Message With Meaning
Join our journeyOver two decades ago, our founders – Rudy Ruiz and Heather Ruiz – embarked on a cross-country road trip from San Antonio to San Francisco. Somewhere in the desert, they conjured up an agency committed to making our world a better place through greater cultural understanding.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help our clients make a positive impact in the lives of diverse audiences. Our vision is to be the nation’s preeminent communications agency devoted to engaging, educating and empowering traditionally underserved populations.
Our Progress
The road trip may have ended, but the journey continues. Along the way, we’ve earned numerous creative accolades and recognition as one of Ad Age’s Top US Agency Brands, a Top 50 Multicultural Agency, and a Top 20 Hispanic Agency.
SERVICES
Research
We design and field quantitative and qualitative research to attain insights, inform strategies and measure progress.
Brand Strategy
Our ILX Brandflow™ process guides brand creation/evolution as well as message development for major brands.
Behavior Change
Our Público Behavior Modification Model™ is an industry best practice for motivating positive change.
Creative
Our passionate team develops General and Multicultural creative true to brands and relevant to diverse audiences.
Advertising
Our media team draws on research, planning and measurement tools for traditional, digital and direct response media.
Digital
Our branding, creative, media and PR teams work in an integrated manner to maximize our clients’ digital presence.
Public Relations
We integrate earned media, digital PR, social media, and blogger relations for our clients.
Experiential
We create live, interactive, inspirational brand experiences via memorable and motivational events.
6
CATEGORY-LEADING CLIENTS
27
COUNTRIES OUR CAMPAIGNS HAVE RUN
51
STATES & TERRITORIES WHERE WE BUY MEDIA
48+
TEAM MEMBERS
LEADERSHIP
CEO
Rudy Ruiz
A brand strategist, multicultural expert and award-winning author, our co-founder earned a BA at Harvard and MPP at Harvard Kennedy School.
CCO
Heather Ruiz
Heather’s vibrant designs express humanity and hope, inspiring people to action. Our co-founder studied design at Texas State University.
SVP
Randy Dalton
A veteran of the broadcast and marketing industry, Randy directs campaign integration.
Managing Director
Joseph Tolton
A brand strategist and multicultural marketing pioneer, Joseph heads our New York office. He attained his BA at Vassar and his MBA at Columbia.
CFO
Susana Lozano
Along with designing and implementing the agency's financial and cost accounting systems, Susana also manages and coaches the financial accounting team in the development of strategic goals to meet operational objectives.
Medical Director
Thomas Schlenker, MD
Tom, a pediatrician and former city health director, develops health communications/content for clients like American Heart Association.
PR Director
Nelda Carrizales
Nelda oversees our PR team, targeting national, local and social media. She received her BA in Business Management from Webster University.
Experiential Director
Lisa Bombin
Lisa plans and executes branded event experiences on a national and international scale for our corporate and non-profit clients.
Commnications Strategist
Christian Lepley
Chris is a brand and communications strategist who heads our San Francisco office. He holds a BS in Marketing at California State University.
Research Director
Edgardo De La Garza
Edgardo designs and oversees the implementation of quantitative and qualitative research to inform campaigns and measure success. He is a graduate of UT Austin.
Partnerships Director
Ricky Day
Ricky manages operations and partnerships at our NYC office, serving Fashion Institute of Technology and United Healthcare.
Associate Creative Director
Kalen Thomas
Kalen is a designer, animator and film editor. Versed in digital media, he has a BA in Visual Communications/English at Graceland University.
Director of Photography
Pablo Veliz
Pablo is a San Antonio-based artist, photographer, and filmmaker who has directed award-winning films and premiered these at prestigious film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Santa Barbara Film Festival, and more.
Senior Graphic Designer
Gilbert Zarate
With a background in advertising as well as digital and newspaper design, Gilbert brings a hip, urban feel to his award-winning work.
Graphic Designer
Greg Zaragoza
Greg is a graphic designer, letterer, and illustrator. He graduated from the advertising program at The University of Texas at Austin.
Digital Media Specialist
Tyler Thomas
Tyler creates digital media content and produces audio for our in-house studio. An avid drummer, he brings a creative edge to all he does.
Website Designer
Shannon Miller
Shannon has a background in marketing and her specialty includes developing and designing websites. She earned her BBA in Marketing from Baylor University.
Account Executive
Irasema Ortiz
Irasema is an AE with extensive Hispanic marketing experience. A border native, she earned her BA in Business/Marketing at UT San Antonio.
Senior Account Executive
Mayra Urteaga
Mayra is a bilingual Senior AE with a background in marketing and accounting. She earned her BA in Accounting/Marketing and her MBA at UT RGV.
Media Coordinator
Crystal Hernandez
Crystal specializes in digital and multicultural media for national and local accounts.