Category: News

To begin our new series titled “Creative Spotlight Series”, we have chosen Paco Olavarrieta – Chief Creative Officer of New York based d expósito & Partners.  We will continue to highlight our great creative executives in this series, asking them key questions about the business.  Enjoy.

Coming from 2020, and still in the middle of a pandemic, how do you see creativity in the U.S. Hispanic Market moving forward?

I think it’s time to go back to the future – to reflect back on where we were – in order to move forward and make progress. This pandemic has been like a guest who has overextended their welcome and doesn’t seem to have any urgency to leave, and we really don’t know when it will be behind us. We’d better learn to manage and thrive with it, and be open to new rules and protocols, as well as tolerate its annoyances, in order to keep doing great work.

Let’s move back to those days when the primary concern was finding the best idea for a brand, and then figure it out how can we produce it safely rather than the other way around; which is the scenario under which most of the industry has been operating over the last year. More now than ever I see us tapping into our sense of Latino ingenuity and sense of resourcefulness. Latinos, both foreign and U.S. born, are accustomed to living and operating in some sense of crisis and/or uncertainty. In that sense, the pandemic is just one more crisis, albeit a tough one, but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And when you come out of a crisis, of a time of oppression, there’s a general sense of relief and a renewed energy to come back and do great stuff. The increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion in the advertising industry and throughout Corporate America, not to mention the change of Administration, inspires hope and promise for the future.

What creative ideas or achievements do you think will help catapult your agency from 2020 into 2021?

We have several campaigns that lead with deep, cultural insights and are executed in a way that ring true to Latinos and are compelling to them. Our “Lucha vs Virus” campaign, to promote the use of masks during the pandemic, has brought strong results and also accolades from the public health sector and our industry. And it has brought us more work in that sector, namely an assignment from the NYC Health and Hospitals where we tapped several top NYC celebrities and social media influencers to create a campaign to overcome apprehension and skepticism about getting tested for COVID-19. We are also now launching a new campaign for our client Tajín, the Mexican seasoning, which was supposed to break last year but was put on hold because it depicted situations of a “pre-pandemic life”, which felt a bit out of touch at that time. We are excited because it showcases the brand’s Mexican heritage to appeal to a diverse U.S. population, reflecting this New America we all live in. And for our client Amica Mutual insurances, thanks to distanced production, we are about to shoot a new campaign, so the best is yet to come. Now is the time to capitalize and take advantage of this “viento a favor,” aka tailwind.

How much original Spanish- driven creative do you see moving forward in 2021?

Spanish creative-driven will continue to be needed for as long as there are Latinos and others in the U.S. that speak Spanish and watch Spanish-language media. On both accounts, the numbers just keep growing, so the momentum is not stopping anytime soon. And folks need to realize our programming is not just telenovelas, variety shows and soccer, anymore. While these programs and formats continue to drive high ratings, we also have many other options for quality content through streaming platforms that give us access to Spanish-language programming from the U.S. and abroad.  

Brands also need to take note of the tremendous jolt that occurs when a viewing experience jumps from being culturally immersed in a Latino program to an all-American commercial in English and where we are not properly and genuinely represented. I mean, an ad in English after watching Rigoberto Eduardo declare his love to María Cristina Carlota, It’s like jumping into freezing water after having laid out in the sun for half an hour.  It’s jarring and requires a mental shift, but it’s a tainted experience because the viewer is left with the feeling that the brand really doesn’t care about her/him or the Latino community.  This can all be avoided with smart marketing and proper investment.

Do you see a need for the Latinx moniker in our industry?

The problem with Latinx is that very few of us, if any of us, feels Latinx. It’s a term that has been forced on us and that none of us identifies with. Outside of the advertising industry and community activist circles,  and other than the talking heads on cable news shows, I have never heard anyone use the term to refer to themselves or to somebody else. “Hey, I’m a Latinx”. There are other terms that ring much truer to one’s identity.

From a creative perspective, how do you think the Hispanic opportunity can be made more attractive to the eyes of Corporate America?

As an industry, we’ve shown clients the opportunity and have kept them updated on how it only continues to grow. We’ve given them stellar creative ideas that have grown their businesses and have won awards. We have proven that original Hispanic work is more appealing, motivating and memorable with Hispanics, and there is greater message comprehension – all proven through qualitative and quantitative research. They now know culture counts. We have produced real-world results for live campaigns that have surpassed expectations and exceeded results of their non-Hispanic-targeted campaigns, and we have shown them we can do it efficiently and at record speed to save time and money. What else can we do as an industry?

Granted, two areas where we need to improve is with regard to big data and campaign metrics, where both fall short of being fully representative and accurate as it relates to Hispanic consumers and their behaviors; especially with regard to the foreign-born and Spanish-preferred segments of our audience. But in full transparency, it seems we now need to address what appears to be unconscious bias – or perhaps even conscious bias – that exists when deciding marketing strategies and allocating budgets.

Creatives, have been, like most people, working remotely.  How has this affected creativity and how will this translate into the future once Covid 19 is under control and we have achieved some form of normalcy?

We just presented a pitch a few days ago with one of the most robust and sharp decks I have ever seen in my whole career and everything was done remotely. The truth is that we’ve been working remotely for a long time ago but just weren’t aware of it. Every time we creatives were out on a shoot, we kept in touch with our teams back at the office by phone, email, text, etc. to keep the work moving forward. How many times did we present campaigns over the phone to a client?

Also, we have hired creatives, before, that were based in other countries and worked with them successfully in a totally remote fashion. Now, it simply has become “officialized” and everybody is recognizing that it can be as productive as being physically together (oh, big surprise!) One good thing that has come of it, is that it has eliminated the misconception of “if I don’t see you sitting at your desk, or physically in the office, you are not working.” Having said that, it doesn’t mean let’s forget the office and work remotely for good, because it can also become a bit lonely or isolating. I see us coming back to a very happy medium, where we can divide our time between working physically together and remotely and choose which one is best for what.

For instance, let’s get together at the office to kick off this campaign or brainstorm the first round of ideas, then the follow up can easily be done remotely. And remote is not limited to work from home but work from anywhere. The beach, a cafe in Paris, a cabin in the mountains, as long as you get good wi-fi, anywhere is game. This flexibility will definitely increase our quality of life and make us happier.

Do you see Latino culture permeating U.S. culture in the future as it used to do just a few years ago?

Sorry, but I didn’t receive the memo that we had stopped permeating U.S. culture. In fact, we are doing so now more than ever. Just look at Bad Bunny and J Balvin and how everything about their creative genius is appealing to the masses. When would we ever before have heard Spanish being spoken at a Presidential Inauguration, and during an ironically patriotic, All-American song? Would we ever have imagined seeing a Puerto Rican Supreme Court Justice swearing in our nation’s first female, Black and Asian vice president, before? And when it comes to national pastimes, despite The Weeknd’s super innovative halftime performance at Super Bowl LV, social media was left clamoring for JLo and Shakira’s spectacular, high energy, culture-filled performance from last year.

I think what’s happening is that it’s not a novelty anymore. Another fancy taquería or cevichería in Manhattan is not exactly breaking news anymore, but nonetheless they are embraced by everyone.  Now these examples are an everyday part of an increasingly multicultural America, and it’s already engrained and feels like “normal.” Let me put it this way, the head teacher of my Cuban salsa school in New York is a white American, and the best part is that, even for us Latinos, it’s not surprising. Perhaps it’s not so obvious in markets like NYC, Miami and LA, where our culture has been pervasive for decades, but when you look at a macro level across the country, Latino culture permeating all facets of society is more impactful than ever.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about 2021?
 
With 2020 we hit bottom. The only way is up from now on!

Diverse representation matters. That’s been the mantra across the advertising industry and all facets of Corporate America for the last 8 to 10 months, and rightfully so. The challenges and atrocities that we’ve collectively experienced in that timeframe have led to a social awakening. We experienced a moment of national catharsis on January 20, where we saw an inauguration ceremony and virtual TV celebration that was diverse in every way, with a multi-colored, multi-lingual, multi-abled, gender-inclusive snapshot of who we are and what we aspire to be every day. Alas, we didn’t see that in last night’s Super Bowl advertising, despite the major improvements made in the ads from Super Bowl LIV, in 2020.

From assessing the ads that aired nationally, it feels like we regressed at least 15 years. Yes, McDonald’s had a song with a line in Spanish that served as a wink to Hispanics and several brands produced spots with multi-ethnic casts reminiscent of the United Colors of Benetton ads, but much of it came off as people of color playing roles that reflect a white lifestyle just to check boxes. A handful of spots featured African American and Asian celebrities, athletes and talent in lead roles, but where were the Latinos? True, the Mexican beer brands represented with Latino stories – Corona with Bad Bunny and Modelo Especial with a Mexican tattoo artist – but that’s expected. What about the American brands? If it weren’t for Cardi B’s cameo appearance alongside Wayne and Garth in the Uber Eats spot or the Paso Doble inspired Reggaetón soundtrack in the Logitech spot, Latinos and Latino culture were largely non-existent and totally ignored in this year’s ads. We were even absent from Budweiser’s 90-second online ad touting their contributions to vaccine awareness work with the Ad Council, “The Bigger Picture,” despite the fact that Latinos have been among the hardest hit by and are experiencing profound inequities from the pandemic. The same can be said for the LGBTQ+ and Differently Abled communities across all the advertising. Sure, there was a could-be fake Maluma in the Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer spot, but is this representative of a nation that is nearly 20% Hispanic. Does this reflect the country we saw on display on January 20? Do brands realize that the Super Bowl consistently ranks as a top-rated program among Hispanics, regardless of language, year after year?

Some claim the big void was the absence of the usual advertisers like Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi and Hyundai, but to me it was the absence of the country’s largest and fastest-growing ethnic group. Perhaps it’s driven by the false assumption that Latinos only like soccer and baseball. “Or perhaps the priority on diversity was on the Afro-Americans followed by Asians, and advertisers didn’t want to dilute the focus by adding Hispanics to the mix, as Paco Olavarrieta, CCO  of the agency, mentioned.” Perhaps it’s the result of the failed Total Market Approach, which was finally pronounced dead in 2020 but still may have some lingering after effects. Perhaps it’s the lack of diversity at the larger ad agencies. Whatever the case, advertisers have to do better than this, especially those that have committed to championing equality, equity and social justice. Based on last night’s presentation and the greater proliferation of general market spots in Spanish-language media, even in English, the Hispanic community may see all of this as disingenuous and pure lip service.

The Incomplete and Unsuccessful D&I Execution

Indeed when asked to participate in an interview with Hispanic Market Overview, d expósito & Partners Chairman/CEO Daisy Expósito-Ulla reportedly spent hours on how to best present her responses. “Your questions were not tricky but were deceivingly simple.” she says. The result, she believes is an intellectual exercise that Expósito-Ulla believes can help our market

We wholeheartedly agree. It is a lengthy Q&A. But, after discussing with Hispanic Ad Publisher Gene Bryan, a consensus decision was made. We are running the entire Q&A, with 3.625 words in all. It is worth your time to read, and to digest. It is that timely and poignant.

HMO: We strongly believe that, given the COVID-19 pandemic and the reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the “reopening of Hispanic marketing” is vital and necessary. While Diversity and Inclusion initiatives are very important, we believe there has been an unfortunate consequence: Hispanic advertising has taken a back-seat, if you will. There seems to be less Hispanic-focused creative and messaging than ever. What is your view on this?

DAISY: This is a poignant question. I very much applaud Diversity and Inclusion to achieve a work environment where all individuals are treated fairly, respectfully, with dignity, and are able to access opportunities to contribute to the success of the organizations that employ them, and reflect the diversity of today’s consumer market. If done at all levels and enterprise-wide, this should yield positive social and business results.

It is not so much that Diversity and Inclusion initiatives are relegating Hispanic advertising to a back-seat, but rather a corporation’s perhaps incomplete and unsuccessful execution of Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. A lot of the focus on Diversity and Inclusion has been on high-profile areas such as HR, Executives and Board of Directors. If Diversity and Inclusion are truly done correctly, there should be proper representation throughout the whole organization, including marketing, and the recognition of business opportunities for areas such as the Hispanic Market would be organic. While D&I and marketing influence each other, one cannot substitute the other. Corporations need both, and they need to invest in both properly to be successful.

With that said, we also see two other forces that could be hindering Hispanic marketing at this time.

The first is anti-immigration that has led to an anti-Latino sentiment. A portion of our country has always had anti-immigration views. However, in the last several years the negative rhetoric and argumentation of these views has become more prevalent and has grown in intensity. Latinos have been front-and-center in this discussion, which has, unfortunately, let to this recent wave of heightened anti- Latino attitudes. Ironically, while may corporations have embraced diversity, several others have had lukewarm reactions or have individuals within their executive leadership or marketing organizations that simply do not see the need for Hispanic marketing, perhaps, due to their own personal biases.

Regardless, we as an industry continue aiming to justify the investment in Hispanic efforts by utilizing data to substantiate the growing diversity of the country and that Hispanics are the largest segment of that growth, and, as a consequence, highly influence the broad market. In essence, we try to demonstrate through data that a brand’s plan is incomplete without engaging the Hispanic consumer.

Over decades, we have converted many brands to being believers through effective results. However, other marketers have actually used our “new mainstream” status as an excuse to minimize Hispanic- specific efforts or to not invest at all. Then there are those marketers that have understood the demographic shifts but still have done little to seize the opportunity. Most probably, they are part of a confounding group that may be reacting to the wave of anti-immigration/anti-Latino views.

The second factor is the collateral damage of the Total Market philosophy and approach, which grew primarily as a result of the consolidation of creative and media duties and the pursuit of efficiencies. This fostered a marketing environment that tends to operate of the premise of leveraging universal insights and creative and/or media plans that are based on sameness as opposed to customizing the work to more deeply resonate with the Hispanic consumers and their lifestyles. This has created a scenario where Hispanic marketing budgets are increasingly vulnerable to cuts or being relegated to relying on transcreations or divers casting in broader mainstream campaigns.

Finally, we now have the research that shows that these tactics do not work, and that brands have suffered as a result. Let’s just say Total Market will soon be remembered as the Edsel of marketing. But, while the Edsel may be a joke, Total Market seriously affected many clients’ bottom line. It also managed to derail the evolution of an industry and the hard-earned business growth that had resulted out of decades of hard work and collaboration by Hispanic agencies, the media and visionary brands.

However, I am optimistic that this situation is about to change. Sometimes, it takes an unexpected event to alter the course of history: it’s that kinds of moment that stirs things up, makes people stop and reflect and be willing to think differently, and –almost mysteriously– things suddenly begin to shift direction. This is where we are today: We’ve experienced two seismic shifts of unseen historic proportions with the coronavirus pandemic and the tragic murder of George Floyd and others. There is a New Conversation in the sense that America may have now finally reached a point in which, as a society, we take a harder look at ourselves and learn to improve the ways we ensure justice for African Americans and other communities of color, such as ours.

It is, of course, of national interest to re-open the economy gradually –and carefully, from a public health standpoint–, but there is a new American consensus out there that will favor and tend to promote serious revision and improvement of the application of the concept of equality.

This is no less than a gigantic wave, a movement that will drive some dramatic changes in government–both local and national–and, hopefully, at all levels in Corporate America.

In this context, the “Reopening of Hispanic Marketing” is vital and necessary and it should happen with a spirit and mindset that marks a formal end to the Total Market philosophy and the introduction of a new era of marketing based on a symbiotic relationship of brands and community. This is the perfect time to reposition and refocus the way we identify business opportunities for our clients, not only as marketers but as members of the Hispanic community. This is definitely not about being “self-serving” but about being more American. It is the right time for us to re-engage in a dialogue with Corporate American so that all parties understand that “we are in this together.”

History tells us that this is the time to bring to the table a more proactive, vocal and present sense of diversity, one that builds upon decades of pioneering work from community leaders and Hispanic marketing visionaries that closely collaborated with leading marketers with the commitment of being good, responsible corporate citizens. Their work was catapulted by the results of Census 2000, a demographic milestone that was enshrined forever on the cover of TIME Magazine as the “Latino Explosion” in America.

This begs the question, after twentyyears from that TIME cover and our community’s sustained growth, why are we still in need of defending the Hispanic Market opportunity?

We need to regain that sense of identity and pride, and bring with us brands that share a sense of commitment through positive actions in our community. Let’s regain the momentum. After all, brands need our community and our consumers to grow and succeed. Can brands afford to leave $4 Trillion of purchasing power on the table?

I ask one more time, why do we still need to defend this business opportunity, again and again? Let’s put total market behind us and reset.

Will Corporate America get it right this time? I feel hopeful. In my view, we have to find a presence and a voice with Blacks, Asians and other groups to contribute effectively to the reshaping of America’s future. I know many i the corporate world get it. When I see a brand like Aunt Jemimas disappear by the decision of it’s manufacturer, we have a powerful example of a brand’s conviction to do the right thing and help build a better world. At the core of the great American Experiment, there is a willingness to embrace the kind of change that brings revision and renewal. That’s what we see with today’s societal awakening, and this can push business and society forward as one.

HMO: It has been proven that consumption of Hispanic media through the pandemic has increased, with Spanish-speaking radio and TV consumers over-indexing compared to the Total Market. How can this be converted to ad dollars — not just today, but over the next decade?

DAISY: Indeed, conventional media, as well as digital, saw double and sometimes even triple digit increases in audience growth, but Hispanic media and English cable news led with the biggest growth.

Not only has Hispanic TV grown its audience, but it has kept meaningful increases post-COVID-19, while most English genres are starting to see audience levels similar to 2019 or even lower. The impact of Spanish-language media in effectively delivering Hispanic, and many times even leading in the broad market, has been there since the industry started to be measured, but whether due to a conscious or unconscious bias, many advertisers and their agencies have opted to ignore it. This time around, however, I feel that the impact of COVID-19 in the United States, coupled with a global anti-racism movement, can be powerful enough for those advertisers not committed to this market to finally recognize the value of the Hispanic consumer. If this happens, it will be a moral and business victory very much in the best American tradition.

To energize and keep a vibrant economy advertisers cannot flout that, time and time again, Latinos are driving the GDP growth at a faster rate that any other segment – with this year growing at 32%. They lead the growth in many important categories. They are younger and live longer, therby they represent a lifetime value of almost 20 more years over the total market. It is impressive that this year marks a historic racial shift with the population in the U.S. becoming majority-minority among people under the age of 18, and there is no surprise that Hispanics lead, representing over 52% of all multicultural persons under the age of 18.

This is huge. This market–this community–doesn’t need to ask for any charity. This market is a successful and direct representative of a community that pays its’ dues to deserve attention instead of disregard, a community that deserved real and meaningful engagement rather than lip-service or veiled racism. When we combine some of these factors with the reality that the population in North America is growing older, any advertiser that may still be a bit blind or not looking our way seriously – for the sake of their own corporations! – will see no reasonable choice but to support the Hispanic and multicultural consumers, especially if they want to see present and long-term business growth.

We are starting to see small victories after the recent announcement of the Supreme Court regarding DACA. While not the final victory, this is a good signal for the times ahead – and if I am allowed to make a prediction, I will say with optimism that America is finally heading in the right direction.

HMO: Authentic storytelling, cultural connection. We hear these key focal points of Hispanic marketing year in and year out. But, what companies get it – and stick with it? is the education process still as important as ever?

DAISY: Authentic storytelling and cultural connection are critical, but so are a brand’s actions to back them up.

We saw how some of the world’s leading brands attempted to tell positive stories about how they were supporting their customers during COVID-19, only to be called out in social media to do long-standing employee relations issues or token gestures that were deemed as disingenuous.

The education process is more important than ever because the Hispanic segment continues growing and evolving. What’s more, the education process needs to happen enterprise-wide so that everyone in a company is aware and so that their products and services have more meaningful impact in our daily lives.

Some companies now understand this and have taken to steps to evolve every aspect of their organizations so that they are set up to serve a more multicultural consumer base. However, many of them are still at an infancy stage, where we in our industry are still committed to helping them educate their marketing departments to invest wisely to better profit from their multicultural efforts.

I would like to emphasize that authentic storytelling and cultural connection cannot be achieved without embracing an honest corporate philosophy that organically spends the time, effort and money to mine for insights required to develop customized strategies and content that deeply resonate with Hispanics. And this has to happen in a consistent way with a long-term vision. Anything less is simply lip service.

With each passing day, the importance becomes more profound given the Hispanic Market’s growth in numbers and diversity. While there are still many broad truths and insights that span the Hispanic audience, there are emerging sub-segments and facets of the audience (i.e. 50+, Afro-Latino, US-born, Central American) that bring new opportunities and justify consideration in our strategies, plans and product offering. There is also the fluidity of culture going both ways.

The African American and Hispanic cultures are undeniably strong influencer’s and shapers of American culture, As such, we should not forget that Hispanic consumers are influencing the broader mainstream society, where insights and campaigns created for this audience can drive a brand’s overall business. Granted, each consumer segment needs storytelling that resonates with them. but as the fastest-growing segment of our country, our stories and vantage points have already proven to be a predictor of broader trends and behaviors.

WIth that said, I would add that Hispanic marketing still requires a dedicated team of specialists with deep insight on this diverse, multi-faceted consumer audience, and with the know-how to apply the available data and tools to drive relevant business strategies and creative campaigns. True magic only happens when there are dedicated teams of Hispanic marketing and communications specialists with address to the right tools that arm them to unearth powerful insights that lead to brilliant creative ideas. We see that clients who tap these expert teams and invest consistently over the years are winning Hispanic business and reaping the rewards through brand growth.

HMO: What’s the visibility from your perch with respect to digital versus linear initiates? is Hispanic digital in the U.S. growing, or it is fizzling? What is the big focus among your clients?

DAISY: Digital is the engine of modern marketing, regardless of language and ethnicity. It has become a must in practically all advertising plans. As a matter of fact, there are times when digital is the only platform used for an entire client campaign. Therefore, the commitment and interest is there for the broad market, as well as for Hispanics, as this group is a heavy user of technology and they over-index in may aspects of the digital ecosystem.

But based on the research companies that measure investments by medium, we can observe a wide gap between digital dollars allocated towards the broad market vs. Hispanic. For example, in 2018, digital investment commanded 42.3% of total media spend for the broad market vs 31.3% for TV, while for Hispanic this number is 25.4%, vs. 60.6% for TV. This reflects 22.9% increase for the broad market vs. 10% increase for Hispanic when compared to 2017.

This clearly means that there is room for growth in Hispanic digital media, no doubt.

The key challenge the industry is facing is the reality that online investment is dominated by the major technology conglomerates (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google). This is an environment that is projected to become even more defiant as e-commerce starts to play an even bigger role, especially in the area of Food and Beverage – which is estimated to see approximately a 60% increase this year in online shopping.

While this has been a trend for the past few years, this behavior has accelerated due to COVID-19 and it is estimated to remain higher than pre-COVID times. Consequently, regular publishers and digital content providers do to fully capitalize from the richness that digital represents in the industry, for both the broad and Hispanic markets.

Nonetheless, the pie is still very big and Hispanic digital publishers can benefit immensely from this. Culturally-relevant content, brand safety, sophisticated advanced data targeting, and the ability to start moving in a Total Screen audience-guaranteed are critical components to increase their fair share.

HMO: Do you have a case study of client example of how they’ve stayed committed to U.S. Hispanic advertising through the bumps of 2020? We’d love to hear about how a client has not withdrawn but doubled down on Hispanic ad activity.

DAISY: The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented time never experienced during modern history, resulting in massive media shifts and cuts. At dex, however, we are fortunate and pleased to report that only one of our clients shifted media activity during this pandemic.

The industry also say increases from some categories such as in the area of health, local government and streaming services. Health and local government invested significantly across the board and the streaming players – especially those that were new entries in the market – pushed investment, as well.

In our case, I think we have a perfect example with Amica Mutual Insurance, whose main goal is to make the phone ring, drive potential Hispanic customers to their website, and. of course, gain conversions. Our approach was to shift the messaging to be more aligned with the moment but under the overall campaign “Cosas que no se pueden explicar” (“Things You Can’t Explain”). During the peak of the pandemic, we maintained our media activity and launched with both Carlos Ponce and Jorge Narváez, showcasing how they were quarantining at home with their families. To our surprise and the contrary to what the trade was stating, we saw our biggest lift in call volume and website traffic during the peak ofthe pandemic. It was quite unexpected and it made us look at the high numbers twice!

Another example is a client of ours that offers healthcare services. Realizing the grave disparities that exist in our community, they quickly shifted to promote telehealth services.

This was a human approach to help an under-served community. These clients understand this critical moment calls for brands to act with humanity. More importantly, they institute positive behaviors in society and understand the value of positive action.

HMO: In conclusion, how do you see the plight of black, and the plight of Latinos … and where do you see advertising, marketing and brands in general?

DAISY: The fact that Latinos are more impacted by coronavirus, the fact that they represent a large portion of first responders and essential workers, the fact that the farmworkers that enable us to put food on our tables are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, while we stay safe at home, underscores how immigrants still help America thrive–and survive.

Undoubtedly, this also exposes the divide between the haves and have-nots. On top of this, we also have a share of senseless killings, as a result of excessive use of force, with the latest two cases involving Carlos Ingram López, in Tucson, and Andrés Guardado in Los Angeles.

And let us not forget we still have people in detention centers and kids in cages on the border, so the injustices waged against some of the most vulnerable in our society are clamoring to be corrected. Just as the Black community is expecting brands to stand up and fight for corrective action, the Hispanic community should be expecting its’ fair share of the same. We have entered an entirely new era of marketing and advertising. This is a global movement. This has ramifications to business and all areas of life. Those brands that do not invest in Hispanic efforts and stay silent on issues affecting communities of color run the risk of being deemed as tone-deaf and uncaring.

This transcends optics or schrewd public relations: beyond the creation of great products, brands are expected to help create better societies. The better brands know this. This entails that they authentically embody and communicate their purpose and mission through tangible and sustainable action.

The digital conversation is wider than ever – it’s open and global and nobody can hide.

Corporations need to get in tune with the seismic shift that is occurring and act accordingly, even if met with resistance among certain facets of our society at first.

It is not an exaggeration that we may be about to witness major changes in our collective conscience, even in the middle of a global recession: this may impact how, as a society, we look at economic inequalities, global warming and the overall accessibility to democracy, education, and well-being.

As a result of all that is going on today, the Hispanic advertising industry, now more that ever, needs to embrace it own sense of community and pride and act in unity and solidarity along with other multicultural players to be community and consumer champions. The Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, (AIMM)is already quite active on this agenda within the ANA.

The Culture Marketing Council, (CMC), has been an ongoing champion of the Hispanic Market Industry.

Brands and Corporate America will respond positively to our efforts. But we need to behave as a unified force to truly do what’s right for our community. If we are all united as marketers and business leaders, we will be able to strengthen America’s society and America’s business.

Latino PSA Features Luchadors to Deliver Helpful Covid Info to Spanish Speakers

‘Lucha vs. El Virus’ was created to fill a gap and reach a group highly affected by the virus

By Mary Emily O’Hara

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Communities across the country are opening up. But with Memorial Day being the unofficial start of Summer, the warmer weather and sunshine-filled days ahead, and the lock-down fatigue we all feel, it’s imperative we don’t let our collective guard down and continue to follow safe practices. This especially means we need to keep wearing our masks and maintaining social distance.  So we decided to pitch in with a PSA campaign to remind folks the fight isn’t over.

The Lucha vs El Virus campaign has a singular message that applies both to the wrestling world and our new reality: El que se quita la máscara pierde la lucha (the one who takes off the mask loses the fight). We designed these luchador mask filters for Facebook and Instagram as a fun, eye-catching, but very serious way to encourage those in your social networks to stay in the fight, ¡que sigan en la lucha! So join the campaign! Take a selfie using the filters and post it with pride, share it with your friends, and remind them that anyone who takes off their mask loses the fight.

Click here for Facebook or here for Instagram.

With AARP turning into an undisputed winner and in a combination of wins that straddled public affairs, media events and not-for-profit communications, d expósito & Partners, and its client AARP, walked away with three of the 2018 National ¡Bravo! Awards at this year’s New York ceremony of the Hispanic Public Relations Association.

d expósito & Partners became the winner of the Non-Profit Campaign of the Year for AARP for developing the moving film Every step of the Way (Cada paso del camino) as part of AARP’s Caregiving Campaign. The 2018 Public Affairs Campaign of the Year went also to d expósito & Partners for its AARP/New York “Disrupting Racial and Ethnic Disparities: Solutions for New Yorkers Age 50 Plus.” The near sweep by d expósito & Partners was crowned by its third win with the 2018 Media Event of the Year, a campaign also for AARP.

“We are excited and humbled for these wins, and we thank the HPRA for recognizing our communications campaigns as being among the best in the Hispanic public relations field,” said Louis Maldonado, Partner & Managing Director at d expósito & Partners and lead of the AARP account at the agency.  “Receiving accolades for our work is always gratifying, but they are particularly meaningful with the campaign having such an important purpose and the fact that they are meant to benefit some of the more vulnerable in our society.”

The HPRA ¡Bravo! Award is one of the more prestigious awards in Hispanic communication and a wonderful accolade in the Hispanic PR industry.  Click here for a full list of winners.

The event on October 2 was held at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City.

d expósito & Partners scored a big win for both the Agency and the Hispanic advertising industry, being recognized as a finalist in the 2018 North American Effies in the Multicultural & Lifestyle Segments category.  The Effie is one of the ad industry’s most highly coveted awards as winning campaigns are decided based on effectiveness and excellence in connecting with their audiences to deliver results.  The 2016 AARP campaign is a best-in-class example of a brand that is leveraging powerful insights, relevant storylines and scenarios, and the use of cultural idioms and meaningful phrases to drive brand awareness, relevance and consideration.

Timing of this recognition is perfect, as it’s a testament to the success brands can gain when investing in multicultural marketing with original advertising and content, especially when following best practices in strategic planning and relevant storytelling.

In late July, AARP launched the evolution of this creative strategy, with a new campaign from d expósito & Partners that more fully explains how AARP helps in the areas of salud, dinero y amor. The new creative highlights AARP’s impact work in communities, as well as benefit to individuals.  The new spots can be viewed on campaign website, www.SoyAARP.org.

In Chicago, San Francisco and New York, advertising’s pioneering women strolled into Adweek’s photo shoot in a celebratory mood. After all, many of them knew each other back in the day. They’d risen together and supported each other as they overcame difficult odds to be The First—the first female and African-American chief executive at Starcom MediaVest Group, the first African American to serve as an IPG company officer, the first to launch a multicultural marketing group at Young & Rubicam, the first woman to become creative director at Leo Burnett and the first woman elected to its board, to name just a few.

“As a woman, as a Latina, who practiced a pioneering specialty, Hispanic marketing, it was a triple challenge,” recalls Daisy Expósito-Ulla, who headed up Y&R’s The Bravo Group and is currently chairman, CEO of d expósito & Partners. “Working at Y&R in 1980, no one knew what the heck I did. It was a challenge to prove to the corporation, to my clients that this was a really good business opportunity. I persisted, and I was there for almost 25 years.”

Here, Adweek shares what Expósito-Ulla and several of these women called a “historic” moment in time—not because they had stories to share, but because, as they say, now people are listening. —Lisa Granatstein

Cheryl Berman’s drive is so well known that a 2004 Wall Street Journal ad called her the “Determined Ms. Berman.” The former chairman and CCO of Leo Burnett in Chicago, Berman believes she landed the top creative job at the agency because of her persistence. “I just wanted to do it all,” she says. “I had a very healthy appetite.” Not that the ride was easy or smooth. “There were obviously obstacles,” she notes, “but I was competitive, a hard worker and a good writer so I think that helped me move up the ranks.” And she says, she always spoke up, especially when she was excluded from meetings: “I was very upfront about it.” Clearly, it worked. Not only did Berman work on some of the biggest brands in the world, including Coca-Cola, Kraft and McDonald’s, during her three-decade career at Leo Burnett, but she became the first woman elected to the agency’s board of directors. Looking back, says Berman, who founded Unbundled Creative in 2006, “It was quite interesting to walk in that room and be the first woman with a bunch of guys who, you know, I don’t think they even wanted me in that room. I think they felt they had to do it.” And that she insists must change. “It’s not that you have to [be more inclusive], but you should want to do this,” she says. “You should support it with all your enthusiasm and your energy because it’s going to help you move forward, going to help the world move forward.” —Kristina Monllos

Expósito-Ulla built her career by seizing opportunities when they presented themselves—and when they didn’t, she created them. The award-winning marketer entered the agency world in 1976 as a creative writer and producer at Conill Advertising and worked closely with co-founder Alicia Conill, who, she says, “empowered me and gave me the confidence to come out of my shell.” In 1981, Expósito-Ulla became creative director for Y&R’s The Bravo Group, where she led accounts including AT&T, Kraft, Mazda, the U.S. Army, Sears and USPS. She was the first Latina to hold the cd role at a major global agency and later rose within the ranks to become chairman and CEO in 2001. Under her watch, Bravo went from a $1 million shop responsible for producing marketing and communications programs aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market to an umbrella group of multicultural agencies at Y&R/WPP with half a billion dollars in annual billings. While Expósito-Ulla faced “twice as many obstacles being both a woman and a minority,” she says that challenge “became the biggest opportunity of my career.” In 2006 she launched her own independent agency, d expósito & Partners. Looking forward, she is optimistic. “Women have woken up,” she says. “We have raised the level of consciousness and awareness.” —Erik Oster

Frazier, who is currently the American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) chief operating officer, has made her mark championing diversity and inclusion in advertising for over 30 years—especially on the creative side. “I think it would benefit the industry if we had more women of color involved in creating campaigns,” she says, “because they might be able to bring some insights to how women of color like to be portrayed.” In addition to her industry work, Frazier taught at Howard University for over 12 years, making her as much of an educator as an activist. Her achievements during 14 years with AAF include increasing corporate support of diversity programs, doubling the number of participants and financial support for the Most Promising Multicultural Students program and creating the first-ever AAF student conference. “The industry for many years has tried to [attract] students of color,” she says, “but those programs basically focus on entry level … it’s a matter of keeping them.” Frazier has high hopes for the future, saying, “One would think that if any industry really can solve the inclusion dilemma, it would be the advertising industry.” —E.O.

Since the 1990s, Heide Gardner, IPG’s svp and chief diversity and inclusion officer, has been at the forefront of countless movements that work to advance minorities in advertising. In 2000, as svp of diversity and strategic programs at AAF, she helped push former President Bill Clinton to sign an executive order requiring all federal departments to compensate minority-led agencies, based on fair market rates. In 1996, she founded the AAF’s Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism, publisher of the seminal The Mosaic Principles, a guide for improving diversity. Although Gardner says progress remains a challenge (according to 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 5.8 percent of women holding jobs in advertising and public relations were black), she believes that movements like #MeToo (founded by activist Tarana Burke) and Time’s Up Advertising demonstrate that we are entering into a period of real and positive change. “We’ve created an environment where it’s OK to bring less egregious behavior that derails careers and demoralizes people to someone’s attention,” Gardner says. “Time’s Up Advertising is about women who are in power taking on the responsibility to lead change with accountability. It’s not just about white women. It is about women and men of color, LGBTQ talent.” —Lindsay Rittenhouse

Jean-Baptiste got her start in advertising when a friend referred her to a program called MAIP ( Multicultural Advertising Intern Program). “I was scared,” she says. “I didn’t know whether I would get in, and I didn’t feel like I’d be as prepared as others who had studied advertising longer.” But the former broadcast journalism major’s fears were unfounded. Not only did she earn a spot, she also scored an internship at Philadelphia’s Tierney & Partners and went on to hold top marketing and HR roles at Digitas and Wieden + Kennedy. Last year, Jean-Baptiste’s career came full circle as she landed her current job as svp of talent, engagement and inclusion at the 4A’s—the very group that launched MAIP 45 years ago. Her focus now is to expose other young, aspiring advertising professionals to all available industry access points. “I have mentored people informally for all my career,” she says. “[I’m] constantly in pursuit of making my story known so they know that what I achieved is possible for them too.” As a “darker-skinned black woman,” Jean-Baptiste says she has always been aware of perceptions of her otherness. But she calls her time at Digitas a formative one, adding, “I could see a future version of myself” in the agency’s minority leaders. In her new role, she hopes to dispel the myth that a lack of diversity stems from a lack of interest while helping the entire industry develop a greater sense of empathy. “It’s about small, intentional, tightly choreographed actions that move you forward every day,” she says. “We are not as educated as we all need to be in other cultures.” —Patrick Coffee

In 1997, Linda Kaplan Thaler and five women opened The Kaplan Thaler Group, on the third floor of her family’s brownstone, as an escape from the male-dominated agency world. “I didn’t want to be in cultures where I felt like there was this endless alpha male attitude,” she says. Two years later, Thaler’s team ballooned to 250 people and was racking up more than $1 billion in billings. Among the groundbreaking and award-winning work coming out of her shop: the Aflac duck and the “Yes, Yes, Yes” Clairol campaigns. Now retired, she was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2015. These days, Thaler spends much of her time touring the country, giving motivational speeches to corporations. Reflecting on the state of the industry today, she says: “There’s so much room for improvement in every profession. I would like to see more and more women in leadership positions. After all, we are seeing more women as our clients.” —Katie Richards

“Women have equal talent to men,” says Lazarus. “We don’t need any remedial programs. We just need an even playing field.” Ogilvy & Mather’s chairman emeritus has proven this over and over, during a career that spans more than 40 years and saw her rise through the ranks starting with president of O&M Direct North America, then CEO and finally chairman. Recalling her early days (she began on the client side at Clairol), Lazarus says that she often found herself as the only woman in the room. “We would mostly be working on products that were sold to women so there would invariably come this moment in any meeting I was in, where the whole table of men would turn to me and go, ‘Well Shelly, what do women think?’ So, I was central to this whole proposition.” In 1996, when Lazarus succeeded former Ogilvy CEO Charlotte Beers, she became one of the first women at a major agency to take the reins from another woman. Her climb to the top spot at an agency of Ogilvy’s size was considered so newsworthy that it became the focal point of a 1997 New York Times article, questioning why there were so few women at the top of major shops.  —K.M.

A pioneer from the minute she landed in “client services” at Leo Burnett in 1978, McCann rose quickly, becoming the agency’s first African-American vp and later CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group Worldwide. To get ahead as a woman, especially one of color, meant having to brush off the misogynist comments made by male colleagues—like when top executives would ask her younger, pregnant self if she was having twins. “I would growl and say, ‘No, I’m having one,’” she recalls. “You just answered and moved on. We didn’t get distracted by things that were going to take our eye off the ball.” Having lived through the civil rights movement, McCann says experiences like being barred from entering Chicago’s South Shore Country Club, where her white friends were allowed to play, taught her that the only thing she could focus on while pursuing her career was her own success. Currently, Publicis Groupe’s chief inclusion experiences officer, McCann says her trailblazing days are behind her. “I think the women who are in the industry now, who have years to go in their careers, have to find the kind of workplace they want and the kind of workplace they want for their daughters and sons,” she offers. “For me, it’s about supporting them.” —L.R.

“I had many more opportunities as a black woman than my mother or my grandmother, who worked in a tuna canning factory,” says Warren, Omnicom’s svp, chief diversity officer—which is why she feels a special sense of responsibility every time she enters the office. But her advocacy work extends well beyond Omnicom. Eleven years ago, while managing diversity programs at the 4A’s, Warren set out with “few resources and lot of hubris to honor people of color in marketing and media.” The result was Adcolor, which has since grown to become the industry’s premier minority advocacy organization. “We weren’t taught about multicultural change-makers in class,” she says, and Adcolor seeks to counter that disparity by paying tribute to talent at all levels, from rising stars to icons and agency executives who “have stood up as allies.” Warren acknowledges the role that #MeToo and Time’s Up Advertising have played in bringing the industry to the precipice of change while noting that women of color have been waiting “in the shadows” for decades. She adds, “We have this moment to make changes across the board, not just in terms of gender.” —P.C.

Williams never planned to go into advertising. Growing up on Chicago’s South Side during the 1960s, the legendary creative director nursed twin passions for hippie culture and biochemistry. But a 4A’s internship program landed her at Leo Burnett in 1971, and three years later she helped make Secret the market’s top antiperspirant on the strength of the still-running “Strong Enough for a Man, but Made for a Woman” campaign. “If you don’t have a seat at the table, find yourself a chair and pull it up to the table,” she says—and that bold approach, combined with memorable work for Pillsbury, KFC and Kimberly-Clark, helped her become the first African-American woman named vp, creative director at any ad agency in 1977. “Once you proved that you could produce brilliance on an ongoing basis, the industry embraced you,” she says. In 1986, Williams took an even greater risk in launching her eponymous shop, which has since produced noteworthy campaigns for brands like Allstate, General Motors and The Walt Disney Co. Last year, Williams became only the second African-American woman inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. While she calls most diversity initiatives “PR talk,” she also sees potential for progress in the intersection of #MeToo and the challenges that women of color still face in both the ad industry and our culture at large. “It’s time to rewrite the rules,” she says, “and that’s not a joke.” —P.C.

Mary Wells Lawrence

A singularly powerful, not to mention prolific force during the 1960s, Lawrence conceived of iconic campaigns for Alka-Seltzer, Braniff International Airways (think Pucci-clad stewardesses) and TWA, among others. In 1966, when the management team at Jack Tinker & Partners turned down her request to be president, telling her “no one would come” to the agency, she left and co-founded Wells Rich Greene. Within six months she helped win more than $30 million in billings. Two years later the agency went public, and Lawrence made history as the first female CEO of a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As she told The New York Times in 2012, “There were and are so many talented women in the advertising business, and the real wonder is why they aren’t all running worldwide agencies of their own.” —K.M.

After having won the Grand Prix and a Gold Award at the recent 2018 Culture Marketing Conference (CMC) in Los Angeles, last week, a film made possible by AARP about family caregiving among U.S. Hispanics, created by d expósito & Partners, has now won the 2018 Big Apple Award from the Public Relations Society of America.

Cada paso del camino (Every Step of the Way) is a film documentary about five Latino family Caregivers. It won the Big Apple Award for the Multicultural Public Relations Campaign category. The award was received by Yvette Peña, Vice President of Multicultural Leadership at AARP. She was joined by Louis Maldonado and Gloria Constanza, partners at d expósito & Partners, as well as Michelle Maldonado and Ana Ibarra from the agency’s Public Relations team.  Award-winning director, Alberto Ferreras, director of the documentary created by the agency, was also present at the event organized by the New York Chapter of the PR Society of the Americas. The event was celebrated last night at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan. As reported by HispanicAd.com recently, this reflects part of a new trend by advertisers seeking non-traditional approaches. As ad agencies try to find ways to add and continue moving beyond or around the classic television spots, they are increasingly looking for ideas that are not specifically within advertising as we have known it, as well as technological groundbreaking ways for the clients and brands they represent.

Every Step of the Way won the biggest prize at the HispanicAd C.A.P.E. Awards at the Culture Marketing Council Conference last week. Created to recognize the best work in the discipline of account planning and the strategic strength of communication, CAPE award winners are selected by a panel of judges who value and judge the Account Planning merits of the entries

“We look for that lightening in a bottle for our clients,” said Daisy Expósito-Ulla, Chairman of d expósito & Partners. “And this film made possible by AARP achieves a special blend of highly necessary information with an emotion-filled yet thoughtful subtext and treatment. It proves that caregiving touches all of us!”

Every Step of the Way has reported 8 million viewers so far, according to the case study presented by the agency.