Tris3ct/Chicago is moving to establish a strong focus on the Hispanic market, even as it strengthens its creative bench.
The shop has begun to do that with the hiring of Javier Osorio as a creative director.
Osorio, 43, comes to Tris3ct from Lapiz/Chicago, where he was a creative director on the Allstate and Kellogg’s accounts.
At Tris3ct, Osorio will report directly to chief creative officer Paul Kuzma, and he will wear a number of hats at the shop — an indication, perhaps, of management’s hopes and expectations that Osorio will help grow the agency and further establish its reputation.
“Tris3ct is a destination for unexpected ideas and the people who love to create them,’ said Kuzma. “Javier shares that vision, and we look forward to his passionate contributions to the work and his ability to share his multicultural influences on the agency as a whole,” added Kuzma.
Most importantly, Osorio will provide creative leadership on the agency’s Kimberly-Clark business, which includes the Cottonelle toilet paper brand. The Cottonelle business, perhaps more than any other account, has helped distinguish Tris3ct as a shop with some genuine creative cred in Chicago.
Few categories can be tougher to master — creatively speaking anyway — than bathroom tissue. But Tris3ct has, to its credit, found a way to do so in the majority of the work it has done for Cottonelle.
Much of the Cottonelle advertising in recent months has been related to a campaign based on a fictional town called, what else, Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine and the cast of characters that inhabit this quaintly-named place.
Recent Cottonelle spots, including ones that promote a spare toilet paper roll cover, have all been quite well cast and directed — managing to be funny without pushing the silliness too far. Osorio will have to take that standard of Cottonelle work already set and try to maintain or even elevate it.
Agency to create ads to appeal to Hispanics
But beyond Cottonelle, Osorio is coming on board at Tris3ct to provide bilingual creative leadership. This suggests Tris3ct certainly recognizes the increasingly large Hispanic population in the United States (particularly in Chicago) and the need to target advertising to that growing market. Or perhaps find a way to tailor mainstream advertising to also appeal more fully to Hispanic consumers.
As if these challenges weren’t enough, Osorio will work on new business development at Tris3ct. No agency can survive without new accounts to challenge the creative department and broaden an agency’s profile.
Osorio could be of help in attracting both mainstream clients and Hispanic accounts. We shall see.
Osorio started his career at Saatchi & Saatchi in Caracas, Venezuela. He attended the Miami Ad School, and has served on the national Addy Awards jury.
Contact Lewis Lazare at LewisL3@aol.com
