Three stateside shops that specialize in creating advertising aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market scored impressively at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival, winning Silver Lions in the highly competitive–and prestigious–film competition.
While Latin and South American shops have always done well at the international ad fest, it’s only been in recent years that shops creating ads aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market–which comprises 13 percent of the population–have begun to gain recognition at Cannes.
The agencies honored at this year’s festival were: Lapiz, Chicago, la comunidad, which has offices in Miami and Buenos Aires, and Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif.
GRUPOS GALLEGOS
An Energizer spot called “Mano Japonesa,” which promotes the e2 battery, out of Grupo Gallegos, Long Beach, Calif., won a Silver Lion in the household category. Favio Ucendo, creative director at the shop, helmed the ad, which was produced via Flip Films, Santa Monica. In the spot, a man receives an arm transplant from a Japanese man, and as a result, can’t stop taking pictures–he snaps away in bed, in the shower, while golfing, etc. The ad gently mocks the stereotype of the photography-obsessed Japanese tourist to show the long life of an Energizer e2 battery.
John Gallegos, who has a background on the account side, opened Grupo Gallegos in 2001, with backing from Stan Richards, founder of agency The Richards Group, Dallas. The shop’s intent is to create effective advertising aimed at a multicultural audience, with an emphasis on the Hispanic market. Ucendo is originally from Argentina. Clients at Grupos Gallegos, which is independently owned, include the Bennigan’s chain of restaurants, Fruit of the Loom, Fox Sports en Español, Comcast, Coldwell Banker, and Dr Pepper.
LA COMUNIDAD
VH1′ “Parents’ Day,” out of la comunidad, Miami, won a Silver Lion for publications and media. The spot illustrates VH1’s coverage of musicians that includes other aspects of their lives besides music videos and concerts. In the spot, a heavy metal rocker sits in a classroom on parent-teacher night. As he engages his daughter’s teacher in a conversation about language requirements, pyrotechnics go off every few seconds, making one think more of a concert than education. The spot ends with the super: A musician’s life is more than just videos, followed by the tag line: “VH1. Beyond Music.” Andy Fogwill and Agustin Alberdi of Landia Republica, Buenos Aires, helmed the ad, which along with another in the package led to the pair’s inclusion in this year’s Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes.
Creative directors–and brothers–Jose and Joaquin Molla opened the agency in 2001 with offices in Miami and Buenos Aires. The shop is noted for its creative acumen, and since opening, ads created there have won accolades at the One Show, the Clio Awards and the ANDY Awards, among other competitions. La comunidad works with clients such as Virgin Mobile, Subway, Volkswagen, Citibank, Best Buy and MTV.
LAPIZ
Agency Lapiz, Chicago, earned a Silver Lion in the sweet foods category for a simply executed Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats spot titled “Fibre Cycle.” Santiago Suarez, of Santiago, New York, directed the ad, which showed a bowl of the cereal with milk that spins around as it’s eaten, leading one to think of a washing machine. The tagline: “Clean your body inside.”
Lapiz was originally formed as the Hispanic division of Leo Burnett USA, Chicago, in 1987. In 1999, the shop established its own identity as Lapiz (which means pencil in Spanish), and now operates independently within the Leo Burnett network of shops. Under the aegis of senior VP/chief creative officer Laurence Klinger, the shop works for clients such as Kellogg’s, Walt Disney, McDonald’s, and GM Goodwrench.