Every year, the American Advertising Federation celebrates industry legends by inducting them into its prestigious Advertising Hall of Fame. This year's class honorees include Alex Lopez Negrete, co-founder and CEO of Lopez Negrete Communications, a leading US Hispanic advertising and marketing agency. Alex joins a select number of multicultural ad agency executives, including Bill Imada, Aaron Walton, Hector Orci, Daisy Expósito-Ulla, and Tere Zubizarreta, among others.
Alex is one of our industry's most respected leaders, and I had the opportunity to chat with him about this recent recognition and his trajectory. Below is an edited version of our conversation.
Isaac Mizrahi - What does receiving this recognition from the AAF mean to you?
Alex Lopez Negrete - Honestly, this has taken some time to sink in. First, look at the list. [Author’s note: Besides Alex, the class of 2025 also includes Linda Boff, John Hayes, David Lubars, Raja Rajamannar, Lisa Sherman, Rishad Tobaccowala, Susan Wojcicki, and Mars, Inc., as a Corporate Inductee.]
This is a list of giants. True giants of our industry, it's very humbling. We have an expression in Spanish, "…no me la creo…" which loosely translates to "I do not believe it" – and a lot of this has to do with the fact that I put my head down to work forty years ago, tried to do meaningful work that elevated the craft of marketing to Latinos in the United States, while also elevating the value of this audience in marketers' eyes, and hopefully, doing some good for both along the way. Then, one day, you're tapped on the shoulder and told that you and your work have been noticed. It's an amazing feeling and very, very humbling.
Second, this is not something that I achieved alone. I have had a partner by my side every step of the way, and that's Cathy (Lopez Negrete). She has been our CFO and COO from the beginning, supporting, encouraging, prodding, pushing, and enduring. I realize this is a luxury that very few agency leaders have and that this partnership, her support, allowed me the gift of being able to do what I love and be the face of this enterprise. If I've made this list – it's mainly because of her. But, in short, it is tremendously meaningful and not an honor I take lightly. If anything, it serves to help me (us) elevate our game and to keep leading, building, and challenging.
Mizrahi - Tell me when you first realized you wanted to work in advertising.
Lopez Negrete - The advertising bug bit me from an early age. My mother was a marketer and managed all marketing, promotions, merchandising, and advertising for Estée Lauder in Mexico. Our friends were icons in advertising, such as Don Eduardo Noble of Noble & Asociados. It was all around. My first job, even while in college, was in radio sales. It was inevitable, I guess. I am particularly thankful that my road wasn't directly into advertising per se and that my path took me through media first. It was an excellent training ground and a perspective that served me well once I landed in the industry formally.
Mizrahi - What was the proudest moment of your career?
Lopez Negrete - There are too many to count, to be honest. It would be disingenuous of me to cite one over the other. Suffice it to say that the ones that stick in my mind are those that signal fundamental leaps in the agency's development, such as when we were selected by Bank of America to be their agency over 30 years ago — and being the very smallest of all the competing agencies — or when Walmart also gave us the nod after a year-long pitch process, and being the only independent agency (that relationship lasted 28 years). Still, they don't minimize the significant wins of Fortune 500 brands such as Hyundai, Verizon, and others. They all matter.
Of course, the day Cathy and I took the leap and bought our own four-story, 80,800 square-foot building, sitting in our car in the parking lot, looking at this building, knowing and absorbing that this was ours, was a moment that burned in our minds and hearts. Receiving the Premio Ohtli from the government of Mexico — the Premio Ohtli is the highest honor bestowed upon civilians of Mexican descent living abroad for their commitment to and support of the Mexicans and Mexican Americans — it struck a deep chord. But, indeed, there are many – and being inducted into the AAF's Hall of Fame will undoubtedly shoot to the top of the list.
Mizrahi - What was the most significant learning you'd share with someone starting in advertising today?
Lopez Negrete - Do it because you love it. Advertising is not an easy industry, and it's not getting any easier. Yes, we're not saving lives or curing cancer, but it's not easy. So, be ready. Take your time to learn, but be quick about it. And, while it is essential to focus on a specific discipline or area, do not — and I repeat, do not — forego understanding the big picture of how it all works together. Remember, to contribute and earn your place at the table and in the conversation, provide value consistently. Remind yourself that you are one of millions entering this industry and ask yourself: How will this industry be better with you? What mark will you make? Then, put your head down, keep working, and earn your stripes. Do it consistently and honestly, and understand the slim line between good and great. Shoot for great.
Mizrahi - How do you see the current state of multicultural marketing in America?
Lopez Negrete - Let's talk about the good first. Multicultural consumers, particularly Latinos, have taken center stage as it pertains to the mainstream. Latino culture, food, music, art, you name it, is impacting the American mainstream like never before. In fact, if Latinos in America were a stand-alone economy, they would represent $3.6 trillion in GDP and be the fifth largest economy globally.
Bring it down to our industry; we now have the research, the tracking, the data, the channels, and the structure to market to these segments — regardless of culture — in the most precise, measurable, and effective manner possible. We also have the most prepared generation of Latino marketers our industry has ever seen. As an industry, Hispanic marketing has transcended language and entered an era of unprecedented connection, acceptance, and sophistication. Multicultural marketing and multicultural budgets should lead the way at all-time highs.
Yet, it remains a struggle. Many marketers across many segments and industries continue to not invest in the opportunity that these segments (particularly the Hispanic segment) represent. There are several markets and categories where Latinos should be the FIRST priority and where a Hispanic agency should be the lead agency—yet I haven't seen these many marketers default to simple translation since the 1980s.
But then again, that's why people like me exist in this industry. It certainly gives me something to fight for and work towards, 40 years in. So, I remain hopeful and energized. Still. Always. Bring it on.
I had the privilege of meeting Alex almost twenty years ago and partnering with him on the Hispanic Marketing Council's board of directors, where I learned so much from him. His optimism and sense of community are contagious. Congratulations, Alex; you made us all proud.
Source: Forbes
