MIAMI \u2013 Once a natural disaster occurs, it\u2019s back to basics. For agencies and marketers it can mean using billboards to reach people who don\u2019t have power or Internet connectivity. For brands like Procter & Gamble, it can be dispatching mobile units to wash, dry and fold clothes for the recovering community.<\/p>\n

In the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, for the media industry \u201cIt\u2019s going backwards, 25 years ago. You have to take your car and visit your clients, you have to do radio, probably billboards and basics to communicate,\u201d says Andres Claudio, GM of Omnicom\u2019s Hearts & Science agency on the island. \u201cLife is before Maria and after Maria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freddie Hernandez, who runs P&G\u2019s operations in Puerto Rico, is already looking beyond relief to reconstruction\u2014rebuilding infrastructure while convincing companies to invest there for the future. \u201cWe will recover from this. We will impact the communities and we will get to a better position,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Beet.TV interviewed Claudio at this week\u2019s Festival of Media<\/a>\/LATAM conference, where the STAND WITH PUERTO RICO: The Industry Steps Up initiative was launched. His interview is followed by a segment with Hernandez that was produced by P&G\u00a0 in Puerto Rico where one of the company’s mobile Ace detergent units was operating.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a time that companies have to show their commitment to the island and the community with their brands,\u201d says Claudio. \u201cBesides advertising, this is the perfect moment for companies to get connected to the people with their realities and needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Puerto Rico, brands don\u2019t have to look very far to identify with causes and be \u201crelevant\u201d to the situation, according to Claudio. \u201cOnce the brand understands there is a need in the market, you can relate your brand to that particular need. It gets a connection that people will love and people will acknowledge that you are doing something right for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

After thanking the organizers of the Festival of Media\/LATAM for hosting and supporting the STAND WITH PUERTO RICO<\/a> initiative, Hernandez explained that the relief mode is still under way and that sometimes, the basic necessities aren\u2019t so obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take things for granted. We never thought that just having your laundry done was so important to people. It\u2019s overwhelming to see how people are reacting to this effort,\u201d says Hernandez.<\/p>\n

As relief progresses to recovery, reconstruction will follow, posing more challenges that will require widespread participation and support. \u201cThe donations that we\u2019re getting and the support that we\u2019re getting is fantastic but it\u2019s not going to last a lot,\u201d Hernandez explains. \u201cWe need companies to look at Puerto Rico once again as a place to invest, as a place to bring their best talent to grow our economy, to leverage the talent that we have on this beautiful island, to help us and together bring this island to the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claudio is realistic and optimistic looking forward. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy but you can do it and make it happen. This is a time that companies have to show the commitment to the island and the community with their brands,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Stand With Puerto, The Industry Steps Up\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This video reports on the pressing issues facing Puerto Rico and the organizations that are having an impact.\u00a0It is part of a media industry initiative titled Stand With Puerto Rico<\/a>. It is organized by Beet.TV and Omnicom Media Group along with founding partners\u00a0AT&T AdWorks and Teads.\u00a0Please find additional videos from the series here<\/a>.\u00a0The series was recorded in Miami at the Festival of Media\/LATAM on October 30.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MIAMI \u2013 Once a natural disaster occurs, it\u2019s back to basics. For agencies and marketers it can mean using billboards to reach people who don\u2019t have power or Internet connectivity. For brands like Procter & Gamble, it can be dispatching mobile units to wash, dry and fold clothes for the recovering community. In the wake […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[]},"categories":[6849],"tags":[5372,3851,4071,4213,5988,6856,6857,6858,6859],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.beet.tv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}