With local talent and regional ambition, ISLA São Paulo arrives in the Brazilian market, a new creative agency supported by the renowned strategic consultancy Alexandria and will be led by CEO Martin Montoya, an executive with more than 20 years of experience in the country, during which time led the operations of JWT, WMcCann, Cheil, Edelman and BCW – Burson, Cohn & Wolf. In addition to Montoya, ISLA São Paulo has as partners Solange Ricoy, CEO of the Alexandria Group, Rodrigo Grau, who will act as CCO, and the creatives Mariano Serkin and Ariel Serkin.
Created in 2018 in Buenos Aires and since the beginning of 2021 also operating out of Mexico City, ISLA is an independent network of creative agencies that has the tools, methodologies and strategic discipline of a business consultancy. The holding to which it belongs brings together companies specialized in various aspects of brand building and ISLA’s role will be to focus on strategic communication, supported by data, channel planning and creativity with cultural relevance.
The ISLA network, which this year was the second most awarded independent operation at the Effie Awards Argentina, has in its portfolio the brands Gillette, Pepsi, 7up, H2oh!, Doritos, Cheetos, Downy, Ariel, YPF (Oil Argentina) and Gatorade , among others.
“The network’s expansion is due to a model that combines great creative talent with a business vision that understands the importance of the brand’s strategy in the development of communication. We were able to identify a high demand for integrated communication ideas strongly grounded in strategy and data, and our 15 years of independent performance in a highly competitive market like Brazil attest to the strength of our proposal”, declares Solange Ricoy, who, before founding the Alexandria group, worked as a marketing and market intelligence professional in companies such as Unilever, Mondelez and Heineken in countries such as Italy, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.
“ISLA believes in developing people, maintaining strategic discipline, establishing efficient work processes, understanding the business problems of brands and in the personal dedication of partners to clients. This philosophy, combined with the partners’ great creative talent, ensures high-level deliveries that rescue the essential virtues of communication, while being updated with the best data technology offers to help brands navigate increasingly challenging ecosystems. This acumen to read between the lines of scenarios, added to the agility and integrity made possible by operational independence, were the main motivations in my decision, after more than 30 working as an executive in large multinational structures, to become an entrepreneur”, explains Montoya.
“From day one at ISLA, I dreamed of opening an office in Brazil. Because in addition to feeling this country as my second home, it’s a market that I deeply admire and respect. Being in Argentina, Mexico, and now in Brazil, gives us the possibility of being an independent network that continues to accompany the growth of the most iconic brands in the region”, declares Grau, who has already led the creation of important Brazilian agencies, such as David São Paulo and JWT. Alongside Ariel and Mariano Serkin, Grau has won hundreds of awards at the most renowned creativity festivals in the world, including 30 Lions in Cannes, as well as being one of the most awarded creatives at the Effie Awards in Argentina.
Ariel Serkin, who heads Isla’s Argentine office, has 36 Lions at Cannes Festival, 23 Clio Awards, 1 Gold Pencil at One Show, Andy Awards, Art Director’s Club, D&AD, 1 Grand Prix at Spikes Award 2015.
Mariano Serkin, current leader of Isla’s Mexico operation, was named in 2012 by AdAge and Creativity among the 8 most innovative creatives in the industry globally. Over a decade leading Saatchi & Saatchi in Latin America, and later in Europe, the creative won 56 Cannes Lions and 30 Grand Prix at international festivals, a performance that led Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi to be elected the Latin American Agency of the Decade by Cannes Lions Report
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