Ogilvy recently announced changes in its team after confirming the new Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Mexico and Miami, it is a key pillar for one of the reasons for being of this agency, creativity.
With a track record awarded by the most important advertising awards and with more than 15 years of experience, Rafael Reina will be in charge of the creative strategies for both markets together with Verónica Hernández, CEO of Ogilvy México & Miami.
Rafael Reina arrives “very happy” in Mexico supported by a huge background by an endless number of clients, “Having met the Caribbean market, the Colombian market, Central America, Latin America, and now reaching the beautiful and gigantic Mexican market with all the process that was done, a history of business transformation, which is a bit of what we have achieved and what I am most passionate about and what I dedicate myself to the most, is how I transform the business with my team towards the new current challenges that brands have”.
The new Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Mexico and Miami, Rafael Reina, highlighted that one of the main functions as consultants is that every time there is a trend or a technology or a new way of thinking, clients feel prepared and comfortable. In fact, one of the challenges that Rafa Reina faced was when traditional clients did not know or did not understand the moment that came to stay, Instagram and Meta, “That moment of conversation in which brands before had a position that was directly and they did not feel comfortable in a connection in which people had an opinion, because I have lived through that transition and it has led me to transform the operation of Ogilvy Puerto Rico from being agency number 13 to being number 4”.
While the meaning of creating a team, sitting down with clients, learning about the business and knowing the culture are fundamental criteria for Rafa Medina, “One of the biggest challenges is knowing the Mexican culture, one of the richest cultures worldwide. history, and how not to come with the best intention of learning, with the best intention of contributing to these transitions of culture and history with a world of technological and digital challenges that today many times we do not know how to answer, that is the contribution where I I have been and where is my background and where, how before advertising was so traditionally seen, today it is an open, fast conversation, which is about effectiveness and business solutions, which are generally technological or innovation or in the traditional creative point that we have always state”.
Rafa Reina made it clear that he comes to create hand in hand with his wonderful team, which he reiterated, it is inclusive, a topic that he is passionate about, “How to go from a plant in Puerto Rico with 80 percent male workers and 20 percent women, today we have 8 percent binary and 60 percent women, the majority in leadership positions, and that is also the contribution”.
Rafa Reina reiterated that part of his work is in people, well-being, inclusion, diversity and how to bring the best talent to the table, “What changes is not technology, nor people, but the way in which it is people can be brought together through passion and talent, if we bring the best talent it doesn’t matter what they are like, where they are from, but they are sitting at that table to solve business problems, that is where changes are generated”.
The award-winning creative also made it clear that technology came to revolutionize everything, for him if it revolutionizes culture, it revolutionizes strategy, creativity and the business model. “Co-creation is what we have to start working on, how we co-create with people, with influencers, with people, with brands, with Artificial Intelligence, we cannot be a barrier to progress, we have to understand it and co-create with that progress. For Rafa Reina, the objective will always be to bring together the best talent for clients and an understanding of the business and the clients’ business models, basically mobilizing the kpi’s the client’s.
We can assure that the first thing that went through Rafa Reina’s mind was great happiness, “Here begins another stage with the largest markets in the world and one thanks life, thank God for what is happening to me and I hope to be the height of everything with Mexico, with Miami, with Ogilvy ”.
Finally, Rafa Reina shared with us a strong trend in Mexico, the gaming and the music festivals, “Videogames are a cultural forte, the musical movement too, the festivals, all that influence that reaches Latin America.” For Rafa Reina it is important to live each day as if it were the last and set short-term goals, in addition to giving the best version of himself and never giving up to lead a client to achieve his achievements. A last-minute inspiration for Rafa Reina was seeing how a client shared her joy at her new position on her social networks.
For her part, Verónica Hernández, CEO of Ogilvy México & Miami, pointed out that one of the main challenges for Rafa and the team is to continue rising at a creative level, at a festival level, at a business level, with customer evaluations, is to continue increasing, continue to be the number 1 agency as they have been for six consecutive years. For Verónica, “Rafa Reina is an extraordinary human being and he will fit in perfectly with the Mexico and Miami team.”
In addition, for Verónica Hernández the new appointment is a fundamental pillar to achieve the goals of this 2023, “It is an executive committee at the management level that we have reinforced with super senior, super specialized people, with great experience, with great talent, and obviously Rafa It is a fundamental part because ultimately Ogilvy’s raison d’être is creativity, whatever we do on any platform, be it PR experience, whatever, creativity comes first and Rafa is the pillar”. While one of the strategies as a team is closeness, “The strategy is to be very close to him and me, communication, transparency, what I expect of him and what he expects of me is important.”
For this year the goal is clear, “We are going to grow, keep learning, keep making Ogilvy the best agency in Mexico. Never being in our comfort zone, always looking for something more, that characterizes us as a team and Rafa has joined this”, as reiterated by Verónica Hernández, CEO of Ogilvy México & Miami.
All of Mexico and Miami will be eagerly awaiting the creative direction of the new Ogilvy team, which is sure to dazzle the eyes of thousands of brands.
