(Maribel Ramos-Weiner). Univision Communications is very optimistic due to the positive response to this upfront season.It is still early in the process, but I can tell you that we have incredible momentum going into the Upfront. At Univision, we are coming off of a strong Upfront last year, where we significantly outperformed the competition – English and Spanish. Moreover, we have activated 150 new brands to Univision in the last two years and expect the growth to continue, said to PRODU David Lawenda, president of Advertising Sales and Marketing of Univision Communications, Inc.The Census validated what we at Univision already knew: that the 50 million plus Hispanic population is driving growth across the U.S. The groundswell of the Census has led to more demand than ever – active clients are looking to raise the bar and do more across all of our platforms, and inactive clients want our help on where to start and how to win with these consumers. While it is still early in the process, we are on the road meeting with clients and are encouraged by preliminary discussions, added Lawenda.The executive pointed out that the ad sales categories with the highest activity are Automotive, Beverage, Cosmetics, Drugs & Toiletries, and Restaurants. Lawenda also made reference to the birth of the new channels: The launch of our new networks is a natural build on our current portfolio and plays to the passion points of U.S. Hispanics. With the launch of new novela, sports, and news networks, Univision is becoming an even broader multi-platform media company with more options for marketers to connect with Hispanic America in a highly engaged environment.
