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Rick Marroquin on Building MediaBrands’ New Hispanic Unit

Portada speaks with former Batanga CMO Rick Marroquin about building a Hispanic Unit for IPG’s MediaBrands.

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Rick Marroquin, formerly director of U.S. Hispanic marketing for McDonald’s, and more recently CMO for Batanga, has been tapped as managing director to head up MediaBrands’ new Hispanic unit.

Speaking on his new role, Marroquin makes no secret about what the cornerstones of the yet-to-be-named Hispanic shop will be: “Innovation and top talent. While there have been a lot of people who have been innovative, the industry has typically been a conservative one. The Hispanic consumer is craving a new and different way of being communicated to, and that is what we will offer.”

To accomplish this, Marroquin says clients and brands will need to be willing to communicate to consumers in new ways instead of treading familiar ground, adding that “Innovation naturally involves taking calculated risks.”

Asked what his first order of business will be, Marroquin tells Portada that he is moving forward on five parallel paths:

1. Building internal relationships within each of the agencies, becoming a trusted resource and consultant.

2. Learning about each business and what they are presently doing in U.S. Hispanic.

3. Staffing, which Marroquin says will be vital to establishing the identity of the new unit.

4. Media planning, for which Marroquin says he will need people who are going to be as willing to innovate and take calculated risks as he is.

5. Establish Culture and Vision: what the unit will stand for, and what its unique point of difference in the industry will be.

The new shop does not have any clients as yet, and Marroquin says that while Interpublic’s strength in the marketplace is a great asset, that he is not taking anything for granted. “It will be incumbent upon us to present a unique value proposition for all clients and prospective clients. This company brings a ton of credibility. My goal is to create a Hispanic center of excellence within it.”

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Marroquin was a panelist at Portada´s Second Annual Hispanic Digital and Print Media Conference last October.

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