The U.S. population is dramatically changing, says Graciela Eleta, senior vp of Univision, in speaking at the 4A’s. But the growth of multicultural consumers is now moving even faster than realized. There are 49 million Hispanic-Americans in the U.S. But by the year 2050, there will be 133 million. “That’s not that far away.” The U.S. Hispanic economy is $909 million. This GDP will double â€" soon, Eleta notes. Eleta notes 54% of people under 18 in major cities are Hispanic-Americans. “Marketers need to jump the line,” she says. That means over the line marketing â€" not as …

The recession has been bad, but for TV and other media platforms there are good trends. Steve Burke, chief operating officer of Comcast Corp. and president, Comcast Cable Communication says, in speaking the 4A's media conference. “We can’t find a lot of signs that things have improved -- except for advertising. It feels like it’s getting better.” Along those lines, Burke says, as Comcast said in the past, “we are committed to the broadcast model. I know that might seem a little contrary. With the right programming, you can have tremendous results.” As evidence, look at the Olympics …

Television programming and distribution merger deals don’t have a good track record. So why did Comcast Corp invest in NBC? “You only really get in trouble by doing nothing,” says Steve Burke, chief operating officer, Comcast Corporation and president of Comcast Cable Communications, in an interview at the 4A's media conference. "We live in a time that you have to willing to take risks." Burke said the criticism that media mergers between distribution and content companies don’t work is wrong. He said when NBC bought Universal six years ago, it gave crucial support for both companies. “They were …

In an early morning keynote address at the 4A’s, “Transforming Media Integration for Greater Marketing Impact”, Nick Brien, president and CEO, Mediabrands, says, the ad industry continues to suffer in one major area. “I don’t think as an industry we obsess enough about performance â€" internally and externally. Everyone is drowning in data. The issue is how do we measure it.” For media agencies in the future, he says, "it isn’t about being media neutral. It’s about being choice-ful. It’s about how powerful your creative is.” Brien says that marketing becomes much more like a limited TV series. …

The 4A’s media event has improved say executives -- but some of its problems continue at this year’s event. “I’m disappointed that the agencies leadership isn’t here,” says Tom Carroll, president and CEO for TBWA Worldwide, and current chairman of the 4A’s. While the media conference has gotten better, Carroll says, especially this year, there are many top level people haven’t shown up. “Nobody is that bright. I don’t know where they are, but they should be here.” Carroll says the event should also attract more ad executives of all types. “We are still doing a crummy …

Jeff Hayzlett, chief marketing officer and vp of Eastman Kodak Company, asked a group advertising executives assembled before his presentation who bought a roll film in the last year. Two hands went up. Then he asked how many people have digital cameras on their phone. Perhaps 500 to 600 hands went up. “That the business we are in,” he says, who notes the company has shrunk significantly from being a multi-billion sales company because of digital camera technology. Kodak has been looking to reinvent itself, to invent the “Kodak Moment” â€" still an important part of its …

“Marketing isn’t about being concerned [about what doesn’t work]; it’s about being confident,” says Larry Light, the longtime marketing chief at McDonalds Corp. and at Nissan, now president and CEO, Arcature LLC. He says research will help but executives need a vision, a passion. Getting metrics to support your results? That leads to less passion. “It’s numbing to market by the numbers, justifying marketing by metrics,” he says. “Judging from the past experience won’t tell you want happens in the future.” Concerning the colossal marketing issue at Toyota, Light says: “Where was the voice of the consumers? …

The 4A’s new logo â€" not less driven. The American Association of Advertising Agencies has a new logo â€" which makes its like look less like an association that helps those who operated cars. “It always bother me our logo look like the triple A [the Automobile Association of America],” says Nancy Hill, president and CEO of the 4A’s. Against a white background, the new logo has one simple “A” in red, with a red dash, and then a lower case “s”. It was created by TBWA, says Hill. “But that’s just cosmetic.” With …

The American Association of Advertising Agencies is calling its “Transformation 2010” conference a “mash-up” of its previously standalone Media and Leadership conferences, but there’s something else different about Madison Avenue’s annual meet-up: It’s composition of chromosome. There are significantly more pairs of XX chromosome gracing its stage. “Eighteen women speakers, roughly one-out-of-three, marks the highest percentage and number of women in the history of 4A’s events,” reads a press release issued this morning by Nancy Hill, the first XX president of the ad industry trade association. Hill: Bringing Some XX To The AAAA

Digital data is growing â€" but a lot of it is doesn't work, is undervalued, or not given to users who can benefit from it. “What’s broken is that we are moving down a path that isn’t scalable,” Adam Gerber, chief marketing officer of Quantcast, at a panel discussion that the 4A’s media conference in San Francisco. “Publishers don’t give the data that marketers want.” He adds that what is given is also “defined by the marketplace.” Digital media offers tons of data, but a lot of it isn’t worth much as yet. Scott Hagedorn, chief executive officer …