At Portada, we have our finger on the pulse of all things marketing and media. “Insider” is our summary of news and events that have gone unnoticed recently and deserve attention and analysis. Today we look at the latest news on media agencies’ engagement in media buying targeting diverse audiences, Fox Deportes’ “strange” purchase of the Mexican national team’s English-language soccer rights, and more…
Amid signs demonstrating DE&I commitment may be declining Among companies and advertising agencies, a session on various media aimed at targeted audiences at the recent Advertising Week event in New York was particularly interesting. Gonzalo del Fa, president of GroupM Multicultural, noted that advertising to diverse audiences should be an opt-out for Corporate America: “You’re there unless you openly say that I don’t want to invest in advertising that appeals to diverse audiences. What does this mean exactly? Del Fa favors using a number or ratio that clients must follow. At GroupM, this ratio stands at a minimum commitment to minority media of 5% of the overall advertising budget. During the same panel, Mark Prince, Executive Vice President, Head of Economic Empowerment – Dentsu media – Americas, has asked other media agencies to adopt 30-day payment terms for various targeted media buys. He also noted that media buyers shouldn’t “really compare Hispanic or Black-owned media properties with major tech platforms because they have very different characteristics.” Michael Roca, Executive Director Elevate at Omnicom Media Group And Lisa Torres, president of Publicis Multicultural media practice, also participated in the round table.
There you are, unless you openly say that I don’t want to invest in advertising that appeals to diverse audiences.
On the same subject, Karina Dobarro of Horizon Media said in a interview we are publish today, that it is “beginning to experience a loss of momentum and slowing growth with media diversity, in part due to continued economic and political uncertainty.” This is unlikely to change in 2024, as we enter a presidential election year, bringing new challenges such as limited media inventory and higher rates. To intensify its efforts to drive consideration and investment in media owned and targeted by diverse groups, Horizon Media is creating a new role within the agency: Head of Omnichannel Diversified Investment.
… And by the way :
Does it matter if a business is minority owned? Regardless of ownership, what is essential is that it engages diverse audiences and reinvests profits back into that community. Non-minority companies, e.g. Televisa Univision and others, can get around the problem anyway by purchasing 49% of a minority-owned company and thus obtaining certified minority status (e.g. check the acquisition of 49% in Remezcla by MyCode.)
Earlier this month, American sports marketing and soccer observers were surprised by the news that Fox Deportes had secured the English-language rights. the full schedule of Mexican National Team (MNT) friendlies through to the 26 FIFA World Cup™. “The Mexican national team inspires true passion and enthusiasm within our audience,” said Carlos Sanchez, Executive Vice President and General Manager, FOX Deportes. “Presenting these highly anticipated matches in English provides an exciting alternative for the largely bilingual fans of “El Tri” here in the United States.”
It seems counterintuitive that Fox Deportes (a Spanish-language channel) broadcasts the Mexican national team in English. (Univision owns Spanish language rights.). However, Fox Deportes may be right. As sports fan website Awfulannouncing.com reports, streaming of Latin American national team matches during last year’s World Cup was a big success, regardless of language spoken by typical users of the platform. A dizzying 2.08 million viewers watched the Spanish-language broadcast of the Mexico-Argentina game on Telemundo and Peacock, NBCU’s primarily English-language streaming platforms.
… And by the way :
Soccer games are extremely hot, especially when you own the rights to LigaMX in Spanish; TelevisaUnivision is exploiting the value of its multiple soccer rights by removing some matches from its linear sports channel TUDN and adding them to the programming slate of its paid AVOD channel Vix+.
In March 2022, we announced the launch of conservative Hispanic platform Americano Media. “We are the first conservative radio and television platform in Spanish. This has never happened in the world before,” Jorge L. Arrizurieta, president of Americano Media » Portada said at the time. The so-called Fox News for Spanish-speaking America – “ran out of cash” in August 2023 and asked more than 100 employees to work without pay until the company found a lifeline, according to The Miami Herald. Americano Media launched in March 2022 with an initial investment of nearly US$20 million for a conservative Spanish-language channel on SiriusXM satellite radio, but it offbeat in September to broadcast on Florida AM radio, affirming seek a “more permanent base in the community.” Americano Media website continues to be updated by newswire content.
