Juan Carlos Ortiz is on a roll. Generally, DDB Latina has been buoyed along by new business wins and award show success, but specifically he’s on a roll of enthusiasm. As I speak to him, he’s bubbling with pride and excitement over the Better with Pepsi campaign from Alma, DDB Latina’s Miami agency that swept the internet earlier that week (“Gorgeous! Beautiful!”). He’s characteristically bullish and energised as he enthuses about the progress DDB Latina has made in the past year and a half of the pandemic – later he’ll talk proudly of his team as ‘warriors’ – it’s been tough, it continues to be tough, but JCO has never been someone to back down for a challenge.
Just weeks earlier, Africa, DDB’s agency in Sao Paulo was the third most awarded agency in the world at D&AD. In April, DDB Latina launched its specialised esports and gaming agency For the Win (FTW). In December 2020, it was named the Most Creative Network at El Ojo, for the third year on the trot. It’s not been easy, but if anything, the pandemic has helped galvanise momentum.