Execs and Accounts for July 24, 2002

Viral marketing company ElectricArtists has launched a new corporate initiative — ElectricArtists En EspaÑol — to address the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. With the initiative, ElectricArtists will offer its clients — including Vivendi Universal , Schlumberger and Starwood Hotels — specific Spanish language campaigns targeting the Hispanic community.

“We’ve been seeing a rapid growth of Hispanic youths online since the beginning of the year. Hispanic communities on Yupi, MiGente, and Yahoo are exploding. We wanted to make sure we offered our clients particular programs, in the Spanish language, reaching Hispanics as their importance to the marketplace is growing at an incredible pace,” said Marc Schiller, CEO of ElectricArtists.

In May and June, ElectricArtists developed and implemented its first Spanish language initiative as part of its global online campaign for FIFA World Cup 2002. The response to those campaign was a major factor in the decision to launch ElectricArtists En EspaÑol.

Agency.com has launched a new Web site for land developer Terrabrook. The interface allows prospective buyers to explore an array of communities and amenities made available to homebuyers. Additionally, the site is designed with attention to the builders and real estate agents that work with Terrabrook.

Agency.com’s Boston office created multimedia content for each property, all of which is intended to drive Web users to visit the real-world communities. By using interactive maps, prospective buyers can virtually visit 35 Terrabrook properties in 26 markets throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, including both vacation and permanent residences.

Semaphore Partners has entered an alliance with Bcom3 agency Kaplan Thaler Group (KTG), to provide interactive solutions for all business development efforts at the agency. Semaphore Partners already works with KTG on one of its largest clients, Continental Airlines. The expanded relationship will round out KTG’s creative offerings with Semaphore Partners’ technical expertise and innovation, the companies said.

“Partnering with Semaphore Partners made a lot of sense for us,” said Greg Davis, KTG’s director of business development. “Kaplan Thaler’s breakthrough creative and focus on results is an ideal match for Semaphore Partners’ focus on developing ideas that deliver ROI for their clients.”

After a review of six Silicon Valley high-tech PR firms, Web messaging developer Tumbleweed Communications has tapped AtomicPR as its agency of record. Tumbleweed VP of marketing Geoff Galat said the decision came down to expertise in enterprise software and security, both crucial areas to the company.

“We needed an agency with a proven track record representing enterprise software companies,” said Galat. “Atomic has some formidable messaging and security credentials.”

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