Tortrix, Guatemala’s most popular snack brand, has a trajectory of over 50 years and many generations of Guatemalans have consider it an important part of their national identity, especially the popular segment. In the last couple of year, this connection was getting lost because of new and cooler brands gaining share market at the city. Continuing to be just the national brand was not cutting it anymore for Tortrix.

Located in Guatemala City, the 18th Zone is one of the most dangerous and discriminated neighborhoods in Latin America.

800.000 people live there.

Big part of Tortrix’s target lives there and the brand wanted to reconnect with them by thanking them for all these years of loyalty.

Finding out more about this zone, the brand learned that many companies refuse to employ people from the 18th zone because they assume they have ties to the gangs that dominate that area.

Tortrix made it their mission to help the nearly one million Guatemalans who live there and feel unwanted, even foreign in their own country. So we created the only institution that can represent them all.

The Embassy of the 18th Zone.

We rented a house outside 18th Zone and equipped it like a real embassy.

To launch, we invited media and executives of the largest companies to the embassy to start a diplomatic dialogue with the 18th Zone.

We introduced embajadazona18.org, where companies enroll and post job openings, and candidates apply for jobs free of discrimination.

Every resume received was circulated among the participating companies and we offered free regular vocational training courses at the embassy.

Results:

- Institutional campaign with a budget of US$45,000

- Increased on Salience, Distinction and Relevance of the brand and products

- Initially thought to keep open the Embassy of the 18th Zone for two months, but because of the demand and

support, it has been open for over a year and going strong.

- 108 companies have joined the Embassy today

- +15000 people subscribe on the first month

- +3,500 candidates got job interviews, and +800 were hired on the first month

- Over $2,000,000 in free press and media: exceeding eight times Tortrix’s annual media investment and got 20

million impressions on internet.