Aida Levitan, Ph.D., APR – Biography
President and CEO of Levitan & Palencia, LLC
A former public administrator with a Doctorate in Spanish Literature from Emory University, Aida Levitan, Ph.D., recently founded Levitan & Palencia, LLC, a marketing communications firm with partner Javier Perez-Palencia. The agency serves clients from Spain and the U.S. in South Florida and the U.S. Hispanic market. It is especially focused on below-the-line marketing for clients such as IFB, a Grupo Fierro Bank; AGM International Corporation and Hoy, the Spanish-language newspaper of the Tribune Company.
Dr. Levitan served--until January 2005--as the vice chairperson and chief communications officer of Bromley Communications and the president of Bromley Miami. Bromley is the number one Hispanic advertising agency in the U.S., according to the 2003 listings by Advertising Age.
During her tenure as CEO and Co-Chairman at Publicis Sanchez & Levitan and later at Bromley she served clients such as: Nestlé, BellSouth, Coors Brewing Company, BMW, L’Oreal, Pennzoil Quaker State, Chivas Regal and other major brands. She has also worked closely with the leading executives of Univision, Telemundo, Impremedia, HOY and many other major media. Aida has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, international and national media, and in CNN and CNBC business news.
A winner of the 1999 Hispanic magazine Adelante National Award, Aida has been nationally recognized for her marketing expertise as well as for her civic and professional activities. An active community and professional leader, she is the former president of AHAA (Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies) and currently serves on the board of directors of: the Miami Art Museum, the Latin Chamber of Commerce (CAMACOL), The Spanish Cultural Center, and the Miami International University of Art and Design. She is also a frequent speaker at national Hispanic and multicultural marketing conferences.
Aida has a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from Emory University and a B.A. from the University of Miami.
Additional Information
When Aida started her firm in a garage in her home 20 years ago, she had a vision of creating the number one Hispanic agency in the U.S. By 2003 Publicis Sanchez & Levitan had become one of the top ten U.S. Hispanic advertising agencies listed by Advertising Age, with $92 million in billings, 80 employees, and four full-service offices in the leading Hispanic population centers: California, Texas, New York and Florida.
In 1986 she founded Sanchez & Levitan, Inc. with Fausto Sanchez, a filmmaker and Hispanic advertising expert. In 2001 she sold 49% of the agency to the Publicis Groupe and later the remaining 51%. In 2001 the agency was renamed Publicis Sanchez & Levitan and added offices in Los Angeles, Dallas and New York.
For almost 20 years Aida was involved in developing and directing Holistic Hispanic communication programs for internationally-known clients as well as for blue-chip clients and non-profit groups such as the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), ACCION, and the Miami Art Museum.
Until April 2004 she served as president of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), the organization that represents the leading agencies in the Hispanic advertising industry. In 2003 she was chosen Entrepreneur of the Year in Communications by Hispanic magazine; Communications Entrepreneur of the Year by Women in Communications; and one of the South Florida Federation Six Legends in Advertising.
Aida is an accredited member (APR) of the Public Relations Society of America and of its Counselors Academy. Her event-marketing expertise includes the development of award-winning programs such as the Cuban Music national concert series with Oscar-nominated actor Andy Garcia, to celebrate the contributions of Cachao, the creator of the Cuban jam session. This national concert series and marketing campaign won the national Multicultural Excellence Award of the Public Relations Society of America.
Aida has also created innovative Hispanic festivals attended by thousands of consumers, such as the Fair of Spain and the Absolut Fair of Seville, both in Miami. As part of the fairs, Aida Levitan negotiated $250,000 in pro bono advertising contributions, organized a gala event for 600 upscale consumers and produced shows with 270 artists from Spain and other countries.
Awards and Civic Activities
Because of her professional and community work, she and her agency received many awards, among them:
¨ Hispanic Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Communications--2003
¨ Women in Communications Entrepreneurship Award--2003
¨ Advertising Federation Legend in Advertising--2003
¨ Poder Magazine; One of the Top 100 Influential Hispanics--2003
¨ One of the Top Employers of Working Women in Florida--Named by the State of Florida Commission on the Status of Women (2000)
¨ Top Women Achievers of South Florida--1996
¨ Outstanding Businesswomen of 1995
¨ The Community Coalition for Women’s History Award--photographic exhibition of 10 prominent women at the Historic Museum of South Florida
