PepsiCo Acquires Mexican American Food Brand Siete Foods

• PepsiCo Acquires Mexican American Food Brand Siete Foods

  PepsiCo, Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Garza Food Ventures LLC, dba Siete Foods (“Siete”) for US $1.2 billion. The acquisition will complement PepsiCo’s portfolio by adding an authentic Mexican-American brand and growing its better-for-you food offerings. Siete products will bring a rich, new aspect to the PepsiCo multicultural portfolio with delicious food that plays an important role in meal occasions and culinary experiences. (Read about Gustavo Cecilio, Pepsico’s Multicultural Business Unit Head of Marketing, who participated in our recent Portada Live New York City event.)
  Founded in 2014, Siete produces authentic heritage-inspired tortillas, salsas, seasonings, sauces, cookies, snacks, and more. Siete’s products can be found in grocery stores, club stores, and organic food retailers primarily across the U.S. “The Garza family has built a very special brand. Their passion for making and sharing food shines through in every Siete product, and that’s a passion we share at PepsiCo,” said Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo. “PepsiCo believes in the spirit and authenticity of the Siete brand, and we’re excited to carry on the legacy created by the Garza family. We look forward to expanding our multicultural portfolio with these incredible products and even more consumers discovering and enjoying Siete.” “Siete was created ten years ago to make heritage-inspired, Mexican-American food more widely available. Now we’re excited to embrace a new era with PepsiCo and bring our inclusive, better-for-you products to more people,” said Miguel Garza, CEO and Co-Founder of Siete Foods. “We hope this next chapter for Siete serves as inspiration for other Latino businesses, showing that it’s possible to build a thriving brand that honors our heritage and celebrates our culture.” According to Statista, 233.10 million Americans used Mexican food and ingredients in 2020. This figure is projected to remain stable until 2024.

• Honda

  An emotional new Honda brand campaign debuted Friday October 4  – “Unstoppable Dreams” – led by a sixty-second spot that brings to life the Honda “Challenging Spirit” and the idea that resounding success is often the result of failures: honda.us/unstoppabledreams. The new Honda brand spot follows the distinctive journeys of competitors with strong ties to Honda as they pursued their racing ambitions, including the late F1 racing legend Ayrton Senna and current FIA Formula 1® World Champion Max Verstappen.
  “Unstoppable Dreams” will be featured across multiple media platforms, from broadcast television and streaming to contextual digital media partnerships, as well as social media to reach a wide variety of audiences. The spot made its television debut on October 6 during Sunday Night Football featuring the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers and will continue to air during future NFL and college football games, and the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season. The campaign also will be featured on the big screen this fall, at theatres across America during major movie premiere releases, as the title sponsor, on Netflix’s ad-supported plan in the U.S., for the series Senna, and will be part of an F1 Las Vegas Takeover at Miracle Mile during race weekend.

  “We want to inspire our customers and fans by celebrating those who embody the Honda Challenging Spirit including the almost mythic status of the late Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna and the three-time reigning FIA Formula 1® World Champion Max Verstappen,” said Phil Hruska, Senior Manager, Automotive Marketing, American Honda. “This new Honda campaign delivers a reassuring message of how determination and self-belief can lead to resounding triumph.”

• Bimbo Bakeries USA

Bimbo Bakeries USA has selected Omnicom and WPP’s branding and design agency Landor.  Landor will lead strategic packaging initiatives across the Bimbo portfolio. Omnicom will handle creative strategy, social, influencers, PR, commerce, production, and media. The baking company’s brands include Arnold, Artesano, Ball Park, Bimbo, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann’s, Little Bites, Marinela, Mrs Baird’s, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann and Thomas’. Omnicom will lead on creative strategy, social, influencers, PR, commerce, production, and media. (PR Week reports that Bimbo Bakeries’ incumbent corporate PR agency Buchanan PR will be retained as part of the shakeup.) Last year, Omnicom’s PHD was awarded Grupo Bimbo media business. Bimbo Bakeries USA is the U.S unit of Grupo Bimbo. Grupo Bimbo’s global media buying is estimated at US $ 300 million annually.

• Wyndham North America

Havas announced its selection as North American Consumer Marketing Agency of Record for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchisor with approximately 9,200 hotels spanning 25 global brands. As AOR, Havas will lead all media, creative, social and digital efforts for Wyndham, supporting all brands as well as Wyndham Rewards®, the company’s top-ranked guest loyalty program. Wyndham’s portfolio spans all segments of the hotel industry, from value brands to luxury, and includes household names like La Quinta®, Ramada® and Super 8®, among others. The appointment follows a competitive pitch.  “Our mission at Wyndham is to make hotel travel possible for all. With the help of Havas, we’ve found an ideal partner who not only understands our guests but is well-positioned to help our brands break through the clutter. It’s a transformative shift for Wyndham and one we believe will help drive meaningful, long-term consumer engagement and in turn, greater returns for our thousands of franchisees,” said Marissa Yoss, Vice President, Media and Brand Marketing, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. 

• Unilever

• Buchanan’s

Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky announced the launch of the #ComoLoDigas campaign, celebrating and displaying the many ways 200%ers (those 100% American and 100% Hispanic) pronounce Buchanan’s. From Boo-cha-nas to Bucána’, Buchanan’s shows how what matters most is making room for the differences that unite us in our 200% lived experience and our love for the brand, however you say it. In partnership with SNL’s Marcello Hernández, celebrated Puerto Rican chef Manolo López, and a dynamic group of 200% visual artists, this integrated marketing campaign is designed to champion Latinos’ influence on the culture while showcasing that what differentiates them in language unites them in community. y. The campaign will continue rolling out throughout the month across digital platforms with :15 and :30 video spots and a social media call to action inviting brands and fans to join the conversation and share their unique pronunciations using #ComoLoDigas to celebrate how our differences can unite the Hispanic American community. Buchanan’s Whisky #ComoLoDigas OOH creative, designed by Puerto Rican and Miami-based artist D’Ana ‘COVL’ Nuñez. Buchanan’s Whisky #ComoLoDigas OOH creative, designed by Cuban and Miami-based artist Magdiel Lopez.Buchanan’s Whisky #ComoLoDigas OOH creative, designed by Mexican-American and Chicago-based artist Tubs. “What we really wanted to do with this campaign is to further expand on last year’s ‘We Are the Spirit of the 200%’ campaign to focus on celebrating the pride that our consumers have in their communities,” says Marketing Director of Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky Linda Lagos-Morales. “The unique ways that Hispanic Americans pronounce Buchanan’s reflects the diversity of 200%ers and is often directly representative of where they come from. We are proud to know that our brand is so ingrained in the culture that no matter where you are or how you pronounce it, we all share the same 200% spirit.” Kicking off in New York City, Buchanan’s and Marcello brought the lively conversation to the streets of the ‘Loisaida’ (AKA, the Lower East Side) with a surprise appearance at the grand opening of Café Colmado, a brick-and-mortar coffee shop created by Chef Manolo López – where they interviewed Latinos of all backgrounds to talk about Buchanan’s, Spanglish and the vocabulary that represents their unique 200% experiences in a 60-second ‘hero video’. In October, Buchanan’s will unveil five striking murals in New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago, designed by local 200% artists D’ana Nuñez, Magdiel Lopez, Erasto Reyes and Tubs. Each of these vibrant murals showcases the unique phonetic pronunciations of Buchanan’s that reflect our 200%ers impact and the cultural influence in each cit

• Amtrak

Amtrak’s new brand campaign has arrived via a national advertising campaign to help ‘Retrain Travel’ by encouraging consumers to reimagine their approach to travel and avoid the stress of flying and driving. ‘Retrain Travel’ is designed to appeal to and resonate with all travelers, as it will run on many traditional and digital channels. This includes digital video, audio streaming platforms, podcasts, and digital display advertising. Amtrak retained Mekanism,  as its agency of record for developing its ‘Retrain Travel’ campaign. The campaign showcases the spacious, comfortable seats, and other unique Amtrak amenities and features that can make travel enjoyable again. Additional content focuses on how Amtrak transforms and enhances its experience from infrastructure investments to improved service and sustainability benefits. “Whether it’s to save time, stay productive, or benefit from convenience and flexibility, the best way to travel is on an Amtrak train,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch. “We’re enhancing the customer experience in countless new ways, while in parallel continuing to offer the amenities every traveler deserves, making ‘Retrain Travel’ a commitment to our guests for an unforgettable journey on America’s Railroad.” The ad campaign’s creative uses a “flipbook” technique that mimics a moving train to depict a range of beautiful and dynamic Amtrak experiences. Each asset highlights a core Amtrak benefit that makes train travel special. This includes extra legroom to stretch out with ample space, the ability to get up and move around whenever the mood strikes, no middle seats, and a decreased carbon footprint. Sample ads can be found on the Amtrak Media Center.

Find out about Portada Live events planned for 2025. Portada Live events are highly curated events. Their agenda is designed to maximize knowledge-sharing and networking between top brand marketing, media agencies, and media executives. To find out about thought leadership and networking solutions at Portada Live and Portada digital media offerings, please contact Sales Director Irma Gutierrez at [email protected].

• General Mills

London based, headquartered agency, Mother landed a place on General Mills’ new agency roster. So have  Goodby Silverstein & Partners and The Martin Agency. The three agencies will partner with  General Mills on creative assignments.

• Adobe

Adobe announced that Dentsu Creative has been selected as lead global scaled creative and content agency for its Digital Media Business (DMe), following an extensive and competitive review. Together, Dentsu Creative, Tag Worldwide, and Adobe will redefine advertising by driving personalization at scale through a robust Gen AI-powered content supply chain. Transcending a traditional creative remit, Dentsu Creative will architect the company’s first “Glocal” go-to-market model, designed to drive relevance, effectiveness and efficiency globally and locally across key regions: Americas, EMEA, APAC and Japan. The global agency will also lead product and release marketing and local campaigns for the company’s most trusted B2B and B2C creative products and services. Underpinning the relationship is a unified global technology backbone, enabled by Adobe’s integrated set of best-in-class products to help companies optimize their content supply chain, and proprietary technologies from Dentsu Digital and Tag Worldwide.

• NFL

The NFL released aa 60-second spot as part of its “Por La Cultura” campaign, which celebrates Latino players, coaches, and staff while celebrating Latino excellence and sharing authentic stories of the community. This year’s theme, “Cross-Border Pride,” connects Latino players to their familial home countries to meet their global fans, aiming to expand awareness of the sport and strengthen ties beyond the U.S. The campaign features Latino standouts from four different cultural backgrounds and showcases all four players’ pride in both their U.S. and Latino roots:

• Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs) exploring his Puerto Rican heritage in San Juan
• Cairo Santos (Chicago Bears) returning to his hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints) connecting with his Cuban background in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood
• Will Hernandez (Arizona Cardinals) embracing his roots in Guadalajara, Mexico

In addition to the spot, the “Por La Cultura” campaign features a range of cultural and community-focused activities on both national and local levels. With a strong and passionate Latino fanbase, alongside numerous Latino players, personnel and Legends, the NFL and its teams are committed to uplifting Latino culture, inspiring youth to pursue their dreams and fostering a path to greatness through sport.

• Rare Beauty Brands and JC Penney

• Jarritos

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Jarritos^®,proudly presented  the second edition of Los Sabores de mi México—a cultural experience that highlights the rich flavors and vibrant heritage of Mexico. This unique event took place from October 3rd to 6th, 2024, at Ovation Hollywood, running daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Los Sabores de mi México will bring to life the magic of Mexican cuisine with a special focus on the recipes of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954). Attendees will embark on a sensory journey through food and art, with a showcase that includes a replica of the Kahlo  family home and kitchen. This experience allows visitors to connect deeply with Frida Kahlo’s world, discovering not only her artistic genius but also the culinary traditions that shaped her life. A highlight of the event is the presentation of an exclusive book featuring treasured Kahlo family recipes.