Industry Spotlight Series: Luis Miguel Messianu & Isaac Mizrahi – ALMA

To begin our new series titled “Industry Spotlight Series“, we have chosen Luis Miguel Messianu – Founder-Creative Chairman-CEO & Isaac Mizrahi Co-President & COO of Miami based ALMA.  We will continue to highlight our great industry executives in this series, asking them key questions about the business.  Enjoy.

We have asked a series of questions and their answers offer the Thought Leadership we need in our Industry.

It’s the midway way point in 2021, do you see business growth ahead for the U.S. Hispanic Market?

A – Yes, we have been seeing business growth for many consecutive years now, including during the past18 months. More and more marketers understand that the Total Market approach costs brands sales and market share, and that they need to invest where the growth is and Hispanics lead this growth in several industries and categories.

With the coronavirus pandemic how has your agency dealt with clients and business; how has Covid19 affected you and your clients; and how have you faired from a business standpoint?

A – While the pandemic presents a challenge to clients and agencies, we are a very resilient agency and that attitude helped us to be fully prepared for the challenge, especially given our experience with hurricanes in South Florida. We immediately converted our operations to adapt to the new reality with no disruption to clients. Our business has been growing for the past decade and last year was another growth year with 11 new accounts between retainers and projects.

With the new Administration in Washington, do you see new opportunities for our U.S. Hispanic Market and or our Hispanic Ad Agencies?

A – While we are looking forward to what the new administration can do to help our community, when we
manage a business, we have to be prepared regardless of the political environment.

African-Americans have found a favorable reception in Corporate America as a reaction to the events of this past summer. Do you think Hispanics in some way have been left behind?

A – We don’t believe increasing your marketing investments in one diverse segment should be necessarily funded at the expense of another diverse segment. Multicultural Marketing is not a zero sum game. Whoever believes in this myopic approach is not hurting the Hispanic segment, but ultimately it’s hurting themselves, as the Hispanic segment represents one of the biggest business growth opportunities for years to come.

For 2021, would you favor moving forward a Multicultural approach or a more focused Hispanic approach?

A – When it comes to Multicultural Marketing, each brand has its own set of challenges and opportunities, so we at Alma don’t look at our clients from the “cookie cutter” lenses. In some cases we may see broader opportunities to create common multicultural approaches, and in other opportunities this may not be the case. The important thing for clients is to work with agencies that understand these nuances and have resources and methodologies to guide them through their planning cycle.

At this point, after so much debate, do you see Latino culture as strong and vibrant as some years ago and still permeating U.S. culture at large?

A – Yes, we are very optimistic about the present and future role Latinos have in our society. This is reflected in Music, Sports, Entertainment, Food, Fashion and in the broader business and political
environment too.

Do you see value in the existing industry organizations working together to give a voice to our industry?

A – Absolutely, as a board member of the Hispanic Marketing Council for the past 6 years I witnessed how we can build a strong industry working together, putting aside our difference of opinions and the fact that sometimes we may compete in the marketplace. As it’s frequently repeated, a high tide lifts all boats and we need to work together – agencies, media companies, clients, production houses – to understand how to advance our industry. This process should be one that guarantees that key stakeholders have a seat at the table and that their voices are truly heard.

How do you feel about the need of the Latinx moniker as part of our advertising, marketing, media and T.R. lingo.

A – In the day-to-day we still tend to use the term “Hispanic.” However, if we know that a share of our community prefers to be treated as Latinx we will respect their preference. For us it’s that simple. It’s not what I prefer or want, it’s how can we be more empathetic to others by listening to them.

With the pandemic still strong and with the recurrence of lock down still happening, are you optimistic or pessimistic about 2021?

A – We are closely monitoring the situation that seems to evolve on a daily basis, but we are optimistic that no matter what we will continue to creatively find ways to connect, collaborate and continue to partner with our clients. After all, we are Hispanics, we know what going forward despite the difficulties means.