Compass Points to Anita Santiago

NEW YORK Hispanic shop Anita Santiago Advertising has been tapped by Birmingham, Ala.-based Compass Bank to handle its Spanish-language marketing business in seven Southwestern states.

The Santa Monica, Calif.-based agency’s duties will include creative, production, media planning and buying and PR for the financial institution’s Hispanic-targeted outreach.

“We were ready for a bank,” said Ingrid Otero-Smart, president of Anita Santiago Advertising, pointing to the agency’s 12 years of experience handling marketing and advertising for Wells Fargo, a client lost a year ago to Los Angeles-based Acento.

Compass’ selection of Santiago Advertising follows an assignment in 2007 to develop the bank’s first-ever Spanish-language TV, radio and print ad campaign touting its “Build-to-Order” free checking account.

“The outstanding results of the work developed for the bank, along with Anita Santiago Advertising’s extensive history of Latino consumer insights and knowledge of the Hispanic financial services category, prompted us to officially award the entire Spanish-language marketing account to ASA,” said Liliana Salas-Grip, Compass Bank’s svp, Hispanic marketing.

The Compass campaign will expand this year to additional TV and radio campaigns as well as out-of-home, online and collateral materials, Otero-Smart said.

Spanish-language TV spots currently are airing via Univision, Telemundo, TeleFutura and Azteca America.

Santiago also created an English-language version of the TV campaign aimed at Hispanics who watch general market media. The campaign is expected to roll out later in the first quarter, Otero-Smart said.

The bank’s ad spending in domestic media was nearly $10 million through November 2007 and $8 million-plus for 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Compass (with 164 branches in Arizona, Florida and Texas) was acquired in February 2007 by Spain’s largest bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), which owns other U.S. banks.

Camelot Communications in Dallas handles general market and interactive media buying and marketing strategy for Compass with Crispin Porter + Bogusky responsible for the bank’s English-language creative.