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Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Over the years Armando Gutierrez did marketing and consulting work for sundry state agencies and public entities across New Mexico.
And in 2004 the media consultant made sure to list as many as possible when bidding for a media consulting contract being let by then-Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, according to a 74-page proposal Gutierrez’s firm (AGA) submitted in response to Vigil’s request for bids. Gutierrez’s firm, A. Gutierrez & Associates, Inc., won the contract.
The document shows that even then Gutierrez was well known to some in state government, having done work for at least half a dozen state agencies.
Gutierrez, along with Vigil-Giron and two others, was indicted last month by the New Mexico Attorney General’s office on 50 criminal charges, ranging from money laundering to paying a kickback.
Gutierrez’s attorney has said Gutierrez has done nothing wrong.
The proposal Gutierrez submitted in 2004 to win the Secretary of State work shows that the man and his firm (AGA in the proposal) were a well-known commodity in some circles of state government.
Among those listed as AGA clients was then-Attorney General Patricia Madrid, which NMI’s Heath Haussamen wrote about earlier this month.
Then there were the brochures and ads for the University of New Mexico Hospital, for which Gutierrez’s firm won a national marketing honor, he wrote.
Here’s an excerpt from Gutierrez’s proposal:
“AGA was contracted by the University of New Mexico Hospital to create and place media throughout New Mexico advertising to young, pregnant, Hispanic women the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.”
The agency’s ads and a brochure won the coveted ‘Best of Show’ — the highest of all awards for such work, Gutierrez wrote — from the Markie Awards, a national competition for public service ads conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.”
That project required research, Gutierrez continued:
This research, which included interviews and focus groups with many such women, led us to understand that one key to effective communication and intervention was to not only target the women but also their spouses or boyfriends. That is, it was doubly difficult for these women to resist the temptations of alcohol during pregnancy when significant others around them were imbibing. So the ads and brochure created by AGA included several targeted not just at these women, but at their partners.”
“These ads and brochures were done in Spanish, English and bilingually as these fit the linguistic patterns of our target audience. This example speaks volumes to the kind of work that we do and the sensitivities we bring to the project.”
Then there was work for the Department of Health:
“When the Legislature approved the Salud! Program of Medicaid Managed Care of New Mexico, AGA was selected as the agency to roll out the public information campaign educating New Mexicans about the program.
“Our work involved a radio campaign and brochure in both Spanish and English answering anticipated questions about the new program. We conceived the ads, created, produced and placed them. For the brochure, we designed, wrote the copy, selected the photographs and charts, interpreted the language into Spanish and supervised printing and distribution.”
“The brochures were sent to public health clinics throughout every corner of the state. Department of Health officials and public alike praised our work.”
In fact, in touting his firm to Vigil-Giron, Gutierrez made sure to show his firm’s prowess in dealing with New Mexico state government.
“Our account services personnel have managed accounts with many state agencies, including the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the New Mexico Department of Tourism, University of New Mexico Hospital, and the New Mexico Department of Health. We are knowledgeable of N.M. state rules and regulations and the requirements in reporting and tracking.”
The proposal also shows that Gutierrez had done a considerable amount of work for corporate America in reaching out to Hispanics, including for GMC Truck; Saturn Automotive; General Motors Credit Card Corporation; and Columbia TriStar Pictures (home video division).
When Gutierrez wasn’t producing ads or consulting for governmental or corporate clients, he made time for public advocacy groups, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Gutierrez’s firm was “the official Hispanic agency of record … between 1994 and 1998,” Gutierrez wrote in 2004 to Vigil-Giron. “We produced several public education television ads that were run in states with large Hispanic populations, including New Mexico, Texas and California.”
Gutierrez also found time to work for private-sector entities, including New Mexico’s racetracks, according to his proposal.
“In 2001, AGA was retained through an unprecedented joint effort by New Mexico’s four racetracks to undertake a methodologically sound and statistically accurate analysis of the impact on the industry of legislation allowing a limited number of slot machines at the tracks.”
