By Clemente Nicado, Editor in Chief
Ozzie Godínez prefers to talk about the “evolution” rather than a “change.” After all, PACO Collective is simply responding to the demographical evolution of a country that is becoming a multicultural society. “To us, a change implies something more drastic. We’ll never lose our Latino roots. It’s an integral part of our agency culture,” he explains.
The operative word “Collective” paints a picture of the new face in the market, and at the same time, shows the evolution of a marketing agency that is rapidly growing due its ability to quickly adapt to a changing industry.
“For us, the word “Collective” means working together as a collective team. That’s the best way to tackle the challenges of the ever changing market of today.” Confirms Pablo Acosta, COO and co-founder
True to this notion, these entrepreneurs reinvented their agency by assembling a crew with multiethnic backgrounds, which includes Latinos, African-Americans, Asians and from the Middle East, in addition to a diverse team of specialists from different parts of the country.
“We transformed ourselves into a multicultural agency. We’re trying to practice what we preach. That is the difference that will make us stand out, and put us in a unique and privileged position in the marketplace.” Acosta added.
“All in all, the name PACO continues to be a sacred word to us. That’s how we started, therefore, we will never
lose the Latino roots of the agency,” Godínez insisted, and whose mantra is, “We play hard and work hard. We fight together, cry together and drink tequila together,” meaning to come together to achieve a common goal that will benefit our clients.
“The new name developed organically.” He attests. “Although PACO started as an agency focused on the Hispanic market, our initial campaigns worked so well, that we were able to cross them over to the so-called general market.”
“Diving in with both feet into the multicultural market was ‘a perfect exercise’ to prepare us and help us solve the challenges of this particular market.” Acosta added. “We did it backwards compared to other agencies that were focused on the general market, and now, find themselves forced to switch their focus to a new market, which we’re already very familiar.“
According to Godínez, their journey into the “cross-cultural” market allowed them to win more accounts and grow. “The fact that we started the way we did, enabled us today to place ourselves on a much better position than the rest. And, we’re seeing evidence of this in the bids we’re getting from our corporate clients.” He indicated.
Most of our billings from last year, he confirms, came from clients not interested in the Latino market, but from other multicultural segments.
However, Latinos are still considered a very attractive segment to corporate clients, due to the fact that this is the fastest growing segment in the market, which also accounts for more than 50% of the coveted millennial segment of the non-White market.
They’re a very interesting generation, he exp
lains. “When they’re with their friends, they speak Spanglish. When they’re at home, they speak in Spanish with their parents. And when they’re at work or school, they speak in English. They’re a very dynamic consumer group whose used to traveling in and out of one language to another with relative ease.”
PACO’s history is a living testament indeed. The agency was founded in 2006 with two employees, Pablo and Ozzie, and zero clients. Four years later, there were 15 employees, and today, they employ 40 people with ever increasing billings of $10 million in 2014.
For Ozzie, the future of PACO Collective looks promising, focusing on building the trust of their current roster of clients such as ComEd, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Gift of Hope and the Chicago White Sox, in addition to expanding their reach to national and international brands. A long-held dream born out of uncertainty, which surrounded the agency when it was first conceived.
“We started the agency under terrible market conditions. This was the time when the country was going through a severe economic crisis. While many agencies were shrinking to try to adapt to the unexpected harsh economic environment, we were growing.” Acosta recalls
Godínez sums it up this way: “We survived because we were small, flexible, agile and were never afraid to think big. That’s what helped us grow.“
“Besides, we play hard and work hard. We struggle together, cry together and drink tequila together—to celebrate success.”
