2022

the ai one in mmr from january which had a 32.4% open rate

Liz Castells-Heard addresses the challenges and biases inherent in using generative AI (Gen AI) for multicultural marketing. While AI has immense potential, it also carries risks of unintentional data bias, particularly affecting multicultural and ethnic accuracy and representation. The article highlights how biases can stem from various sources, such as limited and skewed datasets, historical data not reflective of current populations, and a lack of diversity among those developing AI models. Specifically, Spanish-language models face significant challenges due to their reliance on English-language data, leading to cultural and linguistic nuances being lost. Castells emphasizes the importance of human oversight at every step, advocating for a “Humans on the Loop” approach to ensure AI models are fair and representative.

2022

Multicultural Marketing Excellence doesn't just happen

Multiculturals are Fortune 500 companies’ target sweet spot and the core growth customer to futureproof their business given the majority of consumers under 45 are Multicultural or Multiracial, rising to 48% of the total population over next decade, and their prime earning years.​

Liz Castells-Heard emphasizes the critical importance of multicultural marketing for businesses. To effectively engage these consumers, companies must integrate multicultural considerations into all levels of their strategy, from planning to execution. Culture plays a vital role in shaping consumer behavior, and brands need to demonstrate cultural authenticity and understanding to build trust and loyalty. Successful multicultural marketing requires expertise, investment and a nuanced approach to address the diverse needs of these growing consumer segments.

2022

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: Capturing Hispanics Hearts, Minds and Wallets

Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) celebrates Hispanic Americans’ rich diversity, histories, impact, and contributions to the economy, pop culture, shaping trends and all aspects of America today and its rich past. Many companies take this as an opportunity to market to this segment. However, in order to be successful, a company needs to be investing in the Hispanic community, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month, but as an ongoing business strategy. Effective marketing to this segment is about making a genuine, in-culture connection which requires a consumer-centric approach and relevant customer experience across the Marketing Ps. Brands need to create authentic, culturally relevant marketing strategies that resonate with Hispanic audiences, moving beyond mere representation to truly understanding and connecting with them.

2022

Hispanic data, content and social media report interview

"Everything we do is based on data," says U.S. Hispanic market advertising industry veteran Liz Castells-Heard, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer of INFUSION by Castells. Data can generate higher sales and ROI for clients thanks to more precise audience targeting based on demographics, language and behavioral preferences. This can be used to develop customized campaigns leveraging multiple platforms in both Spanish and English. In order to be successful with this segment, you need precise audience targeting and the development of customized, 360° campaigns that span digital, traditional and social media platforms. Yet, when it comes to growing the total Hispanic ad dollar allotment, Castells-Heard says the conversation is more about recognizing, calculating and monetizing the true scale and potential of the Hispanic market with the right data, metrics, analysis, knowledge and expertise.​

2022

TelevisaUnivision Antonio Roman Article​

Liz Castells, CEO of INFUSION by Castells, talks about the strategic value of TelevisaUnivision's new client-centric approach: “This collaborative structure aligns perfectly with our philosophy, driving results with a more holistic focus.”​

TelevisaUnivision announced a transformative and client-centered approach for its Local Ad Sales team, including a new organizational structure that will ensure strategic alignment, efficiency and focus to achieve accelerated results for clients.​

2022

Hispanic Data, Content and Social Media Report Interview

It takes the right paradigm, metrics,investment, relevant direction, skillful execution and agency partners withcultural fluency for knowledge-based strategies that drive growth.

2022

ad latina interview

Liz Castells-Heard, CEO of INFUSION discusses the significant growth and developments at the agency emphasizing the agency's expansion in digital, transcreation, and multicultural marketing efforts, particularly targeting African American, Asian American, and Hispanic consumers. Despite economic challenges like inflation and concerns about a potential recession, the agency remains optimistic, noting that their clients, mainly in essential sectors, continue to thrive. She also touches on the increasing role of artificial intelligence in the advertising industry, which, while posing challenges, is seen as a tool to enhance efficiency and client service. The agency continues to strategically plan campaigns, mindful of the political landscape's potential impact on media spending in 2024.​

2022

growing the class of top hispanic marketers

Effective Hispanic marketing goes beyond language to include cultural connection and optimized bilingual customer journeys. The evolving multicultural marketing landscape focuses on personalized, culturally resonant campaigns. Businesses recognizing the economic contributions of Hispanics and investing in diverse strategies will thrive. Our industry must leverage unique cultural insights and digital behaviors of Hispanic consumers to drive stronger results.​

2022

Brands Doing Just Black History Month Efforts or Black Casting in Ads Is Not Effective Marketing

Brands doing just Black History month efforts or Black casting in ads is NOT effective marketing—brands MUST do better! A person’s cultural lens affects how they view and process everything. Being deeply rooted in the Black community is a constant, intentional act of loyalty that both increases companies’ bottom lines and genuinely underscores America’s richness as a people of infusion.

2022

The Hispanic Market of Today and Tomorrow

Liz Castells-Heard was invited to speak on Claritas podcast covering their annual U.S. Hispanic Market Report. She shares the real-world methods INFUSION implements to turn data into action for their clients, who are best in class when it comes to authentically connecting with Hispanic audiences.

2022

Espacio digital

"El crecimiento será difícil sin una mercadotecnia hispana efectiva. Nuestro momento al fin ha llegado"...

2022

IT COMES DOWN TO CONTENT

How we consume content has changed. But, the content's relevance has not. That's perhaps the biggest takeaway Liz Castells offers when asked to share her thoughts on the state of Hispanic media now that the NewFronts and Upfronts for 2022-2023 have concluded...

2022

2022 Outlook and Trends:
Year of the Multicultural
Marketing Renaissance

Welcome to the Multicultural Marketing Renaissance. Last year, I said ‘the collision of the census, Covid and technology would accelerate the MCM business imperative’. Progress was made, albeit tepid with influx client budgets, Covid’s sequel, the grand resignation, economic uncertainty and supply issues...

2022

Super Bowl LVI:
The Tease Progresses on the Multicultural Ad Front

Anticipation and expectations for the Super Bowl ads were an equal tease with records in spend, $6.5M ad cost, projected viewership, pre-game brand teaser ads and social buzz, coupled with demand for authenticity, and the DEI and Census spotlight on Multiculturals...

2021

The Future is Female,
Multi-colored and
Marvelously Different

Everyone can learn from the female energy in our lives and women’s contributions, as much as we have to learn from males, ungendered or multiculturals, without it being mutually exclusive, a diss on other groups or descending into divisiveness, reparation for the past or white male bashing. America is not perfect, but it's the only place in the world where you can start with nothing and end up with your own thriving business, and despite the blemishes, get a fair chance...

2021

Who Will Tell the Story?

My creative director who leads the agency’s African American efforts, Hadji Williams, shared a story about a newspaper ad from his childhood ‘that won many big industry awards and so vividly illustrated the story painted by Madison Ave. about people like me.’ The ad showed a black teen in a tracksuit proudly holding trophies with the headline, ‘If you want to see how fast he can really run, wait until his girlfriend tells him she’s pregnant.’ I also unfortunately recall that ad and remember how commonplace it all was...

2021

SIXTy yEARS Of fighting

In November 1961, at the age of five, Liz Castells was presented with a very special birthday cake. She was told to care for it and wait until they arrived at their destination up boarding a plane and passing by armed members of the military to dig Into it...

2021

where others see numbers
and graphs, we see art.

We were proud to bring families together, add some joy during a difficult season and be part of the digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic...

2021

The Collision of Covid, Technology and Census

The threat of Covid, social distancing and ‘cancel culture’ has prompted reflection, deleting what’s unnecessary and changing the status quo from consumers' shifting values, lifestyle and priorities to companies permanently going to flexible work schedules, more equitable D&I practices, and refocusing on key growth areas, led by Multicultural and Digital marketing...

2021

census 2020:
changing perspective

Just how important is the 2020 Census to attracting advertisers to the U.S. Hispanic market? "It's pretty important." Liz Castells, who heads up multicultural specialty show Infusion by Castells, says from her Scottsdale, Ariz., home office...

2020

A TIME FOR OPPORTUNITY

With the "Black Lives Matter" movement and a COVID-19 pandemic that only seems to worsen in key locales where high-density Black or Hispanic communities appear, things are certainly challenging for consumers of color. But is Hispanic advertising losing traction because of events that have magnified the African American community?...

2020

Multicultural Agency INFUSION Has Another First With Virtual Shoots

INFUSION, a leading Multicultural agency, has been in a whirlwind since Covid hit, except instead of struggling with clients, they are struggling to keep up with increased Client work demands and new business pitches accelerated by ‘Black and Brown Lives Matter’ and the 2020 Census, which underscore the Multicultural marketing business imperative...

2020

INFUSION GROWS ITS ROSTER
OF LEADERSHIP TALENT

INFUSION, a leading Multicultural agency known for ROI-Powered Ideas and first-of-kind thinking, is pleased to announce that Leticia Juárez has rejoined the agency as Partner/EVP of Strategy & Marketing leading their largest account, Charter Communications...

2019

largest u.s. hispanic media agencies and agency groups

Agencies and agency groups with $2 million or more in estimated 2018 U.S. revenue from Hispanic media activities. Dollars in millions.

2018

Top 10 Things To Avoid In Multicultural Marketing

‘Getting ethnic consumers’ is not just about leaving money on the table, it will determine which brands win or lose. We are at the tipping point where the American critical mass is Multicultural and ‘minority-majority’ is an oxymoron. The need to do Multicultural marketing right is painfully obvious.

2015

“yo soy la presidentA”

Animated, outspoken and full of life, Liz Castells cites the "survival instinct of an immigrant" as the reason she was driven to form her award-winning Hispanic marketing agency Castells & Asociados in 1998. But Castells isn't just surviving; she's thriving.

2008

as water sales dry up,
nestlé pans soda

Concerns that bottled water is a bad choice for the environment have cooled sales of the hot-selling product. But Nestlé, the world's biggest bottled-water producer, is trying to persuade consumers they should worry more about another drink: soda.

2004

CASTELLS & ASOCIADOS PROFILE: INTERVIEW WITH LIZ CASTELLS

We provide a range of services with a staff of 48 bilingual, bicultural professionals in the areas of account services, creative, media, production and administration. Our core services include strategic research and planning, marketing, brand integration, creative, production, media, promotions, PR, direct and field marketing. We also offer support event marketing, in-store operations, training and interactive services...