Muscular Dystrophy Association Taps Grupo Samba

Grupo Samba has been selected to handle the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s first national marketing program targeting Hispanics.

The Dallas-based subsidiary of Dieste & Partners was chosen following a national review of agencies. Finalists included Bromley Communications in San Antonio and The Bravo Group of New York.

The six-figure account will extend the MDA’s experimental local and regional Hispanic efforts, which began in 1999.

Said MDA spokesperson Bob Mackle: “We wanted to educate and communicate better; and second, we recognize the incredible potential for this market on the fundraising side just because of the population growth and their growing economic power … Right now we feel we’ll have the market to ourself because there aren’t a lot of nonprofits targeting this group.”

The MDA’s first Spanish-language campaign will not be a fundraising effort, however.

“Our goal is to educate … [and] get more people who could use our services to start using them,” said Mackle.

The Tucson,...