ADVERTISERS 2150 Editorial Animal Music Círculo Creativo US Hispanic DDB Latina IN&OUT Letca Films McDonald’s Personal Music Univision Communications Upstairs
ALMA Isaac Mizrahi, SENIOR VP, MANAGING DIRECTOR Alvar Suñol, SENIOR VP, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Angela Battistini, VP, ACCOUNT SERVICES Marta Insua, VP, STRATEGIC INSIGHTS Michelle Headley, VP, OPERATIONS Mónica Marulanda, SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marta Andino, DIRECTOR OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT Rodrigo Vargas, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Diana De La Parra, INTEGRATED PRODUCER Tatiana Bengochea, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Ana Baños, TRANSLATOR AND PROOFREADER Celia Crespo, TRANSLATOR AND PROOFREADER Errol K. Archer, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
37 NE 28th St. Miami, FL 33137, EE UU - info@produ.com; ventas@produ.com; subscriptions@produ.com - T +1-305-256-6774 MIAMI • MÉXICO DF • BOGOTÁ • BUENOS AIRES • CARACAS • MADRID CHIEF EDITOR: Ríchard Izarra - EDITOR: María Carolina Alonso - SALES AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: Mara Fernández - PRODUCTION AND COORDINATION: Mara Fernández, Andrea Jurado - DATA: María Carolina Bermúdez, Jeimy Pinoargote, Luz Andrea Hernández, Karen Steel ADMINISTRATION: Luciana Conde, Gueilyn Méndez - ARTE: Sergio Szwarcberg, Liliana Martínez - PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Ana Magnani, Sofía Izarra, Luz Nis, Ignacio Izarra - IT: Mauricio Roda - SUBSCRIPTIONS: Elangy Trujillo - TRANSLATOR: Conrad Dahlson
Luis Miguel Messianu and ALMA Growing Brands, Energizing the Hispanic Market
In the mid-1980s when Luis Miguel Messianu was a young creative (has he ever stopped being young?) at McCann Mexico, he was part of the team that gave McDonald’s its triumphal entry into the Mexican market, and he has remained deeply connected with the brand since, to the extent that today, almost 30 years later, his ties with the fast-food giant are closer than ever. Just this year, during the 2014 Academy Awards broadcast “First Customer” aired, a spot showing the pride of a boy’s parents on his first day of work at McDonald’s that touched the hearts of more than 40 million viewers who watched the ceremony. Behind that simple–yet deeply emotional–spot was the genius of Luis Miguel’s creative team that showed, once again a unique ability to visualize “the tangibles and intangibles” of a brand like McDonald’s; a brand that has been intrinsically important in the life and career of this perceptive and eternally inquisitive adman. He is a key figure in the growth and consolidation of the Hispanic market in the United States–which he has taken on with a passion, commitment and dedication that few ever have. First, he did so as an
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individual; second, as the head of his agency, ALMA, which celebrates 20 years of being founded this year–paradoxically thanks to McDonald’s–and; third, as a leader of the Creative Circle in the Hispanic U.S., an organization that is the driving force behind the modern creative era of Spanish-language advertising in the United States.
FIRST STAY IN THE U.S.A. Certainly, that was Luis Miguel Messianu’s goal when he moved to Miami in 1993: to apply all his creativity to the Hispanic market. He had come from Mexico City as regional creative director of Lintas, which in its process of expansion was acquiring the Miami agency GS & B. Gunther Saupe and Frank Devito, global creative director for Lintas, sent Luis Miguel to Miami because he was personally acquainted with his creative power and his desire to return to the United States. In fact, in 1986, spurred by his inquiring and quixotic spirit, he said “Yes” to a headhunter seeking to fill a creative position at Mendoza Dillon in Newport Beach, California. He was not yet 29 years
old when he set off on the adventure of getting to know the Hispanic market. This, at first, caused him some culture shock, having previously dealt with clients in McCann Mexico, the likes of General Motors, Coca-Cola, Nestle, L’Oreal and McDonald’s, who respected the value of ideas and strategy. The U.S. Hispanic market instead demanded that he explain to potential clients, first, what Hispanic meant, and then go to great lengths to illustrate what was Hispanic about the ideas he presented. Some would go so far as to say, “You don’t look Mexican.” Luis Miguel was born to Romanian parents in Mexico City on December 5th. He is a Rooster in the Chinese zodiac. Part of the legacy his dad passed on was his work ethic. “You have to work very hard. It doesn’t matter how good or how bad you are at something, you have to give it all you’ve got,” he would say. And his father was, in fact, the best example of this since he lost his own father in the war and, consequently, had to support his widowed mother by playing violin and saxophone. He studied three careers, learned eight
1994
Luis Miguel Messianu opens a culturally focused agency and pushes U.S. Hispanic advertising into the future
2003
Hispanics recognized as the nation’s largest minority group
2010
Census results open a new dialogue in boardrooms across America
2012
Presidential election substantiates value of winning with Hispanics
2013
Alma wins 2 Cannes Silver Lions
2014
Alma appears on the Ad Age “A-List” for the third time in 5 years
Univision Salutes Luis Miguel Messianu for 20 extraordinary years of vision and leadership.
1988, the GSD&M team in Austin, Texas
languages, and became a chief executive at the Shell Oil Company, which sent him to Mexico for six months to replace one of its vice-presidents who had suddenly resigned. The Messianu couple fell in love with the country, its culture, its cuisine, and those six months became a lifetime. As a teenager, Luis Miguel was an actor, musician and soccer player. He practiced writing from the time he was a child. “Writing was a kind of catharsis, it helped me to know myself,” he has sometimes said. And about photography, another of his passions, he says: “I visualize but I don’t draw, and there’s a big difference between the two. I have found my canvas in photography. It’s something that really fulfills me–I love going out with the camera. I love to tell a story with a single picture.” With his talent for writing and telling a story in pictures, advertising was the perfect fit for him. So Luis Miguel focused his studies in that direction and became such an outstanding creative director at McCann-Erickson Mexico that he caught
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the attention of the head hunter who took him to Mendoza Dillon. In 1988, the GSD&M agency was founded by six Texans from the University of Austin and had the chance to win the Coors beer account for the Hispanic market. Raoul Rodriguez let them know then that at Mendoza Dillon there was a highly original creative who could help them. They went after Luis Miguel to strengthen the Hispanic division of GSD&M. The adventurer once again said, “Yes,” and in just a few days he moved bag and baggage to Austin. He not only helped them conquer the Coors business, but also created memorable ads for new accounts like Walmart–which launched its first campaign for the Hispanic market with the new division of GSD&M–SeaWorld, and the Texas state government, which sought to promote local tourism.
THE BIG CHALLENGE After two intense years in Austin, in 1990, Luis Miguel’s father fell ill and he felt the need to return to Mexico. At that time, Gunther Saupe, president of Lintas: Latina,
was hunting for a creative with knowledge of both, the Mexican and U.S. Hispanic markets, and who could help him build a bridge between the two. The word went around and Luis Miguel’s former boss in McCann recommended him. This came at a time when Mexicans dreamed that their country was reiniventing itself under the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari and that all would soon be positive. So Luis Miguel packed his bags, and together with his now ex-wife and kids went back to his Mexico lindo…but with a little pebble in his shoe. He was leaving behind the challenge of raising creative standards in the Hispanic market. At Lintas, he had great chemistry with Gunther Saupe, whom he admired for being an honest, true gentleman. They forged a strong friendship and partnership. Being straightforward and honest has always been a guiding light for Luis Miguel since those values were imbued in him as a child by his parents. Having those two outgoing, hardworking leaders propelled the company to a complete turnaround.
Campaign premise
To some...this is America, But to Continental...
In just three years, an agency that was dragging its heels was full speed ahead. It won competitions for several accounts such as Clemente Jacques which had recently been acquired by Unilever, and won back part of Coca-Cola–in all, it was a successful run that Luis Miguel remembers with great pride. It was at this time that Luis Miguel realized that the U.S. Hispanic market was his real challenge and true calling. He got the first taste of that in Newport Beach and then in Austin, and the feeling only got stronger every time he traveled to the United States. If writing and photography have well been part of this creativity and artistry, it could also be said that travel completes the trilogy of his constant companions through life. And advertising? That, he says with a grin, is his hobby. The 7 million flight miles that just one airline credits him with, plus similar numbers on other carriers, add up to a ton of quality time hours. This, however, is the only time he has to himself, at an altitude of 35,000 feet, which he uses for reflection, writing, reading and thinking.
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This is the complete vision of a Continental America
M c DONALD’S After three years of his fruitful stay in Mexico City, Luis Miguel returned to the United States, this time to Miami, as regional creative director for Lintas. The original idea was to stay six months in Miami, agree on certain creative standards, and continue on to Los Angeles to establish the agency there. However, the explosive dynamic of the Hispanic market sparked several events that kept him in Miami and would eventually lead him to have his own agency. First, he landed the Continental Airlines account, competing with some pretty well established agencies. Continental was emerging from bankruptcy and needed a campaign that would position it strongly against American Airlines. Luis Miguel presented an idea that the client immediately bought. In the presentation, he showed three charts: a map of the United States with a title that read, “For some, this is America,” another map with the entire North, Central and South American continents that read, “For others, this is America,” and finally the same map of the Americas but with the Continental Airlines
logo. The client was delighted, signed the contract, and decided to manage all Central America and South America initiatives from Miami. The idea of setting up an agency in California was put on hold. Second, Mexican producer Pedro Torres asked him to do a campaign for his client, Presidente Brandy, which would run during the 1994 World Cup. In record time the agency created 32 commercials in 38 days. This strengthened his capacity for intense, rapid and well-thought-out work, particularly in the eyes of the executives at McDonald’s. Third, Lintas merged with Amiratis, whose biggest account was Burger King, one of McDonald’s chief rivals, while simultaneously Luis Miguel and his team won the McDonald’s account in a daring, historic move. This created a conflict of interests and Luis Miguel and his ex-partner decided to split from Lintas and founded their own agency. That was the start of del Rivero Messianu, now ALMA. August 2014 marked 20 years since that moment, and the point of this chronicle is to spotlight the titanic work of this visionary
1997, McDonald’s shoot, Luis Miguel, Óscar De La Hoya, Rudy Leschorn and Francisco Pugliese
State Farm’s Los Felinos ended up as a reality show
(“Vision is the art of seeing what’s invisible to others.” – Jonathan Swift), who has understood how to stay ahead of the trends and adapt to a changing social environment, and who has created an agency with a unique culture that has been awarded the most prestigious of prizes and has fought its way to victory in each industry model that arises, but especially has known how to maintain one of the most attractive accounts on the market–McDonald’s– won day after day and year after year for two decades.
have been 20 years of association and friendship. I’m very committed to the business and its results. I care about their success because they care about ours. It works both ways. If you see our work for McDonald’s, it all has a certain personality. Brands for me are a little like people–they have personality, they have soul, and our work is to respect that, to cultivate it, to make it evolve but never change it from one day to the next. What has been done for McDonald’s through the years has marked an era.”
Luis Miguel himself has said of this “love affair”: “My relationship with McDonald’s is the love for a brand and the understanding of its tangibles and intangibles. It is the brand for which I have personally worked the longest because this is my second round, since I introduced McDonald’s in Mexico. I have enormous affection for the brand, for the company and what it represents. Many people have no idea about how much McDonald’s gives back to the community. I have a great relationship with the corporation’s executives and with the franchisees. These
STATE FARM, CLOROX +
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State Farm has been another of the brands pleased with the concept that ALMA has developed and applied through the years, that of being a business partner and not just its ad agency. The close client-agency relationship between State Farm and Luis Miguel’s team has spelled success for more than 16 years. “When we started out with State Farm, it was 5th or 6th in the auto insurance market. Its image with Hispanics was very “American,” somewhat aloof and cold…
there was a perception that it was very expensive, and people commented that ‘some day I’ll be with State Farm, sometime in the future.’ But on the basis of a lot of work, of understanding the category’s insights–and of course, given it’s a category with very little engagement, nobody gets very excited about paying for life insurance or car insurance–we have established a good emotional connection and a kind of closeness to the consumer. This has been a very innovative client who has allowed us to do some really original work. Several years ago we created a branded-content program with the Los Felinos band that ended up as a reality show. It was also the first advertiser in the Hispanic market to go mobile with its message. We’re doing very interesting things on social media; the State Farm Latino page has the largest number of followers. We have managed its entire social media effort from the beginning with very special content, completely different from what is on TV.” Clorox is another very active and committed client with an impressive portfolio of
2007, the group that started ALMA DDB
brands, and the reason why ALMA has an office in San Francisco.
PEOPLE Someone who can generate business for brands, change the perception of them in the marketplace, boost sales, and create a very special connection with the consumer, must obviously be one special individual– sharp, intuitive and knowledgeable. But above all he must be organized, have a great team and some very clear principles. Here is how Luis Miguel thinks about all this: “The three pillars of the agency are curiosity, collaboration and accountability. Clients don’t stay with you for 20 years if you don’t get results, if you don’t help them grow. Accountability means being responsible, because it’s very easy to say I’m creative, but in the business world it’s important to show results. And two things I talk about in the agency are these: You can never say ‘I’ve arrived’–you have to keep reinventing yourself and looking for ways to be better every day. “Here at the agency there has always been dedication to education, to learning, to
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teaching, to giving back to the community. I have been very connected with the Miami Ad School and other schools because I see it as my responsability to prepare new generations–but it also helps me find new talent. It’s a two-way street.” “I have passion, dedication and the ability to surround myself with people better than I am, with people who truly share a vision. I’ve always been someone who can organize a team. This is not a business of individuals; it’s all teamwork. I find it funny when I hear creatives talking in first-person. I don’t know a single creative team where one person did it all. Even I can tell you that there is little here that I did all by myself, it has always been the team and its dynamic. Many hands shape a creative product and that includes creatives and the folks in planning, account services, clients, photographers, directors, producers… people who are good at what they do, but above all who know how to work together.”
TEAM People are ALMA’s most important asset. “I can tell you that some very special people
have worked here. There are people who have been here 15, 20 years, who have made this their entire career. That fills me up with pride, seeing how they stay and fit in perfectly like Isaac Mizrahi, our managing director, who has been an incredible addition. I interviewed many individuals with a lot of agency experience. When I was introduced to Isaac I was told that he was the client that every creative would love to have–that was his image when he was with Sprint Nextel. I interviewed him in New York and the truth is we had a lot in common. I had a gut feeling that the market was going to change considerably in the next few years, and having someone who was totally familiar with the client side, marketing, and above all the technology part–he was coming from the fast-growing mobile sector–it seemed to me he would be a great colleague and partner. And that’s how it turned out, because what Isaac has contributed to the agency has been substantial.” “Then there’s Angela Battistini who has been here from the beginning, managing
2006, Tribute to Tere Zubizarreta in AHAA convention
groups of accounts and devoting herself to keeping us healthy in more ways than one; Michelle Headley, also from opening day, who has been a great counterpart and instrumental in quality controls; Marta Insua in research, from my perspective, the best Insights and Strategic Planning person in our industry – something many of our peers agree with. Now we have Alvar Suñol–he hasn’t been here long but has been a great addition. He has a very interesting mentality, a different sort of vision. He lived in Mexico for four years and then returned to Spain to work for Ogilvy when they hired him as executive creative director. His uncle, who died in 1992 was the founder of Tandem, an agency that became Tandem DDB in the early 80s, which marked the start of his copywriting career. And we have the only financier I know who has a better sense of humor than many of us in the rest of management, Leo Peet, who has helped us navigate the tumultuous economic waters of the world we’re living in. We also have a group that has been with us for more than 10 years including Madeline Perez Velez and
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Monica Marulanda, one of the creative directors who was my students at the Miami Ad School. This was her first job and here she stayed. “I could name others who have worked here and then went on to open their own agencies or run other companies, like Paco Olavarrieta who is now in Dieste; Elias Weinstock in Casanova Pendrill; Dany Marrero and Priscilla Cortizas who have COD here upstairs from us in Coconut Grove; and Olga Palma who was our first administrator–she started a business with her husband and they have done spectacularly well.”
EVOLUTION One of the most resounding achievements that won Luis Miguel fame for his contribution to the industry has been his commitment to creativity. “When I came here in the late 80’s, the Hispanic market was practically an extension of Mexico, full of clichés and stereotypes, which was logical because the pioneers who opened this market had to exaggerate the differences (between Latinos
and Anglos) in order to create a need for such a business. They exaggerated what made us different instead of showing in what ways we’re alike. But thanks to them we’re here. They prepared the way for a second generation of agencies, more professional since we had already been in advertising. They were the ones that got Hispanic agencies up and running, people like Alicia and Rafael Conill, Castor Fernandez, Jose Manuel Cubas, Leonel Sosa, Dick Dillon, and Nick Mendoza.” “Later came Tere Zubizarreta and Daisy Exposito, people who began to formalize their message in a way that would open the eyes of corporate America to what made us different. Then we came the second generation, with a more creative, more strategic approach. No, it wasn’t just about demographics, not just the fact that 66 percent were Mexican. I came along saying we had to raise creative standards, because if we didn’t, nobody was going to need us. U.S. and Latin American agencies could turn out better work than we could, and oddly enough, I was pretty much right. The big problem we face nowadays is that
Amigos, gracias por compartir con nosotros esta experiencia maravillosa. ¡Brindamos con ustedes por 20 años de éxitos vividos y por muchos más!
- Melanie Shapiro, Jorge Colón, y Letca Films
ALMA office in Coconut Grove, Miami, since 2011
general market agencies, suddenly realizing they’re losing ground, have shown an interest in the Hispanic and bicultural market, and think if they hire a Pancho or a Jose and put them in an office, they’re all set to do multicultural advertising.” “General market agencies do have the muscle, the access to information, the technology, and deeper pockets than Latino and multicultural agencies, but what they don’t have is the philosophic conviction or the ability to live the culture. They see it more as a business opportunity, not as a way of life. And I think that makes a big difference. When one is part of a culture it’s not the same as selling a cultural approach. Agencies serving the Hispanic market have evolved. There’s a long way to go, but the work will get better and better. In 20 years the industry has become more professional, more structured and more sophisticated– just as the consumer has. Today’s Hispanic consumers are better prepared with more access to information. In some sectors they even set the trends and influence the culture: in social policy, in entertainment, in music, in sports, in cuisine...”
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NETWORKS AND NOW
AND THE LATEST WAKE UP CALL?
One achievement to note in looking back is Luis Miguel’s insistence on being a trendsetter.
“Total Market: a lot of advertisers develop a campaign and think that because a person in the cast looks or talks a little bit Latino, the advertising is going to work. The problem I see with Total Market is that we’ll end up with a beige color or a vanilla flavor, something very blah, very neutral with very generic insights. It’s true we all breathe, but we Latinos breathe life in a very different way, we’re living a different culture.”
“We were the first agency that had a website and, strangely enough, I remember that I wanted everyone to post on it what I called at that time their B side, integrating their professional profiles with a more personal aspect. I didn’t know it, but I was one step ahead of Facebook – he jokes. We had Facebook-style profiles. We never thought it could be a concept, but the agency’s site was practically a precursor of that social network. I urged everyone to post their photos and other personal elements… Once again, it comes down to the spirit of discovery, of perseverance and also being very thick-skinned. The toughest thing about this profession is fighting rejection and frustration. You get a lot of ideas turned down, and you have to stop, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and come back with a smile, and do it better than the last time.”
In conclusion, Luis Miguel himself says: “If you ask me what is the best thing I have achieved in these 20 years, I would have to say it’s creating a culture, creating an environment where people feel they can grow and contribute, where they can even fail sometimes, and then learn from their mistakes and keep growing. We have to live like a lighthouse, on the lookout to see where the next big things are coming from, above all in a niche market like ours where we depend so much on our surroundings. I believe it’s important to observe, digest, ponder and come up with a point of view. That’s the least we can do as industry leaders.”
20 Years as the Soul of Multicultural Advertising
1994, McDonald’s Papá campaign
When Luis Miguel Messianu decided in 1994 to cofound the Hispanic agency del Rivero Messianu, now known as ALMA, he was very clear about the challenges and rewards of opening a Hispanic agency in the United States at that time. His strongest motivation was to create a respected voice for the Hispanic market while raising the level of creativity through an agency with its own culture, and to promote pride in being Hispanic. Stereotypes would definitely be out. The agency would take risks and make clients feel that, more than an advertising partner, ALMA was a business partner. At the end of the millennium, Hispanicspecific insights didn’t garner a lot of attention and the advertising industry simply targeted the Latino demographic by translating into Spanish concepts created for the general market, often through executions that didn’t reflect relevant cultural subtleties. The Latino voice really began to be heard in 1999, when Ricky Martin sang Copa de la Vida in English and Spanish during a Grammy Awards broadcast,
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a groundbreaking moment that opened the doors of mainstream media and entertainment for Hispanic artists, and marked a before and after in American culture. From that moment on, Hispanics began to have a societal and cultural influence that could no longer be ignored. The 2000 Census further reaffirmed the importance of this demographic, finding that Hispanics were the country’s fastest growing minority group and soon would be the largest. This cultural opening, plus the work of visionaries like Messianu, who founded the Hispanic Creative Circle in the same year, changed the way advertising is done by both Hispanic and general market agencies. As the big networks started taking notice of the Latino market, DDB took a particular interest in del Rivero Messianu, attracted by its sterling reputation and innovative body of work. In 2001, the agency became part of the multinational and was renamed dRMDDB. Around the year 2001, the term “multicultural market” came into vogue, and McDonald’s launched its popular global campaign I’m Loving It, also known as Me
Encanta. In another first, dRMDDB convinced McDonald’s to rotate an English version of the Hispanic spot “She’s Mine” in the general market media nationwide. One of ALMA’s defining characteristics is to always be ahead of the pack. A good example is the launch of its website in 2004, becoming the first Hispanic agency to go online. A unique feature of the website was the mix of personal and professional details about every person in the agency, proving once more that the agency’s unique culture is the glue that joins team members and their passion for their work. In 2007, a new era in the agency got off the ground when DDB offered Messianu the presidency. Luis Miguel accepted the challenge with his characteristic passion, and his first decision was to reinvent the agency under the name of ALMA DDB, with a new mantra: “Brands, like people, have souls.” ALMA, of course, means “soul” in Spanish, and the new moniker signified more than a simple name change. It meant updating
The Evolution of the Alma logo from 1994 - 2014
Alma Logo Evolution
1994
2001
2007
2011
2014
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2010, Vancouver DDB Conference: Isaac Mizrahi, Steve Burton from DDB and Luis Miguel Messianu
the agency’s philosophy about how to connect consumers with brands. ALMA repositioned itself from an agency that only targeted Hispanics to a creative agency that rolls out ideas to establish a dialogue between the brand and the consumer through innovative uses of media and technology. In the year 2008, with the vision of the future that has always characterized everything ALMA does, the Department of Strategic Insights launched the Cultural Curators unit, whose mission was to track the constant changes and dynamics of the new American society, and the components making up the new multicultural community. Beyond mere planning, this research established the way to predict future trends and visualize which way consumer trends would be going in the future. To put the finishing touch on ALMA’s makeover, in 2009 Messianu brought Isaac Mizrahi (not the fashion designer) on board as managing director. Brazilian by birth, Mizrahi had under his belt a career spanning more than 18 years in the Latin American and U.S. markets, with experience in the general and multicultural markets. Before ALMA DDB, he was 20
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employed as director of innovation and multicultural marketing at Sprint Nextel, and previously at BellSouth International, The Coca-Cola Company and British American Tobacco. Mizrahi became the perfect managerial counterpart to Messianu’s creative and vision leadership. In 2009, aware that the Hispanic market was fast-evolving and that agencies had to address consumers unlike any they had known before, ALMA decided to do its own study of the Fusionistas, a term meant to characterize the new bicultural Hispanic who moves effortlessly between, and adopts the values of both the American and Hispanic cultures. (Alma’s proprietary term found in Wikipedia.) That same year saw a new change in the U.S. marketing industry, with the development of the Total Market concept. While the trend had been for general market agencies to buy up Hispanic agencies or create their own multicultural departments, ALMA went against the tide and helped clients in the Hispanic market bridge into the general market. Visit Florida was the first client to give ALMA the chance to create a Total Market campaign, soon followed by Tobacco
Free Florida, Florida Blue, McDonald’s and more. As a result of these efforts, ALMA made the 2010 Advertising Age A-list, repeating the feat in 2012. In 2011, ALMA moved to new offices in Coconut Grove and eliminated its last name (DDB) to have greater autonomy among its clients. This change came with new branding and the mantra “Have Soul.” 2013 brought great satisfaction for ALMA on the creative side, as the agency won two Cannes Lions for The Glad Tent project for Glad, an idea that also won many awards at several international festivals. And once again, Advertising Age named ALMA the 2014 Multicultural Agency of the Year. Meanwhile, new business kept coming in with account wins including Florida Blue and Goodyear for Latin America, and more recently assignments from Kraft, as well as Presidente and Beck’s from AB InBev. Positioned as one of the pioneering agencies in the U.S. Hispanic market, ALMA kicked off 2014 celebrating two decades of creativity, innovation and passion. It has defined itself as a nonconformist agency, committed to the success of its clients and to constantly reinvent its culture.
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THE TEAM Confidence and humility
I saac M izrahi S enior VP and M anaging D irector “My first day at ALMA was something of a tip-off/hint about how Luis Miguel works and the trust he places in his team. It’s amazing! Sometimes he has more confidence in us than we, the employees, have in ourselves. I was planning to start at ALMA on July 15, 2009. At the time, I was living in Virginia near Washington D.C. where Sprint Nextel has its offices and where I worked. While I was getting ready to make the big move with my family, Luis Miguel sent me an e-mail: ‘Look Isaac, a situation has come up, we have a new business pitch for a client on July 1 and I’m away, so I want you to represent the agency.’ I replied: ‘Luis Miguel, I don’t work for the agency yet. How am I going to represent something I don’t know?’ And he answered: ‘No, no, don’t worry, I know the client – give him a little rundown of the market. I’m sending you some slides of the agency for you to study and use in the
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Hardworking and honest
presentation. I trust you.’ It seemed like some kind of crazy situation, but I went to New York for the pitch anyway. Luis Miguel said he would meet me the day after, so I made the presentation all by myself and we won the account. That was how I started at ALMA. They trusted me, so I put my best foot forward. Good vibes, as they say. That’s Luis Miguel’s personality in a nutshell: he supports his team. Before coming to work here five years ago, I had heard quite a lot about ALMA, mainly about its connection with McDonald’s and State Farm, and had admired its work quite a lot. When I started talking with friends in the market like Aldo Quevedo, for example, people spoke about Luis Miguel as a kind of legend, but always noted his creativity and modesty. ALMA is like that. There’s no room for divas here. Luis Miguel isn’t one – he sets an example of humility, collaboration, listening to others, helping and being supportive, which is how the agency works as well. The only star in this agency is the idea.”
A lvar S uñol S enior VP, E xecutive C reative D irector “It’s easy for me and even a bit obvious to say what I think about the agency and Luis Miguel: they both have Alma (soul in Spanish)! I am one of the latest acquisitions–I haven’t even been at the agency for a whole year. I’d heard people talk about Luis Miguel. He’s renowned throughout the industry, especially in Mexico and the United States. I had heard that he was a great guy, very respectful, very hardworking and that he achieved his goals with a lot of passion and love, and even more importantly-at least to me-with honesty and humility. When I was making the decision to join ALMA, I was slightly worried about how it was going to be for me to become the executive creative director of an agency whose president was also a creative. I wondered to what extent I could handle the situation successfully and whether we were going to get in each other’s way, since Luis Miguel had plenty of creative drive.
The best talent, the best ideas
But my doubts quickly vanished. From my first day, he let me know he planned to give me enough room to decide, to do and undo, to question things, and also to make mistakes; in other words, he was giving me his trust. And this is all I could ask for, so from that point forward, the rest depended on me. That’s the way it has been and it made me realize that all I had heard about him was true. Luis Miguel is a warm person who loves his people, and in return, his people love and respect him, which is an incredible virtue for someone at his level. The Hispanic market is changing and it’s somewhat puzzling to know how to engage this new generation who was born and raised in the United States, but have Hispanic values and roots. It’s a very interesting mix, a segment of the population that has its own culture, yet is influencing the whole country. This market is not the same as it was 20 years ago and fortunately, the agency, which was founded with the mission
to give the Hispanic market awareness of and pride in its own identity, didn’t stay the same as when it started. Instead it has evolved, transformed, and grown in step with the Hispanic market in order to thoroughly understand it and provide clients with the best solutions, especially now that there is a new landscape. For me, being a part of Alma in this endeavor is such a valuable experience.”
M ichelle H eadley VP, O perations “When Luis Miguel started his agency, I had been working with him at a previous agency and had decided after 6 years it was time to move on. When I told him about my plans, he asked me to give him six months before leaving, and six months later we won the McDonald’s account. Now, 20 years later, I can say that was definitely the right decision, not just professionally but also personally. The Hispanic market grew by leaps and bounds and the agency grew with it. In 2000 we also began to produce English-language work for bilingual Hispanics. It’s been the best of both worlds working for clients in both the English and Hispanic markets. Working in the creative team and hand-in-hand with Luis Miguel also allowed me to reconnect with my Latin roots, which I had all but forgotten. Today I relate more to my Hispanic culture and for that, I will always be thankful to him. When we won the McDonald’s account, I was the only producer in the agency,
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THE TEAM Warm, patient and work ethic
with six years of experience. We needed a bigger team and a Director of Production. But we needed to start to work on the account right away. I collaborated closely with Luis Miguel building the production team and immediately started working on our first brand spot, “First Word.” Soon after, Luis Miguel called to tell me that he had met with the client and that both he and McDonald’s were very pleased with my work and that they were giving me the opportunity to be Director of Production. Their confidence meant a lot to me. I held that position until 2007 when we became ALMA and Luis Miguel asked me to become VP, Operations. I have been able to make the most of this new challenge by applying to the role what I learned in my years in the creative team. I also established and grew our Talent Management procedures and Communication/PR efforts. Today, I manage the ever changing day-to-day operations, which is why my job is never boring. I believe that one of Luis Miguel’s best skills is knowing how to spot the talent in
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people. He’s a great mentor and nurturer. Some of the most creative people in our industry have worked for ALMA throughout the years. He is also known for his perseverance, innovative spirit and never being satisfied with the status quo. Big ideas are his passion. He’s a true visionary and I see him as the main reason for the success we have had over these 20 years. I would say he’s the heart and soul of the agency.”
A ngela B attistini VP, A ccount S ervices “When I started with the agency, Luis Miguel was still in Mexico and being the creative lead on one of the regional accounts I managed, I would have to speak with him over the phone very frequently. What surprised me, and continues to be the case today, was his approachability and his capacity to make you feel at ease. As an account person one learns how to manage prickly personalities, and knowing that I needed to speak to the regional creative director of one of the most important accounts back then really unnerved me. I was a recent arrival and only had two years under my belt. “Despite being a “big honcho” and despite the formalities of the sometimes “hierarchical” Latin protocol, Luis Miguel always made himself available, was warm, patient… and boy did he deliver. “His personality and work ethic have made ALMA what it is today. If I had to describe what ALMA is all about I would use 4 terms wherein lies our differentiating proposition
Networking gentleman ready to help
to attract and retain talent and clients alike. These four terms serve as our guide in both principle and action: curiosity, collaboration, humanity and work ethic. “Curiosity about what can potentially be humanity displayed in a friendly and lighthearted work environment that promotes collaboration, and all of course under a strong work ethic which is what has kept us on a path of steady growth. “I’ve been part of the ALMA family for quite some time, so these values are deeply imprinted in my professional approach. When thinking about having worked with Luis Miguel for most of my career, a phrase by R. Collier comes to mind: ‘Success is the sum of small efforts that are repeated day in and day out.’ In our case, we’ve accumulated success by never resting on our laurels and always striving to reinvent ourselves. “When we speak about the Hispanic market we refer to the core values that bind/ categorize Latinos as a segment; one of my favorite sayings is ‘Success doesn’t trump fulfillment,’ and Alma is a true testament to that.”
M arta I nsua VP, S trategic I nsights “It’s impossible for me to place the moment in time I met Luis Miguel. I’ve spent my last 20 years as a planner with DDB, working in different countries and regions, touching most of the network’s global accounts. In that capacity, I learned about Luis Miguel early on, as one of the beacons of brand-centered creativity applied even to the most tactical promotional projects. Always the collaborative, networking gentleman ready to help out the thinking and creativity for regular or new business endeavors, guiding light of teams with whom I was fortunate enough to win some key clients in Mexico and Central America. More than 9 years ago I finally joined ALMA (then dRM DDB), thus starting to navigate the fascinating and ever changing world of the U.S. Hispanic market, that daily PhD on cultural anthropology. Gradually I felt that I had entered a place where I fully belonged. The diversity, the warm vibe, the growth, the experimenting, the humor, the cross-
pollination, the collaboration, the arguments, the partying… I could not possibly imagine working anywhere else where I’d be happier. Throughout my two decades in advertising, I had the opportunity to work with many great strategic and creative minds in this network. I learned immensely, and had inspiring and very talented colleagues and bosses. Most of those bosses were creative talents leading DDB agencies. And they were very good – leaders and bosses. However, I have never had a better boss than Luis Miguel Messianu. Those who know him personally know what I’m talking about: a great listener, an enabler, a caring, intrinsically noble and fair guy, whose principles and welcoming attitude cascades throughout the whole agency, touching its every corner. Having the privilege to be near him is a dream come true.”
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A business builder
One of a kind
Pride of Latinos
M arlena P eleo -L azar F ormer VP & CCO of M c D onald ’ s
P riscila A viles S enior C reative D irector of M c D onald ’ s
J uan C arlos O rtiz P resident of DDB L atina
“It’s a prizewinning Hispanic agency, but above all it’s a business-builder. We’ve been blessed by their talent, and the passion and fun they bring to the brand every day. I have to say that with ALMA we have creativity on call, in the sense that it’s a constant source of ideas. The most fun we’ve had lately is that we have to be creative with the creativity. Money doesn’t grow on trees, particularly for brands like McDonald’s, though a lot of people think otherwise. Part of the fun has been looking for ways to make these great commercials on low budgets but in a way that’s amusing and captivating.
“McDonald’s has a Hispanic soul thanks to Luis Miguel Messianu and his team. Each and every member of ALMA who has worked with our brand in one way or another has injected it with passion. They also understand the multicultural consumer perfectly and design big creative ideas that strengthen our engagement with our customers. Putting Luis Miguel under the creative/strategic bar would be to underestimate him, because he’s a lot more than that. He’s an “influencer” in the industry, an innovator, a teacher, a mentor, and an inspiration for many of us. We have a saying in the creative world: update or die. That’s Luis Miguel–he’s one of a kind.”
They’re always ready to do something new. ‘We can’t’ is not in their vocabulary. During the television coverage of the Oscars we had a commercial on the air that was eye-catching, clever and fun, about a McDonald’s employee in his first day on the job. It did our brand a world of good. That was a real example of the creativity we had to apply to be able to produce the spot with the budget we had. They deserve all our congratulations and gratitude!”
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“I’ve witnessed the transformation of ALMA from a Hispanic shop to an international general-market agency. I’m very excited for DDB as its new partner and for all the great people on the ALMA team. It’s an agency with spirit and valuable people with an urge to influence the U.S. multicultural market. ALMA has had some very high-profile achievements in recent years. There has been notable growth thanks to our success in winning new business. Last year we got nominations for the Cannes Lions, we were picked by Advertising Age as the Multicultural Agency of the Year in the U.S., and we’ve kicked off general market campaigns for such clients as McDonald’s, State Farm and Rosetta Stone.”
Collaborative business Knowing how relationship to evolve
Reinventing the Hispanic Market
J eff S ternberger E ditor and O wner 2150 E ditorial I nc .
A lberto S lezynger F ounder and P resident of P ersonal M usic
A nabella S osa and W ally R odriguez F ounders of U pstairs
IIf the rising tide lifts all boats, then Luis Miguel Messianu with ALMA is a veritable tsunami. Over the past 20 years not only have they helped us at 2150 Editorial grow and expand our business, but have enabled many other people to find and express their own creativity here in Miami, both inside and outside of the agency. I have witnessed with admiration and pride as LMM has built and led the renaissance of multicultural advertising in the US over the past 20 years.
“After contacting the agency by telephone from Caracas, they gave me the chance to work with them, which is why I moved to the United States. Since then we’ve been working together. ALMA has had the secret of keeping its clients supplied with big creative ideas across the years, ideas that have won top prizes in the world’s most prestigious festivals.
“We started out as a special effects and animation company, and ALMA was the first agency that assigned us a project–a breakthrough that will always have a special place in our hearts. Luis Miguel always looks for people who have something special to contribute and willingly offers opportunities that will allow others to grow as well. ALMA has a beautiful team that has changed very little, being made up of people we have known for 20 years. For us they’re more like friends than clients–it’s very different working with those you trust because everything works much better.
I could go on about his ability to speak wisely on any subject and hold a room with his knowledge and storytelling abilities. His leadership skills and professionalism are nothing short of legendary. And while I appreciate the collaborative business relationship that we have with ALMA, it is the personal friendship that I have with Luis Miguel that I cherish the most. In his insanely busy life, he will always make time to sit with me and listen. To talk about life outside of work. In short, to keep it real.
Luis Miguel knows how to develop strategies that keep pace with the market and adapt to any changes. I imagine that over the next 20 years, ALMA will remain a leader of the Hispanic market and he will always know how to take the agency to the next level.”
The biggest contribution Luis Miguel has made to our business has been to stop the Hispanic market from being stereotyped, and partly, thanks to him, the concept of the Hispanic market has been reinvented.”
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There for everyone
Always inspiring
Without limits
Multicultural leader
J orge C olon F ounder and P resident of L etca F ilms
M elanie S hapiro P artner and CFO of L etca F ilms
F rida S ellar P resident and E xecutive P roducer I n &O ut
F acundo F unes F ounder of A nimal M usic
“ALMA and Letca grew together in a family kind of relationship. We’ve had our hits and happiness as well as our misses and disagreements, but always with much affection. Seeing how we grew side by side and how we enjoy each other’s successes, even when we don’t take part in ALMA projects, the triumph of Luis Miguel and his team makes us enormously happy. ALMA is just like Luis Miguel, putting a lot of enthusiasm into everything.
“Luis Miguel has always inspired us. We’re glad to have seen how he was able to do all he dreamed of doing when he came here from Mexico after leaving his reputation behind, like we did, to start from scratch in a new country. He’s a modest person and a great leader. I know Luis Miguel as a businessman who began with a tiny office and has been growing ever since, growth that hasn’t stopped yet. He knew how to surround himself with the right people. It’s beautiful to see what he and his team have done.”
Whoever knows Luis Miguel and has to describe him will have to mention one thing: that he is a good guy who is always there for you.”
of
“In December 2000 we were in Mexico filming a spot for a telephone company. Mother Nature paid us a visit during the shoot and the city was in a state of emergency because a volcano was belching volcanic ash. The airport was closed but the team went on filming, laughing out loud while looking for some positive side to the disaster. That’s ALMA for you. ALMA’s soul is pure, universal and with unlimited experience, and its people will do anything for those around them. They’re full of life and maintain excellent communications with their strategic partners. Luis Miguel will continue inspiring and being a mentor for upcoming generations, not only in advertising and photography, but also on the human side. He is a fine example of bright intelligence and good energy.”
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“Luis Miguel is undoubtedly a multicultural industry leader through his research, vision and creativity. How about the time that Luis Miguel gathered representatives of Miami’s leading music studios together for a huge brainstorming session at ALMA? It was amazing to see how much he believes in working with his allies, which has always given him excellent results.”
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A lma I ntroduces its N ew D igital B usiness i C ard As part of their 20-YearAnniversary celebration and propelled by their agency-wide commitment to innovative digital initiatives, Alma Ad tossed the traditional paper business cards to replace them with a customizable icard they designed and developed for employees. It includes all of the company information (website, social media platforms, logo and a maps feature) as well as the employee’s portrait, individual contact information and links to their social media. They figured a paper card is easily lost, but once a contact is in your phone, it will always be handy. Check it out!
S ee
our
S oul
and our work :
Website
Reel
Celebrating ALMA’s 20th Anniversary at PAMM Museum in Miami
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