The two Uruguayans behind BBDO Guatemala intend to create an embassy against discrimination
A brand of snacks creates an embassy to fight discrimination against inhabitants of one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the city of Guatemala. The brains behind this idea, generated by BBDO for Tortrix, are two Uruguayans: Diego Lanzi, general creative director of the agency, and Rodrigo Costas, creative director.
Tortrix is a typical snack in Guatemala from Frito Lay, subsidiary of Pepsico. According to Costas, Tortrix is “the most important and popular brand of snacks in Guatemala,” and its sales even more than other products such as Lay´s, Cheetos, Doritos.
For their 2013 campaign, Tortrix created an embassy to help inhabitants of Zona 18, one of the most dangerous in the country, to find a job. Costas states that the people who live there –around 700 thousand- have difficulties in finding jobs because companies believe they might be connected to or pressured by criminal organizations.
For Costas then, “the only institution that could defend a persona that feels a foreigner in his/her own city is an embassy”.
The idea was brought to life this March, when Tortrix, together with the non-profit organization Nueva Zona 18, rented a house in one of the fanciest neighbourhoods in Guatemala, placed a shield, raised a national flag and hired an “ambassador”, who is actually an expert on Human Resources born in Zona 18.
Although the institution was introduced as an embassy, it is actually a place where companies can post job offers and people can present their resumes. In addition to that, there were more than 60 courses already on how to create a resumé, job interviews and family economy.
There are currently 54 companies taking part in this plan, including Manpower Group, Pizza Hut, Xerox, Pepsico, Frito Lay and, of course, Tortrix.
Although the embassy was first located in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Guatemala, it recently moved to a building in Zona 18. Lan.zi considers this is a logistics move, as the cost of keeping a luxurious building is higher and it was far from the people it was intended to help.
Costas mentioned that in order to attract the media´s attention they needed to emphasize it was a real embassy “that is why the launch was in ´foreign territory´ “, a luxurious neighborhood and not in Zona 18.
An Advertising Success
The campaign attracted the attention of international and Guatemalan media which represented “US$2 million in the media for free” for BBDO advertising agents, which is eight times the annual budget of the brand allocated to advertising.
It was awarded in Cannes Lions, the most prestigious advertising festival. The received two Silver Lions in the Media category, which accounts for the free appearance in the media and another Silver Lion and another Silver Lion in PR (Public Relations) which analyzes the capacity to organize an event captivating both the media and society in general.
According to Lanzi, the success on the campaign relies on the fact that “the ideas that are connecting with consumers are those that get in their lives, that make them feel better or changes them their perspective on real things”.
“People hate advertising, nobody is waiting for the commercial break, we all go channel-hopping” and this “complicates traditional media,” expressed the general creative director of BBDO Guatemala.
The brand has financed this project for this year, but Tortrix intends to preserve and keep on with the embassy so far. Moreover, other brands as well as the municipality offered to join the project.
Working in Guatemala
Costas states that advertising is as football in the sense that Uruguayan football players move to Europe to get better deals. He worked in Cámara TBWA and KEY and in 2011 moved to Ecuador. A year later he arrived at Guatemala.
On the other hand, Lanzi was general creative director of DraftFCB until 2002. During the crisis, the advertising agent moved to Ecuador, Colombia and Guatemala, where he worked in DDb, before arriving at BBDO.
BBDO Guatmala is made up by 170 people who work for the local market, 15 million people, and the regional market, around 45 million people. But the size of the market is not the only difference. Guatemala is one the countries with largest indigenous population in America and has 23 official languages. Costas believes that also changes the way of advertising.
