Situation

One month into my role as Managing Director at Digitas Guatemala, the seismic arrival of COVID-19 shuttered the nation and the globe. The agency’s debut unfolded remotely during a period where all brands faced an urgent need to accelerate their digital forays.

In 2020, the agency embarked with two major clients: Walmart for the entire Central America region, overseeing creative production, social media management, and content creation, and Payless for all of Latin America.

Mid-February 2020 heralded the announcement that Claro Centroamérica & Panamá would become the agency’s flagship account after winning a pitch spanning over six months.

First Year: Under the shadow of a world grappling with unprecedented challenges, Publicis Groupe took measures to preserve its workforce, slightly delaying the agency’s launch. Originally slated for April 2020, the agency received its third account for the entire Central America and Panama region in May, including Claro CENAM. This initial year became a crucible of learning, process creation, and a collective understanding of the impending global transformation.

Second Year: Commencing the year with a strategic return to the office—albeit selectively—proved pivotal. As a fledgling agency in need of team cohesion, all levels of directors returned to the workplace. This decision catalyzed a synergistic environment, propelling us through various pitches, securing new clients such as Little Caesars, ITALIKA, and ELEKTRA (the latter two belonging to Grupo Salinas Guatemala).

The adept account management performance set the stage for Banco Azteca, the third company within Grupo Salinas, to organically join our portfolio by year-end. This expansion with Grupo Salinas paved the way for a projected organic growth of $360k annually, providing a foundation for stability in 2022.

Third and Final Year (2022): Digital Guatemala celebrated an extraordinary 2022, achieving breakeven in less than two years since its inception.

Against the backdrop of a pandemic, we stood as the sole agency in Central America boasting consistent growth. The year commenced with a team of 70 professionals across Central America.

Throughout 2021, a series of victorious pitches, underscored by a robust new business strategy, catapulted the agency forward. While New Business dominated the narrative, a strategic projection for organic growth was imperative.

The organic growth target, derived from the gains in New Business 2021 and bolstered by the Qatar 2022 event, aimed at positioning Digitas as an agency approaching the $2MM mark by the end of 2022.

Upon my departure from Digitas in August 2022, embarking on the outsourcing venture with VML NA in Guatemala, the organic growth target had already surged to an impressive 72%. Projections suggested the year’s closure at an outstanding 112% of the targeted growth, buoyed by the ripple effects of Qatar 2022. A testament to Digital Guatemala’s resilience and strategic prowess in navigating unprecedented times.

Situation

One month into my role as Managing Director at Digitas Guatemala, the seismic arrival of COVID-19 shuttered the nation and the globe. The agency’s debut unfolded remotely during a period where all brands faced an urgent need to accelerate their digital forays.

In 2020, the agency embarked with two major clients: Walmart for the entire Central America region, overseeing creative production, social media management, and content creation, and Payless for all of Latin America.

Mid-February 2020 heralded the announcement that Claro Centroamérica & Panamá would become the agency’s flagship account after winning a pitch spanning over six months.

First Year: Under the shadow of a world grappling with unprecedented challenges, Publicis Groupe took measures to preserve its workforce, slightly delaying the agency’s launch. Originally slated for April 2020, the agency received its third account for the entire Central America and Panama region in May, including Claro CENAM. This initial year became a crucible of learning, process creation, and a collective understanding of the impending global transformation.

Second Year: Commencing the year with a strategic return to the office—albeit selectively—proved pivotal. As a fledgling agency in need of team cohesion, all levels of directors returned to the workplace. This decision catalyzed a synergistic environment, propelling us through various pitches, securing new clients such as Little Caesars, ITALIKA, and ELEKTRA (the latter two belonging to Grupo Salinas Guatemala).

The adept account management performance set the stage for Banco Azteca, the third company within Grupo Salinas, to organically join our portfolio by year-end. This expansion with Grupo Salinas paved the way for a projected organic growth of $360k annually, providing a foundation for stability in 2022.

Third and Final Year (2022): Digital Guatemala celebrated an extraordinary 2022, achieving breakeven in less than two years since its inception.

Against the backdrop of a pandemic, we stood as the sole agency in Central America boasting consistent growth. The year commenced with a team of 70 professionals across Central America.

Throughout 2021, a series of victorious pitches, underscored by a robust new business strategy, catapulted the agency forward. While New Business dominated the narrative, a strategic projection for organic growth was imperative.

The organic growth target, derived from the gains in New Business 2021 and bolstered by the Qatar 2022 event, aimed at positioning Digitas as an agency approaching the $2MM mark by the end of 2022.

Upon my departure from Digitas in August 2022, embarking on the outsourcing venture with VML NA in Guatemala, the organic growth target had already surged to an impressive 72%. Projections suggested the year’s closure at an outstanding 112% of the targeted growth, buoyed by the ripple effects of Qatar 2022. A testament to Digital Guatemala’s resilience and strategic prowess in navigating unprecedented times.