work

The Crew behind “the Crew”

The 2007 New York International Latino Film Festival advertising campaign was a rallying call for Latinos to come out and support the festival that told their stories their way. Real, gritty and with a style all its own, the campaign conveyed the idea that we are all part of this growing cultural movement; we are all part of “the crew.” The result is an engaging tribute to our people and their city.

In the spirit of keeping-it-real, the on-air talent of colorful characters was street cast. To position the festival as a premier event, we developed branding and style directions that guided all print and web production. These gave all the materials produced an added level of polish that had great appeal for the Latin professional and tastemaker audience.

Stoli Statements of Style

For Stoli we created a lifestyle experiential campaign called “Stoli Satements” involving fantastic events featuring fashion & music. Music, the way in which many second generation Latinos express their unique bicultural culture, was the creative force that drove the initiative.

We centered everything on an online hub with a sophisticated distribution outreach and the wealth of event related content. The fully branded events were experiences that featured film stars like April Hernandez, pop stars such as Nina Sky and fashionistas like Johnny Nuñez

Strong medicine for Hennessy

Hennessy had a general market tag line “Never Blend” that presented a challenge with how consumers were increasingly consuming the brand, largely by mixing it. We were briefed to come up with a direction that was flexible to this lifestyle adaptation of the brand while keeping with the value structure of our Latino male audience.

“Puro Carácter,' or “Pure Character” did just that. The TV campaign speaks to the substance that “runs in your blood' that makes you who you are. This campaign crossed over and became “Pure Character” in English, which is credited with having increased the visibility of Hennessy VS.

More fashion & more magic for Macy's

The fall launch campaign for the nation's top department store was designed to leverage Latina style and sophistication to give Macy's more fashion credentials and to make our consumers feel welcome. We used celebrity and style personalities Ana de la Reguera, Zoe Saldaña and Patricia Velazquez in our spots.

We also used the musical talents of Grammy nominees Los Amigos Invisibles and Yerba Buena to create a memorable Christmas melody and a Latin twist on the launch anthem and American classic “Dancing in the Street.” The campaign extended to other media through radio, interactive, community events and PR initiatives.

Making the “Momentos Chivas” memorable

For Chivas we developed a multifaceted lifestyle campaign with two very specific targets. For our discriminating older audience we developed the Latin Jazz festival, which tapped into the thriving underground Latino jazz scene and made Chivas the whiskey of choice for this audience.

For our younger audience we owned the Latin rock & pop scene featuring acts like Calle 13, Gustavo Cerati, Los Amigos Invisibles, and others, all performing in the hottest venues. Other proprietary events around this brand initiative included Halloween theme parties, boat parties, loft parties, hotel parties, after parties etc.

The wireless carrier Latinos can trust

This client wanted to create an experience that would connect and deliver sales, which were tracked regularly. We developed a complete direct-to-consumer campaign based on the concept of “confiable,” which translates into honest and reliable.

We delivered on this strategy by having real consumers provide convincing testimonials that underscored the superiority of the network. The campaign included 60 & 30 sec DRTV spots, Print, OOH, POS & DM.

Telling it like it is

For the ONDCP and the Partnership for A Drug-Free America, we conducted studies as to how parents and kids felt about marijuana. There were many generational conflicts that surfaced, as well as the overall parental concern of wanting to be good parents but fearing taking a wrong approach that would antagonize their offspring. We created an edgy print campaign challenging parents with the notion of who it was that was offering their child marijuana.

We also created a TV campaign addressing in a straightforward manner how the typical family dynamics can let the most important of messages slip through the cracks. We also developed an open letter campaign instructing parents on ways to best approach their children on the subject.

People make power

Voto Latino was an initiative created to attract the Latino youth vote for the 2004 election. We developed a guerilla-street brand leveraging the assertive spirit inherent to young Latinos under the mantra of “it's your country, represent.”

We created a full 360 campaign including over 10 celebrity TV commercials, print, street teams, and an online hub where you could register and view issues. The campaign was also presented to the media through an integrated PR campaign launched at MTV's TRL studios. To date, the Voto Latino initiative has enlisted thousands of Latinos to become part of the political process.

Yele! Open Your heart and stop the violence

Yele Haiti is a movement created and managed by The Vox Collective for musician and producer Wyclef Jean. The initiative's goal is to inspire Haitian youth to take ownership of their country's future. We were charged with tapping into the rich and resilient Haitian spirit to come up with an inspiring and hip brand that reflected their pride and optimism.

This was the starting point in our expanded initiative to set up alliances with existing NGOs to create a stronger, more unified movement with a focus on education, health, environment, and community development. We also worked closely with Yele to bring in integrated corporate partnerships, including Voila', the nation's largest wireless carrier. Yele Haiti is currently acknowledged as the NGO with highest brand awareness and trust in Haiti.

Batonga: Girls changing Africa

We worked very closely with world music star Angelique Kidjo to create all aspects of a foundation focused on helping African girls have access to a secondary education. From a branding perspective, we worked with her to bring to life “batonga,” a word from one of her most popular songs as well as what she would scream to the boys that taunted her at school when she was little.

The “Batonga” brand carries a beautiful message in the form of a butterfly representing the potential of the girls and their continent.

Modern Mexico in NYC

For Mexico Now we started by developing the brand from scratch, including the logo and guidelines. The objective was the creation of a brand that embodied a contemporary Mexican arts scene that is both avant-garde while distinctly Mexican by tapping into the country's rich heritage.

The brand came to life through a series of creative executions, including a television campaign, an online community featuring the art and events, and other connecting elements that created a sense of experience and expectation around the festivity.