he had shifted his allegiances to the Thorney proposal. Paramor, who attempted to dump Maitland as chairman at last year’s annual meeting, joined the Folkestone board last May when EREP took a stake in the company via a ”strategic placement”.
BLUE STREAK
Virgin Blue’s ex-formula three-driving chief executive John Borghetti has shown that he still has the right stuff.
After the airline’s inaugural flight to Abu Dhabi touched down last week, the Italian Stallion took a pitstop at the newly opened Ferrari World theme park in the Gulf emirate to test his skills.
According to one CBD operative, Borghetti set a cracking pace in the theme park’s formula one race car simulator, which charts Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.
There were unconfirmed reports the airline boss set a record time (for a regular punter) in the Nigel Mansell simulator.
GREEN SHOOTS
Nurseries have launched their most concerted effort yet for office workers to put plants on their desks. ”Recent Australian research has shown that plants in an office environment can result in 37 per cent reduction in tension/anxiety, a 58 per cent reduction in depression/dejection, a 44 per cent reduction in anger/hostility, a 38 per cent reduction in fatigue, a 30 per cent reduction in confusion and a 5 per cent increase in vigour,” explained Ray Borg, an executive from the indoor plant company Ambius, in a press release yesterday.
”They are no longer seen as a discretionary item for many businesses, as more studies show their benefits to the bottom line,” he reasoned. Borg did not say whether plastic plants were just as effective as real ones.
Today Nursery & Garden Industry Australia will launch the first ”Put a Plant on your Desk Day”. As part of the lobbying efforts before the state election, some golden cane palms have apparently been sent to the offices of the Premier, Kristina Keneally, and Opposition Leader, Barry O’Farrell.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/sol-trujillo-and-his-latest-amigo-20110301-1bd6q.html
Stagnito Media Launching Hispanic Retail 360 Magazine
Stagnito Media, parent company of Convenience Store News, Progressive Grocer, The Gourmet Retailer and the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit, will launch in April the first issue of Hispanic Retail 360 Magazine, a quarterly publication serving the retailer community across all trade channels.
The new publication is part of Stagnito’s multi-platform Hispanic Retail 360 information portal plan.
“Stagnito Media already plays a leadership role in providing market data, case studies and networking opportunities to the retailer community through its Hispanic Retail 360 Summit, now in its seventh year,” said Don Longo, editorial director. “Through development of a Retailer Advisory Board of retailers representing leading chains in grocery, convenience, drug, dollar and specialty store retailing, along with key contacts made with leading Hispanic marketing experts over the past six years, Hispanic Retail 360 has access to the thought leaders in the Hispanic marketing field and understands the major issues faced by retailers trying to grow their business with the Hispanic population.”
In addition, “Convenience Store News and Progressive Grocer magazines provide Stagnito with audience reach into the supermarket and convenience store industries, along with the consumer product goods companies that serve those industries,” said Michael Hatherill, publisher, adding that the Hispanic Retail 360 management team has unique and in-depth knowledge and experience in meeting the needs of retail marketing executives working in the Hispanic market.
Hispanic Retail 360 will be a stand-alone magazine polybagged with Convenience Store News, Progressive Grocer and The Gourmet Retailer magazines, reaching more than 20,000 C-suite executives and owners in convenience, grocery and specialty food and kitchenware retailing.
Content in the inaugural issue will include:
• A look at what the implications to retailers of the 2010 Census numbers.
• The future of fresh food sales to Hispanics.
• An interview with Teresa Iglesias-Solomon, vice president, Hispanic Initiative for Best Buy.
• A profile of Mi Pueblo Food Centers, operators of 17 award-winning Hispanic grocery stores in Northern California.
• Articles on marketing wireless telephone services and household cleaning products to Hispanic consumers.
• Market facts and expert columns from leading authorities on Hispanic retailing.
In addition to the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit – being held Aug. 10-12 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, in La Jolla, Calif. – Stagnito’s integrated Hispanic Retail 360 media platform includes a bi-weekly Hispanic Retail 360 News & Trends digital newsletter and a 24/7 Web site at www.HispanicRetail360.com.
http://www.csnews.com/top-story-stagnito_media_launching_hispanic_retail_360_magazine-58158.html
Ad Agency DLB Group Launches Mastercard’s New Campaign in US & Mexico
Ricardo de la Blanca, CEO of DLB Group
Global marketing network, DLB Group Worldwide is proud to partner with Club America and Denarii Systems to launch the new Club America Prepaid MasterCard in the U.S. and Mexico. This new card aims to provide Club America members with a convenient payment and money transfer experience, while connecting sports fans with their favorite hometown teams.
“This is a very ambitious initiative that presents the Club America Prepaid MasterCard as a payment option, plus a convenient way to transfer money between Mexico and the United States,” said Ricardo de la Blanca, CEO of DLB Group. “ Our goal is to highlight Mastercard’s iconic brand and connect it to the millions of Club America fans in the U.S. and Mexico to ensure the success of the new card.”
DLB Group’s team of advertising experts developed all marketing and branding efforts to launch the Club America Prepaid Mastercard in both countries. The company held an event to announce the product in Los Angeles, Calif. on Dec. 29th and is currently organizing a similar event in Mexico City next month. Additionally, DLB Group will manage all of Mastercard’s social media efforts.
“Sports are an integral part of our society and our overall culture. With that in mind, our main goal was to make sports fans feel as if Club America Prepaid MasterCard put their passion for their team in the pocket,” said Giancarlo Molero, COO of DLB Group.
DLB Group’s non-conventional strategies have drafted campaigns for distinguished companies such as Procter & Gamble, Hasbro, Coca-Cola, HBO Latin America, Ray Ban and Vodafone. The company’s areas of expertise include, but are not limited to trade marketing, events, audiovisual production, graphic production, Web & multimedia, viral marketing, culture building, strategic planning and brand activations.
About DLB Group Worldwide
DLB Group is a global marketing services integrator and the first independent non-conventional ad network with presence in the U.S., Spain and Latin America. The staff includes experts in the areas of commercial architecture, SMS, Web design, PR, trade marketing, broadcast and print production among others. DLB Group creates impactful plans that support the message between different media bringing memorable experience and brand contact to the consumer. The company has offices in the U.S., Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama.
About Club America
With 93 years of existence and the largest number of tournaments played at an international level with high television ratings, Club America goes beyond soccer. America is a brand with passion. Coupled with passion, successes, lessons and lots of heart, Club America is the referent of the Mexican Soccer team. Club America belongs to Grupo Televisa. It has more than 5 million fans in the United States and nearly 20 million fans in Mexico. For more information, please visit us at www.clubamerica.com.mx. Additional information can be found in our social networks: Facebook and Twitter
About Denarii Systems LLC
Denarii Systems is a payment solutions provider located in Miami, providing turnkey solutions to both financial institutions and companies of different commercial and government sectors worldwide. The main objective of Denarii Systems is to develop projects designed to potentiate low-income communities and unbanked. Denarii Card platform allows for the issuance of an electronic payment card without a bank account, relying on advanced mobile technology that delivers a transactional service via text messaging to all its customers. Denarii also offers a complete solution for processing e-commerce and POS. For more information visit www.denariisystems.com.
About MasterCard Incorporated
As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Incorporated prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2009, $2.5 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network – the fastest payment processing network in the world – MasterCard processes over 22 billion transactions each year and has the capacity to handle 140 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 140 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass™ and MasterCard inControl™. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com.