Austin's LatinWorks gets new name: Third Ear

LatinWorks, one of Austin’s most recognized advertising firms, said Tuesday that it is changing its name to Third Ear as part of a rebranding effort aimed at expanding its market capabilities.

The decision is part of an in-house strategy shift that has been in the works for some time and is not being directed by LatinWorks’ parent company, Omnicom Group, according to co-founder and CEO Manny Flores.

Flores said the advertising landscape has changed since he helped found LatinWorks in 1998. So leadership decided LatinWorks has to change as well.

‘We are no longer a company relegated to the margins -- 50 percent of our clients are mainstream clients,” Flores said. “We are not shedding our connections to culture but are acknowledging that that connection is not the singular thing that defines us.”

Flores has grown LatinWorks into a recognized name in the advertising industry. The privately held company has worked with clients such as the Texas Lottery, Starbucks and Target. Its total employee count at the headquarters office on Baylor Street in Austin now sits at about 80, Flores said.

In choosing the name Third Ear, Flores said, the company hopes to show that it’s listening to customers and helping brands connect to people.

Third Ear still plans to represent the Latin demographic that was crucial to its early success, Flores said. The company’s new website, wearethirdear.com, also went live on Tuesday.

“I don’t see them as challenges, but opportunities” Flores said about establishing the new name among clients and the market. “As people look to this new entity, they will dive deeper.”