roberto ramos
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the new guard : how latin america's creative class can help the region
Richard Nixon once mentioned in private to a young Donald Rumsfeld that “Latin America doesn’t matter. No one gives a darn about Latin America.” And while the former President would eventually get into trouble for saying and doing more incriminating things, the comment does show the condescending fashion in which the U.S. has viewed the region. Things have changed somewhat as globalization and the relative rise of other countries has made the U.S. and Europe look beyond their borders for opportunities. Today Mexico is the U.S. largest trading partner and Brazil’s potential has been put in the same promising category of India and China. But the region is still largely ignored and misunderstood, an attitude exacerbated by the current crisis and its emerging protectionist overtones. For many Latin America is still a place full of banana republics. These stereotypes are fueled by troubling social conditions such as the escalating drug-related violence in Mexico. And while these stories show a side of the region that needs to be addressed, they don’t convey a more complete picture that also includes growing youthful consumer markets, greater modernization, as well as a consistent support for democracy. This misrepresentation has to change if Latin America wants to become relevant. The region needs a drastic makeover to reflect its progress during the past decades, to grant greater momentum to continued reform, and to attract committed foreign partners. This must begin with an engaging creative story that talks about both the innovative things being done in the region as well as future possibilities. Telling a story is in no way a replacement for real structural change, but as they say, perception breeds reality, so we must recast the story to inspire change from within and to attract foreign partners. The allure of our culture is one of our greatest assets so we must embrace it. I recommend we do this by tapping into the region’s young creative generation to frame a new story. Latin America possesses one of the world’s youngest populations, a group that is increasingly connected and inspired through new media. This generation is also empowered through past and present Latin American artists that have made the region’s music, film and popular culture known and respected the world over. This powerfulcombination of youth, technology and creativity can grant Latin America an edge in a global economy that is increasingly driven by ideas. How do we do this? Latin American countries must first realize that its “corrupt and backwards” image problem is an obstacle that impacts them all as well as critical sectors of their societies, making a coordinated response critical. A joint response allows for a more massive impact, putting the continent on more equal footing vis-à-vis Europe and Asia. To accomplish this, but without creating red tape, I recommend the creation of an independent public private sector “innovation and creativity” corporation, for lack of a better term, involving major Latin American countries and some of their most dynamic and innovative minds from the worlds of business and the arts. The goal should be to develop an extensive and sustainable set of funded programs to cultivate new creativity and innovation industries that can fix the Latin American brand. I purposely chose the term corporation because if done well, culture can be a great source of strategic revenue for the region. The first part of the exercise will be the creation of the vision for the entire program. At the core is answering the question of why Latin America matters to the rest of the world. Working on this seminal exercise should be some of the region’s best writers, directors, graphic designers, entrepreneurs, etc. The end result will be our version of England’s “Cool Britannia” strategic creative platform back in the nineties, which propelled an English way of thinking around the halo of creativity and innovation, positively impacting everything from business to fashion, and from literature to politics. An important concern is that this initiative go beyond the surface level, meaning just an ad campaign or a story focused on only one industry, such as what many Latin American countries have been doing for many years around tourism. For this to work creativity an innovation need to truly become part of the societal structure. Key elements of the program would be ongoing support for creativity and innovation at the educational level, the creation and support of creative enterprises in conjunction with entrepreneurs or established companies, and other forms of exchanges that systematically create incentives for creativity and innovation. This holistic focus on creativity and innovation would then allow for ongoing marketing communication that create products through powerful forms of discourse such as film, advertising, social media, music, festival, innovation talks and conferences, among many others. These initiatives, by always highlighting the region’s creativity and innovation will reinforce demand for Latin American ideas. And it will be this demand that will fuel Latin American’s creative economy, and its more inspiring new face to the world. … Read More
June 12, 2009 | In Arts & Culture
A Creative Solution for America
We’re in a funk. Our inability to spend within our means coupled with lax regulation of key industries such as finance and housing has brought our country into a difficult economic recession, causing Americans to feel anxious and insecure. We look with disbelief at what’s happened and ask ourselves what we can do to turn things around. I propose that we undertake a national, government-sponsored, Arts integration project to incorporate the arts and creative thinking more deeply into our lives, starting with our children’s education. The result will be a happier, more self-sustaining America and the evolution of a richer form of American innovation.The Arts and creativity serve us very well right now. They are natural outlets to convey how we’re feeling and they can also serve as assets, which, coupled with our pragmatism and focus on hard skills can help us craft this richer form of innovation to make us more competitive globally. This innovation, if cultivated properly, will engender more stories like Apple and Pixar and less stories like General Motors and Chrysler. The timing for this creative evolution is critical as we continue our progression to an economy based on ideas and services while we continue to outsource many of our traditional industries to countries like India and China.If we’re going to get creative about our future, we must begin by abandoning any notion of the Arts as an elitist domain or contrary to our entrepreneurial nature. Our country's foundation and memory is imbued with compelling narratives such as the revolutionary war and the writing of our Constitution, and our creativity is part of what makes us so enterprising and unique. The rugged individualism and pioneering spirit that defined the nascent moments of this country was born of a desire for expansion, both in the physical and the intellectual capacity. In this sense, we would be reawakening an important part of our nation's development, returning to fostering the ideas and ideals that fueled our country during one of its defining and singularly momentous periods of growth: The Industrial Revolution. An intrinsic arts education program could be the spark for a 21st century renaissance with the same far-reaching effects politically, socially, and economically. We should also look at the global power of our own entertainment industry to remember what a profitable and strategic asset creativity can be. But our creativity must go beyond Hollywood and consumption of popular culture; it must become part of a national mind shift across sectors of our society. And this shift towards more creativity needs to begin at the student level, ensuring that we’re preparing our children for the needs of a new and demanding economy based on the generation of innovative ideas. Our current educational system doesn’t acknowledge the full potential of the Arts and has all but ignored Arts Education, putting it at the bottom of the school curriculum where it can easily be cut when budgets are reduced. This mindset has been exacerbated by the adoption of the “No Child Left Behind Program” and its near exclusive focus on standardized test scores as indicators of educational progress. I propose that we act boldly to prime America for this century’s challenges and opportunities by making Arts education compulsory beginning at the primary level and continuing through high school. Arts education helps children improve their overall academic performance by making them more engaged and aware. The long-term benefits of Arts education are also attractive, resulting in a society more capable of critical thinking, creative problem solving, and effective communication and teamwork -all necessary skills in a creative economy. Additionally, a greater focus on Arts education will foster new job opportunities for many of our nation’s artists, giving them a more seminal role in influencing the development of creative problem solving skills in our nation's youth. .The business community also needs to readjust its thinking with regards to the arts and creativity, especially as diminished budgets necessitate more potent ways of working. Companies need to do a better job at attracting and incorporating right-side thinkers, granting them the opportunity to challenge traditional modes of thinking and to come up with new and innovative solutions. For many of these companies the path towards greater creativity can be as simple and powerful as empowering creativity from current employees, something that, as Google has found out, not only makes for happier employees but also increases a company’s ability to innovate So as President-elect Obama continues to execute an ambitious national program in place to stimulate American growth, I urge him to think about increasing the role of the Arts and creativity. To that end, I support the motion by many for the creation of a cabinet post of arts and culture, as revolutionary as the original creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. A Secretary of Culture could be instrumental in crafting a national strategy around the arts, including education, arts support and management, as well as breakthrough initiatives such as the addition of a cultural component to our foreign policy The potential to leverage Arts to re-invigorate our country and our economy is vast and a massive cultural project could be the catalyst to make any stimulus package truly stimulating. … Read More
June 10, 2009 | In Arts & Culture
'Open Source' Entrepreneurs: Change Agents for a Stalled Economy BusinessWeek Roberto Ramos says collaborative technologies can create unprecedented opportunities for unemployed workers with big dreams By Roberto Ramos Among the biggest victims of the current economic debacle have been the millions of Americans who have joined the ranks of the unemployed. This has deepened our nation's sense of gloom, as having a job—despite all our mixed emotions about the place where we spend so much time, and the people we spend it with—constitutes a big chunk of our security. This is why President Barack Obama is making job creation a big part of his stimulus package. But any stimulus, no matter how good, will take at least a couple of years before making a significant improvement on the job market. A more immediate and innovative step in correcting this situation might come from the entrepreneurial spirit of many of those without a job. So it is in our best interest for our government to step in and give as much support to America's innate "can do" attitude that can give a positive jolt to our economy. Many unemployed Americans simply will not sit around and wait for new jobs. Instead they will follow our commander-in-chief's call for action and create new opportunities for themselves. The bolder and more creative ones will start their own businesses. They will do this by being nimble and by taking advantage of evolving tools such as social media to identify new opportunities and partners. Welcome to the era of the "open-source entrepreneur" and the "open-source economy," where free agents will group together in varying ways to tackle new opportunities and become change agents. This new type of entrepreneur comes during an unprecedented time for our nation, when a massive creative destruction produced by the crisis is redefining how businesses operate. This reorganization of business, while accelerated by the economic crisis, had been happening for a while as businesses have searched for ways to do things better, faster, and cheaper. From Outsourcing to Resourcing This quest created the outsourcing phenomenon of the 1980s and '90s that continues today, ushering in a new phase of our economy that is more focused on the creation of ideas and differentiated services. It is the alignment of this new creative economy's search for the most revolutionary ideas and business' need to keep costs down that is driving us to this more nimble and collaborative way of working that makes open-source entrepreneurship so viable. If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, then the massive layoffs we've been seeing could, indirectly, help bring a more innovative and resourceful way of working that grants our labor market greater flexibility and dynamism. Forward-thinking entrepreneurs have already started this process through communities like LinkedIn and Plaxo where they are already creating new business opportunities. But the impetus and possibilities for collaboration and exchange are much greater now, given the national need to kick-start the economy. Calling on Obama and the SBA BusinessWeek's Jane Sasseen asked in a recent article, "Can Obama Jolt Small Business Lending?" The answer, for all our sakes, had better be a resounding yes! It's critical for the U.S. government and the Small Business Administration to look at job creation more expansively to support new entrepreneurs. One immediate solution would be expanding both unemployment benefits and the income cap for the unemployed, allowing them to explore virtual entrepreneurial options. The government should also explore other incentives including access to preferred government rates and benefits in a pooled health-care system, similar to the one currently available to federal employees. The benefits of this program would be twofold, granting both companies and these new free agents greater security at accessible costs. DIY Is the American Way American entrepreneurship has always played a crucial role in the U.S. economy, helping us to innovate and remain competitive. This same spirit, fueled by the financial crisis, could serve as a catalyst for our out-of-work labor force to quickly adapt and help the government and the economy recover. This task is not an easy one, and these workers on the front lines of changing how we work are taking big risks. That's why Corporate America and the U.S. government must support our unemployed neighbors in their entrepreneurial endeavors. Their success is our collective success, and will be critical in helping America get back on its feet—and back to its roots as a nation founded by hard-working entrepreneurs with not much cash, but big dreams. Ramos is president and CEO of The Vox Collective, a New York-based boutique advertising and marketing agency. … Read More
June 9, 2009 | In Business & Economics
Roberto Ramos, president/CEO & Co-founder, the vox collective
Roberto Ramos brings a wide range of general market, multicultural and Hispanic experience, having worked extensively with global advertising groups and Fortune 500 clients. His focus at the agency is on the development of integrated marketing campaigns, client services and strategic partnerships, as well as a personal passion for consumer insights and trend spotting.
From a business planning perspective he has worked very closely with brands like Macy’s, Verizon Wireless, Fifth Third Bank, to build operational and feasible marketing plans against emerging marketing priorities, including the multicultural and youth segments. His marketing experience also includes the management of national and international advertising campaigns for Fortune 500 brands including General Motors and IBM among others. Roberto’s marketing experience has also led him to launch successful products including the Daisy Fuentes line with retailer Kohl’s and he was part of the marketing communications team supporting AOL’s entry into Latin America in the mid-1990s. Prior to co-launching the vox collective Roberto worked with various multinational brands at communications agencies including Grey and Burson-Marsteller. He has also worked at StarMedia, The Council On Foreign Relations and the Council of the Americas. Roberto is a graduate from Cornell University and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese.
