The Marketing Store Worldwide has added a Hispanic marketing division, The Marketing Bodega, with McDonald's, Miller Brewing and Coca-Cola already on its client roster.
At the same time, The Marketing Store has added George Pimentel and Derek Moore to its senior staff.
The Marketing Bodega is run by VP-Managing Director John Burn Marante, who joined Marketing Store about six months ago. The unit has its own creative and account-service staff but taps Marketing Store's support services, including its Promotion Operations (for games and sweeps) and Consumer Products (for premiums) divisions.
"When a Salvadoran immigrant needs a pound of ground beef, she drops by her local supermarket. But when she wants some tamarind fruit ... she heads to a local bodega," Burn Marante said. "The Marketing Bodega's approach targets the Hispanic and Latino consumer mindsets, not mere demographics. [We are] customizing the brand essence to fit this unique emotional landscape while avoiding stereotypical mass communication which leaves the Hispanic consumer saying, 'They speak my language, but they don't understand me.'"
Burn Marante worked on the client side before joining The Marketing Store; he had been general manager for Diageo, and earlier was marketing director for Heineken NV in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The division has hired Samuel Albis as senior creative director-advertising and German Chavez as creative director-integrated marketing. Albis, a Colombian native, has worked at del Rivero/DDB, Sancho Nazca/Saatchi & Saatchi, Young and Rubicam, DMB&B/Procesos and Grey/Esfera. Chavez, a Mexican, has worked at Publicis Dialog, Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson, Proeza/Sai and Fischer America.
The Marketing Bodega has a separate P&L from The Marketing Store because Hispanic marketing is "a mammoth business," said Marketing Store President-U.S. Agency Services Clive Maclean. "The best way to grow the business is separately from the general agency."
Meanwhile, The Marketing Store hired Pimentel as global president and chief product officer, overseeing the agency's Consumer Products division, and Moore as senior VP-direct and relationship marketing, a new post.
Pimentel spent 18 years at Hallmark, 10 of them in Asia as managing director and head of procurement before taking charge of Hallmark's customer relationship management group. He was VP-global procurement and supply chain for retailer Marcel Schurman/Papyrus before joining The Marketing Store. Pimentel replaces Dennis Burke; he started in August.
Moore founded Chicago shop Vero before joining The Marketing Store in July. Earlier he had been managing director of FCBi, Foote Cone & Belding's direct and interactive unit, and before that was chief creative officer at CM Partners (bought by FCB parent True North) and VP-group creative director at Leo Burnett USA.
Oak Brook, IL-based Marketing Store ranked No. 16 in the 2005 PROMO 100 with 2004 net revenues of $42.6 million, up 22% from 2002.
