We Were Named Agency of the Year by IAB Mixx Mexico, and It’s All Thanks to Our Integrated Team

“We are overjoyed and grateful, as we couldn’t have done it without our partners and clients, who have wholeheartedly embraced our approach and placed their trust in us,” says Sergio Escamilla, who leads our team in Mexico as Managing Director. Indeed, a partnership grounded in trust is instrumental in bringing the wildest ideas to life—which is ultimately what leads to big accolades like this one.

A perfect example of such unwavering support is our partnership with KFC, who received the Advertiser of the Year award at the same event. Together with the American restaurant chain, we crafted a series of campaigns including The Battle of the Chickens, which secured a gold medal in both the Best in Show and Content for User Engagement categories. The secret sauce? A social-first approach that encompassed various platforms and a simple yet accessible concept for all.

An integrated team is the cornerstone of a cohesive brand experience.

While the Agency of the Year recognition stems from our people’s work for the Mexican market and is bestowed by the local chapter of IAB in Mexico, it’s safe to say we couldn’t have done it without an integrated team that works across offices, continents and time zones to make things happen at scale and at speed.

Rather than providing partners with a variety of disconnected assets, offering marketing solutions that cover the entire customer journey is necessary to foster customer loyalty—and also paves the way for the next phase, which involves revolutionizing these relationships through AI.

To that end, leveraging diverse talent from around the globe proves to be a significant advantage, as it provides a perfect blend of local insights and world-class expertise. Take, for instance, the rapid and viral launch of The Battle of the Chickens, which aimed to promote KFC’s new Kentucky Chicken Sandwich. “We wanted to do something meaningful and relevant for music fans, and we found an opportunity in freestyle,” explains our Creative Director Mango Marín. “In Spanish, freestyle rap battles are called rooster battles, which aligns with a chicken-centric brand like KFC. We wanted to leverage this opportunity, so we came up with a dynamic where users who participated in rap battles would receive special promotions. The campaign gained momentum across various platforms and exceeded our expectations.”

Cultivating authentic connections through a social-first campaign.

While Marín attributes the success of the campaign to its inherent simplicity, there’s nothing simple about driving interest from the audience—let alone creating an emotional connection with customers. It requires a profound understanding of their interests, values and even subcultures to create real meaning. In this case, it involved delving into Mexico’s hip-hop and urban culture to create a campaign that resonated authentically.

“There is so much talent and cultural richness in the younger generations in Mexico,” says Creative Director Francesco Vicenzi. “They are breaking boundaries and defying the status quo. That is what we wanted to represent with this campaign.” Featuring freestyle star Aczino, The Battle of the Chickens presented an entertaining concept that got everyone sharing their best rhymes in restaurants, drive-throughs and social media. 

In the end, the campaign amassed over a hundred million views on TikTok, which inspired professional rappers to join organically—creating a snowball effect that turned KFC into a three-day trending topic. This, in addition to winning Agency of the Year, further solidifies the notion that, as Escamilla says, “Embracing an end-to-end approach to culturally relevant and meticulously crafted content is truly the path forward.” With this recognition as a driving force, we are fueled with even greater determination to help brands in making a lasting impression. 

We did it for KFC, and we can do it for you too.