Left to Right: Lucas Panizza, Executive Creative Director, Julieta Loaiza Managing Partner Head of ... [+]
In the dynamic world of advertising and marketing, innovation and inclusivity often go hand in hand. I sat down with Marco Vega, Co-Founder of CREYENTES, the new Latino sister agency of We Believers, to discuss the exciting launch of this venture. CREYENTES is not just another creative agency; it is a strategic powerhouse aimed at solving business challenges while uplifting the US Latino community. With a track record of international success, Vega shared his insights on the agency's vision, accolades, and its significance in the ever-evolving landscape of marketing and advertising.
CREYENTES, which translates to "Believers" in Spanish, is poised to become a transformative force in the advertising world. Vega is enthusiastic about their unique approach, emphasizing that brands can unlock unprecedented growth by connecting with the US Latino community, “We are a strategically driven creative firm that solves business challenges AND elevates the US Latino community at the same time. This is how brands can crack the code and unlock their most significant source of true organic growth in the US for at least the next few decades.”
This new venture combines the creative prowess of We Believers, an agency recognized as the most-awarded creative independent agency in 2022, with top-notch strategic thinking from industry veterans. Vega, as Co-Founder President, and CSO, brings his wealth of experience, including his background at P&G and McKinsey, to the table. He will continue to play the role of the Co-Founder and Head of Engineering for We Believers when the non-traditional ideas they are famously known for require him to bring his expertise. Gus Lauria stays leading We Believers as Co-Founder President and CCO and he will be involved as Creative Co-Founder and Head of the new venture.
In addition to Vega and Lauria, Julieta Loaiza, a seasoned professional with an impressive track record at Nestle, joins the team as Managing Partner and head of Brand Management. With the likes of Lucas Panizza, former We Believers’ ECD, and Marina Cuesta, previously at Dieste and The Marketing arm, in the senior creative roles, CREYENTES is poised to make waves in the industry.
Vega explained, “Brands are better served by having creative partners with true top consulting and client-side expertise from the community to help them capture the largest source of significant growth of the new minority-majority America. Latino consumers.”
We Believers, the brainchild of Vega and Lauria, has achieved tremendous recognition on the global stage. Their mission was to create impactful work that not only resonated with consumers but also made a positive impact on the world.
Corona Plastic Fishing Tournament
Last year, We Believers became the Cannes Lions Independent Agency of the Year and AdAge's Most Creative Agency of the Year. “We started We Believers to do the best work of our careers with creative work people and the media really wanted to talk about because they cared. Ideally, work that tangibly brought solutions to consumers and, when possible, helped make our world better hand in hand with the brands that believe in us, and we believe in them”, Vega pointed out.
“We Believers will be 10 next year, and we have done just that through our work with brands. We invented an alternative to plastic rings for Salt Water Brewery and evolved this into a cutting-edge sustainable packaging company E6PR, introduced a simple but effective open-source formula using lemongrass to reduce up to 33% of the methane emissions produced by cows for Burger King, with Corona, we helped vulnerable fishing communities to have an extra source of income by fishing for plastic and help us clean the oceans, and even figured out a way to deliver Whoppers to people stuck in traffic. But, it dawned on us we have barely scratched the surface to do the same in our own backyard, for our own Latino community in the US,” he added and reasoned for setting up the new strategic powerhouse.
We Believers invented an alternative to plastic rings for Salt Water Brewery.
The birth of CREYENTES is an acknowledgment of the untapped potential within the US Latino market. Rather than trying to do it all under one banner, Marco Vega believes in providing a clear path for brands through two distinct doors, “ Agencies try to do too much too many times. This is an honest and clear way for brands to engage with us through two distinct doors. We Believers will continue to be a non-traditional creative powerhouse that solves some of the most formidable business challenges brands face worldwide for the projects we choose. CREYENTES will help brands in the US thrive as we build and lift our Latino community. Through our approach, we will help them navigate the complexity Total Market oversimplified and ultimately failed to deliver against.” The expectation is that some brands will use both CREYENTES & We Believers. They can and were designed to be complementary.
We discussed a critical question: Why is the Hispanic market in the US so underinvested, despite the economic data underscoring its vast potential? Vega argued that it's not merely an opportunity but a necessity for brands, “It has been positioned as an opportunity. In reality, the survival of most brands in the US depends on them capturing a sizable share of the most significant emerging domestic market in US history with a purchasing power of 1.9 Trillion dollars. The US GDP is 2.7 Trillion. How is this just an ‘opportunity’? Add to this the fact that globalization and a new global order are shifting gears and brands really have few other options that domestically will represent 40 to 80% of their growth for the next two decades.”
CREYENTES aims to differentiate itself by going beyond traditional marketing strategies. Marco Vega believes in identifying "CREYENTES," the true believers in a brand within the Latino community, instead of merely connecting with Latino consumers through superficial means, “We go beyond cultural appropriation to lure them. We go beyond language to interrupt their conversations. We help them identify CREYENTES instead. The true Latino believers in their brand. Through our approach, we help brands and Latino consumers believe in one another. At CREYENTES, we make sure the brand and consumer share the same values and build the brand together from there. By embracing its complexity. By understanding shared values.”
CREYENTES isn't just about business; it's a calling to uplift the Latino community and build a lasting legacy. In closing, Marco Vega's message to brand leaders is clear – it is time to shift the perspective, “It is less about reaching and more about lifting your Latino consumer. It is less selling to and more about building with them. It is less about an opportunity and more about the survival of your business. It is not about targeting, but rather elevating our Latino community through the work we do for the brands that trust us.”
