Latina Marketing Agency Owners Form Alliance – San Antonio-based Market Vision leads effort to extend Latina marketing power from coast to coast

“A group of five Latina marketing agency principals from throughout the country today announced the formation of the Latina Agency Alliance (LAA), a coast-to-coast network of advertising, marketing and communications services targeting the Latino market.

Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcia, owner of San Antonio-based Market Vision, spearheaded the LAA concept. Other members of the network of independently owned Latina companies are Coco Corona, president, BY DESIGN Multimedia, a Hispanic marketing, special events and production company located in Vallejo, Calif.; Zully Gonzalez, president, LatinSolutions, Inc., Long Beach, Calif., an event marketing and promotions agency; Gabriela Neves, owner, LatinFactory, Inc., a New York City-based events and experiential marketing company; and Pat Pulido-Sanchez, president & CEO, Pulido Sanchez Communications, LLC, Chicago, a strategic marketing communications agency.

The alliance will provide a framework to pursue new business opportunities, share capabilities and resources, refer clients, mentor young Latinas who hope to start their own companies, and collaborate on solutions to business issues each of the Latina-owned firms faces daily.

“Corporate America sometimes bases decisions to allow companies into pitches on revenue alone,” Garcia said. “Our alliance agencies have the talent, creative energy and track records to participate in pitches. Now our combined resources – both revenue and human – will provide us the opportunity to make it into RFP’s where the bar is set very high, precluding smaller shops from making the cut.”

The agencies offer a range of marketing services including strategic planning, advertising, promotions, experiential events, retailtainment, Web marketing strategies, public relations and corporate communications. The alliance will strengthen the agencies’ presence in the marketplace, with offices in San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City; an employee base of 75; and access to a pool of 3,000 brand ambassadors.

The group met in San Antonio in June at an informal Latina Agency Alliance Summit to design a structure that would benefit each of the companies.

“Each of us began on her own with our individual vision of success. Now with five Latinas working together, our combined vision is laser-focused on becoming one of the largest Latina-owned and operated agency resources in the country,” said Garcia.

“We each have areas of strength, both from a skill set and regional perspective,” said Corona. “This is a great opportunity to expand our scope of work and influence on the Latino marketplace.”

“Given the rapid growth and diversity of the Latino market across the country, Corporate America needs to be poised to communicate its message, image and brands effectively using innovative new media tools such as Web marketing and social networks,” said Pulido Sanchez. “This alliance will enable us to broaden our reach and capabilities across the nation.”

“Our group includes some of the most creative and strategic events and marketing thinkers in the business,” said Gonzalez. “We are passionate about our work and about the impact we can make on the Latino marketing industry.”

Neves agreed, adding, “One of the elements we share is that we are all seasoned Hispanic marketing professionals who are used to being very hands-on in our work. We can bring clients a level of comfort because they know that senior people are working on their business.”

Each of the network member firms has worked informally with Market Vision for several years as a minority supplier. “I admired their work ethic, tenacity and most of all, their entrepreneurial spirit and desire to succeed,” Garcia said.

LATINA AGENCY ALLIANCE MEMBER AGENCIES

Market Vision
Market Vision is a Latina-owned marketing firm specializing in Hispanic-targeted advertising, promotions, experiential marketing, events, media planning/buying, community outreach and public relations. Market Vision’s clients include ACH Food Companies, Inc. (Mazola Oils), The Coca-Cola Company, Continental Airlines, Copa Airlines, Fisher-Price(R), General Mills, and Miller Brewing Company . Yvonne “Bonnie” Garcí established the agency in 1998 after 22 years in corporate marketing, including 15 years directing corporate Hispanic marketing initiatives at The Coca-Cola Company and Stroh Brewery. Market Vision is based in San Antonio, with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and New York. For more information, visit http://www.mvmas.com or call 210-222-1933.

BY DESIGN Multimedia (BDM)
Founded in 1992, BY DESIGN Multimedia offers a full range of marketing services, bilingual promotions staffing, event planning, community outreach and multimedia production. Owner Coco Corona has over 25 years experience in marketing, events and public relations/community outreach. She is a former board member of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and chair of the USHCC Foundation. BDM clients include Coca-Cola NA, Comcast Cable Latino, Time Warner Cable, Adidas, Disney, Fisher-Price, Daimler-Chrysler, Univision, Telemundo, Market Vision, Schramm Sports & Entertainment, Latin Sphere, PuraVida Marketing, Perspectiva, and EventProStrategies. BDM has offices in Vallejo and San Francisco, Calif. For more information, contact Corona at 707-644-4218.

LatinFactory
LatinFactory, Inc., based in New York, is a minority-owned-and-operated agency specializing in integrated marketing and event-marketing campaigns. The agency creates in-culture event/entertainment/lifestyle brand experiences that have an impact on the streets, at retail, or anywhere consumers live, work and shop. Majority owner Gabriela Neves, a native of Brazil, is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. LatinFactory has worked with clients such as Chase Bank, Kraft Foods Inc., Wise, Evian, Fisher-Price, Daimler Chrysler and TÚYo Mobile. For more information, contact Neves at 212-242-2417 or write info@latinfactory.com.

LatinSolutions
LatinSolutions, Inc., of Long Beach, Calif., is a minority-owned and operated, full-service event marketing and promotions agency that specializes in the development and execution of marketing concepts and strategies that effectively target and reach the U.S. Latino market. Los Angeles native Zully Gonzalez founded LatinSolutions in 2003 after working in corporate positions in promotions and marketing. LatinSolutions has worked with major corporations such as American Airlines, The Coca-Cola Company, General Mills, DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai, Giromex, Universal Pictures and Verizon Wireless on event, entertainment and promotional programs. The firm employs approximately 1,500 full-time and contract employees throughout the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.latinsolutions.com.

Pulido Sanchez Communications, LLC
Pulido Sanchez Communications is a strategic marketing communications firm that can provide insights and activation programs that capture and mobilize the Latino market. The firm has networks in place at the local and national level to build upon existing relationships, whether business to business, business to community, or business to consumer. Company principals have over 25 combined years of experience in senior-level positions at Fortune 100 companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Apple Computer and Exelon. For more information, contact Pulido Sanchez Communications at 312-855-0191.

Note to Editors:
1. Between 1997 and 2006, the number of firms majority owned (51% or more) by Hispanic/Latina women increased by 121.3 percent, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. The number of employees increased 18.6 percent; and sales increased 33.3 percent.

2. See attached profiles of the businesses comprising the Latina Agency Alliance. “

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