Pork Board Hires a Multicultural Shop

República prevails in a review
By Andrew McMains

The National Pork Board is expanding its multicultural marketing efforts and has turned to República to lead the charge.

The Miami-based shop will create ads designed to reach Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians. Previously, the Pork Board used Bromley in San Antonio to create Hispanic market ads. So, the new agency faces a broader challenge.

The independent agency landed the business after a review in which there were a handful of finalists, according to José de Jesús, the board’s director of multicultural marketing. The organization is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Media spending on the assignment was not disclosed. All told, the Pork Board spent about $23 million in media in 2012 and $16 million in the first nine months of last year, according to Kantar Media.

In selecting República, de Jesús cited the shop’s experience with food brands like Goya and the thinking of its leaders, which include CEO Jorge Plasencia and Luis Casamayor, president and chief creative officer.

“They are very strategic thinkers,” said de Jesus, who joined the Pork Board in September, from Aviva USA. “They had all the capabilities we were looking for.”

Plasencia, for his part, said his team relished the opportunity to “build deep connections for the Pork Board within the vibrant communities in America.”

Other República accounts include BankUnited, Pernod Ricard (Absolut, Chivas, Jameson), Boehringer Ingelheim and Google.

Source: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/pork-board-hires-multicultural-shop-155693