IT’S MEXICAN, NOT MEXICAN’T.

Hacienda Mexican Restaurants was a mid-size South Bend, IN chain looking to expand their footprint in the state and potentially into adjacent states such as Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. With this potential expansion in mind they reached out to an advertising agency for the first time to request help building the Hacienda brand before building more locations. A smart move.

After a deep dive into the Hacienda Brand, and maybe a couple - okay, three - rounds of margaritas, Hacienda’s VP of marketing said this in a moment of self deprication - “Honestly, we’re the Wal-Mart of Mexican Restaurants.” And the lightbulb went on. Hacienda was casual. It was part sports bar, part taqueria. It was a place to relax, whoop it up, have a drink, eat some tacos. So we ran with that. The work has a garage band feel with an emphasis on fun, because that’s what Hacienda is - fun.

This campaign won a ton of awards including an OBIE as one of the best out-of-home campaigns in North America. More importantly, Hacienda expanded from 8 to 14 locations, including 2 in adjacent states.