Sometime in late 2008, Diego Garcia and I joked at Tribu thinking about the spectacular combination that would be achieved if it were possible to add Tribu to DDB. We entertained the idea for a moment and put it in the basket of nonsense, as it simply seemed impossible.
When in April of last year the idea came up again, this time from the imagination of María Coralia Moreno in El Salvador, it quickly went from an idea to a possibility and in a few months to an impressive reality. Because the idea’s time had come, because it made sense to a visionary like Juan Carlos Ortiz and because it made all the sense in the world to people like Steve Burton and Eduardo Fernandez, among others, at the powerful DDB Latina.
When we realized that the nonsense was not nonsense, and that the possibility existed beyond what was assumed, a few days before the beginning of Easter last year, Diego and I turned to explore its scope and implications. In a very short time it became a wonderful opportunity, which in each meeting or contact was aligning ideals, dreams and objectives, both for Tribu and DDB.
In each party’s decision there were sacrifices, and both DDB opted for theirs in relation to the group that for decades represented their interests, and Tribu in turn chose to end its relationship with Saatchi Saatchi, the company headed by Kevin Roberts, my friend and mentor for the past eleven years. The evolution of the idea moved forward and with the beginning of 2010 we are finally Tribu DDB.
Beyond all the stories, gossip and rumors, Tribu DDB is the sum of two twin strategies that met to discover hearts beating with a passion to influence, make a difference and contribute to making the world a better place. And in our cases, the world of Latin America and Central America in particular. The coupling has been natural and the future simply becomes a shared aspiration, at each end of the road, to offer clients an agency seen by many as practically irresistible.
Tribu DDB seemed impossible until very recently, and so today we are thrilled to see this possibility become our vibrant reality. We are excited by the opportunity that is moving full speed ahead to bring this unexpected combination to every country in our Central American region, and even more excited by the strength it takes every day and the opportunities that our new and fresh integral proposal opens up.
We want to make Tribu DDB the most influential agency in Central America, and for this, the journey is just a few steps away. Will you join us? We do it together?
Cheers!