A $2 billion market.

Hispanics can make the difference between success and failure on opening weekend, as well as on total domestic box office. Not to mention the lucrative home entertainment market.

Latinos are the single fastest growing movie-going ethnicity in the U.S. Fully half of all Hispanics are under 27. They’re projected to spend about $2 billion at the box office this year.

Latinos attend almost 11 films a year and buy about 15 percent of all tickets sold. They’re 81 percent more likely to see a movie on opening weekend than the general market.

And in Los Angeles and New York, they can comprise up to 55% of opening weekend attendance. The audience is there. All you have to do is be relevant.

Having an unfair advantage.

That’s where Anita Santiago Entertainment Marketing enters the picture. Long recognized as one of the pre-eminent Spanish-language ad agencies in the United States, Anita Santiago Advertising has successfully positioned itself as the independent, full-service strategic marketing partner of distinguished clients who are fully committed to having a significant presence in the U.S. Latino market.

When we opened our doors in 1987, our very first client was Columbia Pictures. The movie was La Bamba, and as a crossover hit it made motion picture history. Since then, we have deliberately grown the agency by forging partnerships with major consumer brands, like IKEA North America and Wells Fargo Bank, that wanted to be part of the most dynamic ethnic market in the country.

With the opportunity of once again being part of the entertainment community, we decided we would only do it if we could offer every aspect of motion picture marketing and publicity absolutely right.

We had to be able to position ourselves as a truly unique resource to studios, offering knowledge, expertise and accountability in what has traditionally been an underserved and often misunderstood market.

That meant having the right people in the right places. The infrastructure and critical mass to sustain the special challenges and uncompromising velocity of the movie business. The inclusive marketing disciplines of account service, creative, research, media planning and buying, publicity and promotions. The will to exceed our clients’ expectations on every picture. And the ability to flourish in an environment that’s been known to be unforgiving.

Ready for our close up.

Anita Santiago Entertainment Marketing is lead by Anita Santiago, Chief Executive Officer of the agency and Ingrid Otero-Smart, President of the agency.

Each is an accomplished professional with impeccable credentials.

Santiago is one of the most respected Latina advertising professionals in the country. Her agency is renowned for its strategic alliances with blue-chip clients. She serves as a director on the board of the Los Angeles Branch of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank and is on the Women’s Leadership Board of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In her 18 years at WPP’s Hispanic agency, Mendoza Dillon, Otero-Smart held senior executive positions, including the last five years as president and chief operating officer. Major accounts she managed there included Ford, Sears, Kraft, Unilever, Ore-Ida Foods, Orlandi Valuta, Kia, MasterFoods and Cingular Wireless. She has twice been named as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S, recognized in the Who’s Who of Hispanic Americans, and was a finalist for the Hispanic Ad Executive of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

They are supported by a dedicated staff of 25 bicultural, bilingual professionals who specialize in all aspects of Hispanic marketing.

Together, they make up a remarkable agency that has proven itself with over 19 years of outstanding work with exceptional results.

The art of being relevant.

The calculus of relevance is based on being able to express a compelling truth that connects with your audience on a fundamental level. But digging for that truth takes more than muscle. It takes an instinct born of years of experience, research, cultural sensitivity, insight and intuition. Once found, it’s the unique emotional link that fuels the Latino imagination, drawing him or her into the theatre. That is the exquisite alchemy that sells a picture.

Being relevant is about having strong, ongoing relationships with the media that give you leverage in the marketplace. It’s about finding a proven resource that’s fully staffed and ready to give you its full attention. It’s about having confidence in and comfort with the professionals you’ve hired to do the heavy lifting in a complex, challenging field.

Finally, it’s about having the right Latino marketing partner. We can’t wait to get started with you.