jueves, 2 de agosto del 2012
(María Eugenia Gómez). “Los ojos del mundo están puestos en Twitter” expresó a PRODU Roberto Ramos, presidente de Vox Profero (Nueva York), con relación a la importancia de la presencia de las redes sociales durante la realización de los Juegos Olímpicos Londres 2012.

“Con este tipo de eventos de interés global se presenta la gran oportunidad de establecer un diálogo mundial. Independientemente de si un cliente tiene una campaña relacionada con las Olimpiadas, todas las agencias debemos aprovechar el momento de híper-conectividad y participar en la conversación amplificando el mensaje de nuestros clientes” destacó Ramos.

El ejecutivo enfatizó que durante las Olimpiadas de Londres 2012 se desarrollarán más tweets, publicaciones online, videos y fotografías compartidas en las redes sociales que en cualquier otro evento deportivo en la historia. “Para quienes nos dedicamos a la comunicación digital y estamos atentos, buscando aprovechar los resultados y las oportunidades que ofrece el primer evento mundial de la nueva era digital, se trata de identificar nuevos modelos de conexión e interacción” agregó.

Para Ramos la presencia en las plataformas digitales es determinante para los clientes. Los hispanos tienen una fuerte correlación entre el lenguaje y las generaciones. “Cada campaña debe lograr establecerse ante la audiencia que busca alcanzar” finalizó.

Global digital agency Profero has taken a bold step, acquiring a majority stake in a creative-intensive Hispanic marketing shop – the vox collective. The independent, New York-based agency is now Vox Profero.

Both agencies aim to capitalize on the other’s strengths… Vox Profero gains its parent company’s global digital and social marketing capabilities while Profero obtains immediate access to insights on, and contact with, Hispanic and Latin American consumers.

“It’s a game changer for us,” says Roberto Ramos, CEO of Vox Profero, who describes the deal as a natural evolution for both independent agencies. “When you take two growth pillars, digital and Hispanic, it inherently makes sense.”

Vox Profero will continue to operate independently, with Ramos and chief creative officer Susan Jaramillo at the helm. Ramos will now report to Aaron Reitkopf, CEO of Profero Americas.

When conversations between Ramos and Arnold began several months ago, they quickly focused on growth opportunities – digital for vox and Hispanic for Profero, particularly the U.S. Hispanic-Latin American synergies for clients and consumers.

“We were looking for ways to transform our offering, to turbo-charge it, and digital was the way to do so,” says Ramos. “But to become as digital as possible you have to do it organically, which takes time, or through the right-level partnership.”

A 25-person team in with offices in New York and San Francisco, Vox Profero’s client roster now includes Macy’s, General Motors, PepsiCo and Vonage – which is also a Profero client. The last several years have been hard on Vox, impacted by marketers’ cutbacks in campaigns and advertising dollars targeting U.S. Hispanics.

“It’s something we needed; it’s healthy for us to have this rebooting of sorts for the agency,” admits Ramos. “We’re adding capabilities that give our clients access to other geographies, a deeper toolkit in terms of digital and social media, and our team can collaborate in shaping cross-over campaigns that include Hispanic outreach.”

One of Vox Profero’s first initiatives as a member of the Profero agency network is the “Conectados: A Latino Digital Roadmap” series that will target prospective and existing clients showcasing the Hispanic digital business opportunity.

Executives at Profero, long established in the United Kingdom and China, had been exploring opportunities to grow their presence in the U.S. for some time. The vox acquisition not only delivers a second office in New York, but direct access to the fast-growing Hispanic market and an entry into Latin America, where Profero doesn’t have a presence. Short-term plans call for expanding Vox Profero’s expertise into Mexico and Brazil.

“This partnership keeps us on track to achieve our strategic goals in 2012 by accelerating our growth in the Americas, and by allowing us to offer our clients digital solutions to reach the growing and influential Latino markets,” Profero’s global CEO Wayne Arnold said in a statement.

In 2011, Profero gained $14 million in revenue from the U.S. market, No. 3 in terms of revenue behind the U.K. and China. The agency’s worldwide revenue total for the year was $71 million. Currently, Profero clients, including Diageo’s Smirnoff, Unilever’s Tresemme and Western Union, are managed from the agency’s New York office.

The vox collective got its start as The Ruido Group, an integrated communications company focused on the Latino youth market. It was launched in 2000 by a group of young marketing and creative professionals (HMW Archives 11/20/00. The Noise Makers). The agency’s first task: a multi-platform campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy assigned by Oglivy & Mather.

In summer 2003, Latinvox Communications – an extension of Ruido Group – launched a holding group of Hispanic-focused advertising and marketing shops. The holding group included four agencies: Ruido Group, C/I Hispania, ID3 Publicidad and Cognoscenti Publicidad (HMW Archives 7/14/03. Strength In Numbers).

In 2008, the agency restructured its operations, expanding its reach into more broad-based and non-Latino marketing genres… and adopted a new name – vox collective (HMW Archives 2/4/08. Latinvox Reinvents? Again).

Did You Know?

• Profero has 650 employees at offices in Beijing, Benelux, Dubai, Hamburg, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Zurich.
• Its client roster includes Diageo, HTC, Lufthansa, MINI, Unilever, Vonage, and Western Union.

NEW YORK (PR Week) – We have all read the numerous articles about the latest Latino boom triggered by the 2011 U.S. Census. Latinos represent over half of the population growth and control over $1 trillion in purchasing power, making them the 15^th largest consumer economy in the world. As corporations work to find ways to connect with this attractive and youthful segment, community affairs and cause marketing can make the difference with a group that, despite growing, is still struggling and looking for partners. The PR industry should take the lead in this.

The opportunity stems from the fact that most Latinos are more likely support brands that invest in their communities and in programs tailored to their progress. It’s the chance to be there for a consumer during critical life stages such as when they are learning a new language or becoming familiar with new health care and financial systems. For U.S.-born Latinos this collaboration might mean helping them deal with the multigenerational pressures of caring for Spanish-dominant parents, or accessing tools for education as they focus on their own American dreams. continue reading “Selling to the heart: the power of Latino community relations and cause marketing”

DETROIT (General Motors) – General Motors has selected New York advertising and communications agency, The Vox Collective, as its U.S. Hispanic public relations agency for 2012 following an extensive review of agency capabilities in public relations, corporate communications, and public affairs before the rapidly expanding Hispanic market. continue reading “GM Selects The Vox Collective as Hispanic Agency”

NEW YORK (The Huffington Post) -  The arrival of the holiday season this year has also brought the not-so-merry and somewhat dizzying kick-off of the 2012 presidential campaign cycle. Debates seem to take place every other week and candidate histrionics at times are better suited for the E! television network. In the meantime, President Obama is trying to maintain his presidential cool as the Republican candidates berate his performance. With a moribund economy for a backdrop, the numbers don’t look good for either party at the start of a heated race to the White House. The Latino vote, prominent after its promising performance in the 2008 elections, has become increasingly buzz-worthy as a potential game-changer.

The buzz is certainly merited, as the recent Census data show Latinos are driving over half of the nation’s population growth. The latest tally puts the Latino population at 50 million, up from over 35 million a decade ago. According to a study by the Pew Center, the number of eligible Latino voters also increased during that timeframe, from 13 to 21 million. The Latino voter growth is all the more important because it’s taking place at an accelerated pace in key battleground states like Florida and Nevada where the Latino boom has given those states added Electoral College votes and provided the group stronger national influence. continue reading “Full Latino Impact in 2012 Elections Will Depend on Its Youth”

NEW YORK (The Huffington Post) – This week marks the beginning of New York’s Advertising Week. The five-day gathering is put together by an industry keen on showing the world that it’s (slightly) more than the cigars, cocktails and witty scripts of Mad Men. Speakers and attendees will attempt, between dizzying networking breaks, to solve the perennial challenge of brands getting customers to like them and buy them.

This takes place as the ad industry battles multiple challenges, including a moribund economy making customers and clients iffy. To this you add a hyper-dynamic media environment where once omnipotent agencies now yield to a more powerful and connected consumer, digital and social media that have redefined innovation and creativity, client procurement departments squeezing agency profit margins, and brand managers that just don’t trust agencies to identify the next big thing and engage consumers. continue reading “Latino Boom 3.0: How Latinos Can Save Advertising”

NEW YORK (The Huffington Post) -  Back in 1987 the film Stand and Deliver told the inspiring story of Jamie Escalante, a Mexican immigrant who gave up his engineering job to teach AP Calculus to Latino kids in an underperforming East L.A. high-school. The story shed light on a Latino educational crisis fueled by socioeconomic obstacles as well as low expectations for Latino students from various quarters, especially the educational establishment. The story, however, was also one of triumph over adversity, with teacher dedication and community involvement fueling the success of most of Escalante’s class in passing the AP exam. continue reading “Latino College Enrollment Hits Record High — But Will It Continue?”