MCLEAN, Va., April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AHAA Chairman Jose Lopez-Varela, in his first initiative as the newly elected leader of the organization, announced the formation of an Advisory Council to explore industry issues and opportunities surrounding Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM). The PPM is an electronic device designed to measure radio audiences and eventually will replace the diary-based methodology in most markets. Following a PPM panel discussion at AHAA's 24th Semi-Annual Conference in San Antonio, at which industry professionals raised questions and concerns regarding PPM implementation, Lopez-Varela appointed Isabella Sanchez, Vice President and Managing Director of Tapestry and AHAA Touchpoint committee chair, to chair the Advisory Council.
Members of the Advisory Council will be named in the coming weeks and will represent Spanish-language broadcasters and Hispanic advertising agencies. "We want to create a forum to ensure all of our members' opinions are heard and are united in a way that will ensure effective adoption of this new rating system, which shows in the first markets of Houston and New York City that Spanish speakers spend the highest amount of time with radio, reinforcing the significant importance of Spanish radio in the media mix," says Lopez-Varela. "Overall, AHAA believes the move to electronic measurement is the right thing to do but we have an obligation to our members to represent their interests in this process. Our goal is to ensure that the methodology and design of the Hispanic sample is executed in the most representative way."
Details of a meeting between Arbitron and AHAA's Advisory Council will be announced soon.
For more information on AHAA's position on PPM or the Hispanic advertising industry, contact Elinor Kinnier, 703-610-0204, ekinnier@cmgresults.com.
About AHAA:
The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) is the national organization of firms that specialize in marketing to the nation's more than 46 million Hispanic consumers, the most rapidly growing segment of the American population. AHAA promotes the strength of the Hispanic marketing and advertising industry to the private and public sectors. AHAA agencies offer a unique blend of cultural understanding, market intelligence, proven experience and professionalism that deliver Hispanic market success for clients. AHAA agencies help organizations gain market share, increase revenue and grow profits by building the bridges and delivering the messages to reach America's Hispanic consumers, who together have an estimated buying power of nearly $1 trillion. Visit http://www.ahaa.org/ for more information.
Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies
