A few years ago, it was believed by many that much of the advertising aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market lacked creativity. Paco Olavarrieta, chief creative director at The Vidal Partnership, New York, hopes his shop’s innovative creative helps to change that perception.
"The past generation of Hispanic advertising agencies started all these stereotypes," notes Olavarrieta. "In order to justify that a spot was Hispanic, they just put in a family, or if it was for Mexicans, they [used] mariachi, or if it was for [people from the] Caribbean, they used salsa. That was the way to sell it to corporate America in those days. There was a complete lack of creativity."
The Vidal Partnership, which is headquartered in New York, and has offices in Miami, Los Angeles and Atlanta, sees itself as part of a new wave of agencies that has raised the creative bar in ads aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market. The shop is the second-largest Hispanic marketing agency in the United States, with estimated billings of approximately $85 million a year. Vidal’s roster of clients includes Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Wendy’s and Century 21 Real Estate.
"There’s a new Hispanic consumer out there and we want to evolve with him," says Manny Vidal, owner/president/CEO of the ad shop. "There are younger kids that spend a lot more time in the general market medium than our parents did. They’re seeing something completely different and much more upscale. We want to keep up with that trend in these changing times."
According to Olavarrieta, a sea change in U.S. Hispanic advertising occurred in the late-1990s when Hispanic agencies decided to bring in more creatives from Latin America. "[We started] hiring creatives from outside of the U.S.—Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Chile, Mexico," he relates. "They started doing much more fresh and original work. They came with all the creative knowledge of their own countries. The only thing you need to do is to make their great ideas relevant to the client and the market."
The Work
Hispanic agencies must often create spots that tie in with general market campaigns and are also distinctly Hispanic. Heineken’s "Chela," directed by Fran Torres of Alamo Films, Madrid, is a striking example of an ad that fulfills both requirements.
Heineken’s general market campaigns, which were handled by D’Arcy (when that agency shuttered, the account was shifted to Publicis, New York), spotlight the product, says Olavarrieta, and the beer company wanted The Vidal Partnership to follow suit. "Heineken was pretty challenging for us," he says. "The client said, ‘We want the spot to be all about the beer—the story you create has to be focused on the beer. The beer has to be the hero. However, if the idea could have come from our general market agency, we don’t want it—you have to bring truly Hispanic insight to this campaign.’ "
Vidal created an ad aimed specifically at Mexicans living in the United States. "Chela" shows a young man anxiously pacing in his apartment. A super in Spanish appears: "Waiting for Chela." A heartrending ballad sung by popular Mexican performer José José plays on the soundtrack, and the viewer assumes the guy is waiting for a date to arrive. But then he pulls a Heineken out of an icebox and presses it to his cheek, and we realize he’s just waiting for his beer to chill. (While "Chela" is a woman’s name, it’s also Mexican slang for "beer.") Frustrated that his Heineken isn’t cold enough, the man puts it back into the icebox, and we hear José passionately singing, "Waiting a little … and a little bit more." In another Heineken spot, a party host’s frantic search for a bottle-opener is interpreted as Macarena dance steps.
The Vidal Partnership is the first Hispanic ad shop to create commercials for Century 21, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Wendy’s. One recent ad for the latter, "Psychologist," directed by Flavia Moraes of Film Planet, which has offices in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and São Paulo, shows an emotional man revealing his fantasy or dream to his psychologist. When the man admits, "My mother is dressed as … a rabbit," the shrink bursts out laughing. As the man angrily leaves the office, we see a sign that reads, "Psychologist: 99 cents an hour." A voiceover states: "If you want quality for 99 cents, it’s better to come to Wendy’s for its Super Value Menu."
Wendy’s offers full-size items on its Super Value Menu, as opposed to their competitors, who only offer smaller sizes on their special menus. The agency came up with an over-the-top analogy to show that "when you pay ninety-nine cents in the real world, it’s hard to get quality," notes Olavarrieta. "That’s a concept that has worked very well, and we are just about to shoot a follow-up for that campaign."
The Vidal Partnership grew out of Vidal, Reynardus & Moya, which was launched in ’91. Vidal bought out the partners of that company in ’00, and revamped the agency. His partners are now Roberto Ruiz, Tony Ruiz, and Carlos Hernandez; Mercedes Leonard is director of broadcast production.
Does Vidal have any plans to change the status of his independent company? "Just to become the largest independently owned company," says Vidal, with a laugh. "I think there’s always going to be room for independents, but more importantly, there’s always room for best in the class."
