Open for business in Mexico City
Ana Larios leads the Hearts & Science team from the heart of its busy business district in the southwest of Mexico City near the edge of the Álvaro Obregón neighborhood.
The team is only a 20-minute walk to the largest shopping mall in South America, El Centro Santa Fe. And for those rainy summer months where no one wants to go far, the surrounding streets are lined with countless cafes and restaurants closer to the office. (Yum!)
A new age for media
After serving as Digital Director at Omnicom Media Group Mexico for nearly four years, Ana opened the Hearts office as Managing Director in 2017.
When she was offered the position at Hearts & Science, accepting the offer was a natural next step for her. The Hearts philosophy of applying data to the entire media package was refreshing.
Ana shares, “I’ve always thought digital is really cool, but it’s only part of a real mix of media.”
It really hit home for her when she saw the Hearts & Science manifesto sharing their approach to media.
Making time for pit stops
No, not for your car fuel and tires. We mean checking in on your marketing campaigns. Just like in a NASCAR race, if you stop and strategically optimize your vehicle, it can make or break your success.
Ana ensures clients receive the best strategy possible by incorporating three pit stops into each campaign. At every stop, they pause to ask an important question to optimize their strategy.
- Did we get the assets?
- Are the audiences responding?
- Did we reach our KPIs?
- If not, what adjustments need to be made to reach them?
The Mexico team and clients alike love these pit stops. They allow time and space to incorporate A/B testing for better campaign results. Most importantly, they build trust with the client. They show that Hearts & Science is dedicated to iterating on campaigns for maximum impact.
Mexico through the eyes of what we hold dear
The objects in our lives hold meaning. There are stories behind them that bring back powerful memories, and the things in our offices are no different.
In this regional spotlight series, we wanted to create a visual narrative of every office, so we asked each team to select five objects that have personal meaning in their space. Each of these objects tells a bigger story about the leadership style of the regional CEO, what they value, the culture of their office and of the global brand, too.
Ready, set, balance!
Work-life balance is always something Ana strives to achieve, and running is one way she likes to let off some steam. Three times each week she hits the pavement for at least 5 km.
Her running shoes are an old friend. Though there’s a small hole at the front and they’re falling apart, she claims, “When you find some running shoes you really fit in, you don’t want to change them.” (I know you runners out there will understand!) So even when her boyfriend begs her to replace them with something new, Ana can’t bear to part with them.
“To be a woman, a mother, it’s hard sometimes. I have to work, and exercise, to have time for myself, my friends and my daughter. I don’t always achieve it but I look every day to have balance in my life. We can do anything if we spend the right amount of time on things.”
Her shoes remind her of all the work she has put into finding balance in her life. She hopes that her example will serve as an inspiration for her team to do the same.
Crack open a good book
Another way Ana likes to keep things in perspective is to read. She tries to read three books each month and often gravitates to novels, most recently science fiction.
When she is stressed at work, or has a fight with her daughter, she loves to escape to her balcony with a glass of wine and start reading. The peace that comes from reading outdoors helps her re-center and return with a clear head, better able to solve problems at home and work.
So if you’re looking for a good book to relax with, Ana’s absolute favorite is La Catedral Del Mar by Ildefonso Falcones. Here are a few more you could sit down with:
- Oceano Mar by Alessandro Baricco
- La Casa de los Espíritus by Isabel Allende
- Memorias de una Geisha by Arthur Golden
- La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
(And some are in English, too!) So even if you don’t have your own balcony, settle down with one of these books and enjoy.
Jumbo idea generators
Did you know you can buy Post-it Notes the size of a dinner plate? (No, this is not a sales pitch… but you can get them here.)
The Hearts & Science team in Mexico spends a great deal of time brainstorming around their whiteboards and making lists on giant Post-it Notes. It helps prioritize and organize the thinking of the team.
Ana shares, “I like to write down everything I do. I’m a fan of lists. I try to organize lists for my daughter, my books… These giant Post-it Notes let us write out the things we have to do at work.”
And while the “brain splatter” of some doesn’t always make sense to another, the tactile nature of whiteboards and Post-it Notes always helps get ideas flowing!
Humor in the micro moments
There’s nothing like a good GIF to lift your spirits when things get hectic and deadlines are looming. (C’mon, I know you have a favorite GIF!)
The Mexico team likes to connect online with each other using WhatsApp—a mobile messaging app. They have groups for collaborating on client accounts, directly with each other and internally as a group.
It makes it easy to update each other on projects and dependencies while leaving space for humor. The space keeps the team united, even during stressful times.
Blasting through the pink ceiling
Ana is a talented lady who likes to remind other agencies and clients that Hearts & Science isn’t afraid to do things a little differently. After all, who else uses hot pink in their brand colors?
In their office, they have pink on their notebooks, office walls and business cards. But as a nod to the global brand, Ana likes to dress in bright pink whenever she presents Hearts & Science, too.
At one presentation to the IPADE Business School in Mexico City, Ana rocked a bright pink blazer.
She says, “The bright color reminds me that I work at the coolest marketing agency in the world.”
The Hearts vision on display
Ana hopes to soon set up a big screen in the corner of her agency with the Hearts & Science manifesto and client dashboard performance playing.
With this reminder of how they are approaching media, along with the data to support their clients’ progress, Ana is building a culture where data and vision come together.
Want to do things a little differently with Hearts & Science? Check out our job postings and reimagine the future of media with us.