Ad 2 Orlando

A Recap of the 2011 Ad2Orlando Kickball Tournament

Yes, this tournament really happened. Working advertising professionals really did dress in ramshackle holiday costumes. They kicked giant red balls with genuine effort. They made grunting faces. And they fell down, a lot.

But don’t worry. Very few people – other than the players – saw the Fourth Annual Ad 2 Orlando Kickball Tournament take place on Sunday, November 6 at Red Bug Lake Park.

Those who were on hand for this athletic showcase saw a fierce mini-tournament of hot kickball action, consisting of five teams designated by color and holiday costumes:
–       Red, individuals as Fourth of July
–       Light Blue, Ypartnership as Columbus Day
–       Yellow, Interns and Students as Mardi Gras
–       Green, Push as St. Patrick’s Day
–       Orange, individuals as Thanksgiving

Subs, wraps, chips, water and sports drinks were supplied by Ad 2 Orlando and its sponsors, much to the delight of participants. And at around noon the action began on a balmy early-November day in Central Florida.

Actual gameplay consisted of a whole lot of what’s called “bunting.” It’s the least manly way possible to safely get on base. You just kind of sashay your leg out and barely tap the ball, then run to first screaming like a baby, hoping you don’t get pegged in the back. The only dignified method of reaching base is to boot the ball low and hard (that’s what she said) through a gap in the infield. Hence, your headline. As it turns out, some teams were better than others at this bunting and line drive business, and eventually a championship game arose from the clutter.

Left standing for the title match were the Red Fourth of July Team and the Green Push Team. It was an intense bout. Fourth of July scored once in the top of the first inning, while Push managed to sneak two across in the bottom half of the same inning. That was it for scoring. The last five innings resulted in a competitive, defensive battle with Push coming out the victor, 2-1.

There you have it. Push won the tournament, but in reality Ad 2 Orlando and all of its members won a little something that day. Players won a chance to act like children, dudes won a chance to collide full speed with chicks at first base, and old rivals got another opportunity to laser-tag each other with red rubber. It was a victory for all. Yet a humbling one. And it’s something, everyone would happily do again.

Art Hardie
Copywriter, YPARTNERSHIP

To Ad2ers and beyond:

We at Ad 2 Orlando thrive off of helping those in need – especially when we’re talking about those in need of advertising knowledge.

That’s why each year the Education Committee puts on the Ad 2 Orlando Mentorship Program. Not familiar? This is how it works: One seasoned professional within the Orlando advertising industry (the mentor) is paired with a less experienced inquiring mind (the mentee). Throughout the remainder of the year, the mentor will serve as the mentee’s voice of reason – offering advice, direction and of course, industry knowledge.

This past Tuesday at 6 p.m. marked the official kick-off of this year’s program. With a perfect venue (provided by Smokey Bones Fire & Grill on E. Colonial Drive) and an astonishing turn out, the mentorship event was an absolute success. People from all walks of marketing life were present: agency folk, public relations experts, graphic designers, freelancers and even professors came out to share their knowledge with the eager students and young professionals. The event garnered a total of 26 mentor/mentee pairs! That doesn’t include the wallflowers such as myself – the photographer – and the peeps running the show. (You guys rocked!) Oh, and did I mention we have even more mentors/mentees to pair up, consisting of people that couldn’t make it to the event!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let them do the talking.

So for those of you that were able to attend, this is what I captured while your brains soaked up educational nuggets – and for those of you who weren’t able to attend, this is the greatness that you missed.

Autumn Thomas
Push., Media Coordinator
Ad 2 Orlando, Socials Chair

The growth rate and astonishing increased buying power of the Hispanic consumer

“National Hispanic Heritage Month is the period from September 15 – October 15. It is a time when people recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and celebrate the group’s heritage and culture.

Hispanic Heritage Week was approved by President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988 on the approval of Public Law.

September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21, respectively.” – Wikipedia.org

As we celebrate the contributions the Hispanic culture has provided to our society, Ad 2’s Diversity Committee has taken this opportunity to shed light on the growth rate and substantial increased buying power of the Hispanic population – data that is changing the way advertisers and marketers view the Hispanic consumer as a whole.

The incentive for companies to market, and the demand to add more bite to multicultural advertising, is seen in the fast growing Hispanic consumer market. According to Businesswire by 2016 the Hispanic demographic will comprise 17.8% of US residents and their buying power is forecast to grow 48.1% to 1.6 trillion.¹ – numbers that should not and cannot be ignored by marketers, advertising, sales, and PR professionals alike.

According to Ad Age’s Hispanic Fact Pack 2011 Edition Hispanic media spending jumped 31.3% last year to $60.7 million.²

With numbers like that, it’s no wonder that the Hispanic population has become the most sought after demographic group in the nation – in addition to becoming the most relevant topic in marketing.

Two of the most recent examples are that of Bud Light and Fiat: two powerful brands spending millions broadcasting multicultural advertising on all major US networks.  Pitbull’s Bud Light partnership features his hit song “Bon Bon” recorded in both English and Spanish.³ and Chrysler Fiat features Jennifer Lopez⁴ and her latest hit song in a series of ads for it’s latest push for the brand in nearly three decades. Pitbull crossover appeal represents a huge endorsement for marketers and has made him a huge staple for diverse consumers.

Ad Age also reports 57% of Spanish-dominant respondents and 29% of English-dominant Hispanics surveyed agreed they feel more loyalty to companies that respect their culture by advertising in Spanish.²

Suprisingly so, many companies ignore the demand of the Hispanic consumer and continue to lack in areas where other companies continue to dominate simply by including the Hispanic population in their marketing and advertising attempts.

“Last year in one of the longest advertising stalemates in TV’s up-front history, broadcast company Univision sold all its inventory before any other network. The reason, Univision’s president of advertising and sales David Lawenda says, is that some marketers are finally cluing in to the importance of marketing to Hispanics.

But it turns out not many markets really are. More than half of small, medium and large businesses in the U.S. don’t market to Hispanics, according to Los Angeles advertising agency Orcí, which surveyed senior marketers at 9,300 companies across the nation. Despite the recognition that the Latino population, an estimated 45 million to 50 million, will affect overall U.S. product and services, 82% of marketers say they have no plans to start or ramp up existing Hispanic marketing efforts.”⁵

Evidently, this type of information is key in understanding the differences in purchasing behavior from the fastest growing segment of the market – it’s even more important to those whose profession depends on reaching these same exact individuals in order to obtain market share and/or keep a competitive advantage within the marketplace.

Further more, this is a small indication as to how we are evolving into a society where diversity is no longer taboo, rather, a intricate part of the fabric that makes up our country – it is why Ad 2 Orlando is focused and dedicated in embracing the diverse set of individuals that make up our organization in order to better meet the demands of tomorrow.

The numbers are there, the demand is there – so the question now becomes: what will you or your company do to adapt to this demand in the upcoming months?

Joel A. Montilla and Kevin Clarke

Diversity Committee – Ad 2 Orlando

diversity@ad2orlando.org

1. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110817006246/en/IBISWorld-Identifies-Top-10-Industries-Set-Benefit
2. http://adage.com/article/hispanic-marketing/ad-age-s-hispanic-fact-pack-guide-latino-market/228904/
3. http://adage.com/article/news/bud-light-pairs-pitbull-multicultural-campaign/230026/
4. http://adage.com/article/news/fiat-taps-jennifer-lopez-media-partnership/229743/
5. http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/03/hispanic-marketing-orci-survey-univision-cmo-network-hispanic.html

Hello my fellow Ad 2ers! Did you get a chance to attend the last Ad 2 event downtown last Thursday? Whether you were unable to attend or you were struck with a sudden onset of amnesia, read on to hear how it went down:

One of the best perks of being an Ad 2 member is getting to attend all of the industry events that they host. Last week’s event was with Disney’s Yellow Shoes, the in-house creative shop for Disney, at One-Eyed Jack’s. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than learning about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a Disney campaign, while sipping on a beer and rubbing elbows with your industry peers.

Once everyone had schmoozed, we were introduced to John McCall and Matt Stewart; Copywriter and Art Director extraordinaire respectfully.

I must say, there was something in their presentation for everyone:

• If you are a creative, you were probably interested in how they developed The Star Wars Branded Destination Experience for the Star Tours promotion.
• If you are a copywriter, then you would have appreciated how something as uninteresting as QR code directions, were made captivating and understandable to those who interacted with the Cirque du Soleil—La Nouba campaign.
• Media folk like me loved how TV viewers could tag commercials and promos using the Shazam app to unlock new content. This dynamic uncovered new metrics that help us to evaluate today’s interdependent relationship between TV and cellphone usage.

But that’s not all. At the end, they opened up the floor to for questions. Mike and John were asked all kinds of questions like….

• How to get a job like theirs- Keep knocking on those doors and maintain contacts
• How to be a better writer- You need to find your unique voice, keep it short, and make it good….. because no one wants to read advertising copy in the first place (except for us).

Suffice it to say, the night was a hit. A total of 71 people attended. I was excited to see all the fresh faces and potential members, each of whom was equally passionate about the biz. Lastly, I’m truly proud of the fact that, over and over again, I kept hearing how inviting and approachable everyone.

I love that Ad 2 Orlando is a hub for advice, camaraderie, and mentorship to Orlando advertising peeps and the community. Good job Ad 2!

Jennifer Laker
Media Coordinator at YPartnership