WPI Provides Local & Regional Services For Largest Global Retailer

Client: Wal-Mart Centro America | Agencies: Avance Epsilon Publicidad Halsband Worldwide Partners Target Publicidad

Situation

Avance’s client in Guatemala, La Fragua, was bought out by Wal-Mart, along with other local super and hypermarkets in Central America. Wal-Mart wanted one agency to handle both regional and local work for five markets: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Avance already had branch offices in the first three countries, but reached out to partner agencies in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to help service the account.

Strategy

With two weeks to prepare for the pitch, Paulina Paiz de Morales of Avance knew they needed to act quickly. She proposed a team structure composed of a Regional Account Director, Media Director and a Creative Director that would manage the regional work and work with local teams at each agency. With the composition in place, she picked up the phone and called Halsband Worldwide Partners in Costa Rica. Gustavo Halsband agreed quickly that his agency was up for the challenge and would provide excellent service. Oscar Amador of Target Advertising in Nicaragua also agreed that his group would be more than willing to help. According to Paulina, there is, “No way that this would be accomplished without Worldwide Partners. All it took was a phone call.”

Wal-Mart created a team that evaluated each of the agencies, their financials, services and creative and the regional team structure. McCann was also invited to the pitch, but Avance’s local structure – 5 agencies locally within one region – and unified front, which McCann did not have, proved the winning solution for Wal-Mart.
 

Results

Avance was granted the AOR title for Wal-Mart Central America for an 18-month period. Managing the business has been much harder than the pitch, and each agency has been excellent in treating the client as it’s own. As a dynamic account with many moving parts, brands and concepts in each local market, Avance relies heavily on the partner agencies in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to be an extension of them to provide a unified and collective front, with cohesive and unified reports and service. The trust that has been established via Worldwide Partners makes this relationship work.

Costa Rica

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El Salvador

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Honduras

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Guatemala

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Nicaragua

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Future