How to hire a Hispanic Marketing Director.

Prefereably hire someone with creative credentials, and not someone that only has an account background. Account people like to dictate orders, rather working with the creative team. They weild too much power over the clients creative campaigns.

The fact is that most Hispanic Marketing Directors actually do come from the account side of the ad business, and are hired mostly because they speak Spanish, which is essential because most clients don't speak Spanish, and that's where the problems begin.

Clients blindly trust that their Hispanic Marketing Director is making good desicions about the creative content of their Hispanic campaigns, because they don't speak Spanish. But here's the problem; account people are trained to agree with the client, even when it's not in the best interest of the campaign. During presentations to clients, I have often been asked (by the account supervisor) not to defend my creative, but rather to just to do what the client says.

Account people tend to lead with qualitative and quantitative information, and not so much with creative ideas. Any great campaign is only great because of the idea.

An ad that was created for an Anglo audience has very little chance of translating well for a Hispanic audience.

Your Hispanic advertising campaign has a far greater chance of being successfull if the campaign is created from scratch, in Spanish, instead of translating the general market campaign. An original concept will take the same amount of time, and cost the same amount of money but will yield far greater results.

TIPS ON HOW TO HIRE A HISPANIC MARKETING DIRECTOR:

1. During the interview, ask the candidate to give you examples of good Hispanic ads and bad ones.

2. Ask them to give the definition of a translations over an adaptation, and when they should be used over original creative.

3. Ask the candidate to tell you if they are willing to disagree with you if you ask for a translation over original creative.

4. A markeing director is there to guide and advise you, both on qualtitative/quantitative data as well on the creative.

5. When you hire the director, make sure that you get to know the creatives at the Hispanic ad agency as well. Both you and your marketing director should be communicating with the creatives, and not just with the account team.

6. Finally, if you are getting "yes'd" all the time, something is wrong. If you are always right, why do need a marketing director in the first place?