Elevate awareness for Latina comedian Aida Rodriquez, and her new HBO Max special and docuseries, AIDA RODRIGUEZ: FIGHTING WORDS, via unique in-real-life and virtual activations that provided her a well-deserved platform at the scale of her mainstream male comedian counterparts, an advantage that women comedians, and specifically women comedians of color don’t often get, all the while paying special homage to her cultural roots and the larger need for more diverse storytelling in media. With the heralding goal of authenticity leading the charge, our main objective was to shine light on the rising star’s talent in a way that infused her Afro-latinidad heritage to garner cultural conversation around the topical themes in her comedy, while creating strategic momentum via word-of-mouth and social media platforms to uplift interest among our key demographics of college students, indigenous communities, and beyond.
Embodying Aida’s bold, unapologetic style, our strategy centered around a key resounding sentiment in the special, “Our Swords are Our Words.” Encapsulating the true meaning behind the phrase, OUR SWORDS ARE OUR… was developed into our overarching halo, showcasing how our strength as Latinos truly lies in our individuality. OUR SWORDS ARE OUR… CULTURA, GENTE, RHYTHMS, STORIES. They’re our beautiful rich bi-cultural backgrounds, mixed with the battles and struggles we've faced because of them. They all make us who we are, and they’re our source of power.
With this charge for authenticity and respect to honor the intersectionality of our star, our campaign focused on creating moments developed specifically for our gente, uplifting the Latino community, while also adding careful nuance and nods to Aida’s Afro-Latinad. Our campaign beats included:
An upscale red carpet premiere held at the iconic Latin venue, Conga Room, with over 300 Latino influencers, celebrities and press in attendance. The immersive event featured various touchpoints that allowed attendees to connect with Aida personally, while amplifying her special on social media, including a pre-premiere screening of the special and documentary for a packed house, who connected with her personal story and journey as a bi-cultural Latina; an immersive photo gallery exhibit featuring stills and personal photos from Aida’s journey in the documentary, bringing her to tears upon entry; an intimate discussion and live podcast taping with Locatora Radio between Aida and director Kris Mercado on comedy and vulnerability; a live performance by Angelo Pagán’s Salsa Caliente Band, and music set by DJ TossTones; and themed food and decor, from Caribbean cocktails and bites, to social ready photo moments. Attendees included celebrity connections such as One Day at a Time cast members Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, and showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett as well as Roselyn Sánchez and Lisa Vidal.
A NYC premiere, held at 30 Hudson Yards in partnership with Hunter College Center for Puerto Rican Studies for an exclusive group of press, influencers, Latinx organizations, and Aida’s friends. The night included a screening and discussion with Aida and Nadia Hallgren, moderated by Yarimar Bonilla, Executive Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, where they spoke about what words mean to them, Nadia’s journey as a Hunter College alumna, and the importance of supporting one’s community. Aida then awarded six BIPOC Hunter College students with $2,000 scholarships for their work as student activists and community leaders. All aligned with the message of creating positive change within our communities.
A partnership event with the Soho House for a discussion on the “Art of Storytelling and an exclusive brunch hosted by Hennessy for celebrities/ press.
Digital activations including an Aida Rodriguez #PalanteAlMax Instagram Takeover, a virtual dinner with the Latino Stand-Up Comedy Competition finalists (which she once was herself, making it a true full circle moment) and a #WeAllGrow Latina conversation with 100 attendees who collectively donated to the youth Afro-Latinx organization AfroResistence – all activations showcasing the power of community and supporting our gente.
The marketing campaign for HBO Max’s Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words truly accomplished its mission, to celebrate the beauty of our Latino community and propagate important conversations around the need for diverse storytelling within. From tapping influential voices in the Latino community, to creating lasting ways to pay homage and uplift our communities, campaign efforts penetrated the cultural zeitgeist, leading to a strong platform premiere and substantial over-index within Hispanic viewers.
Marketing campaign efforts yielded over 14.5 million impressions, with an additional 1.2M impressions from 54 press pieces. The L.A. event was captured on 103 IG grid posts by 91 contributors, with 79K+ likes and 2.5K+ comments. Thirty-two VIPS covered the event, really connecting to all elements of the activation, featuring Aida in over 200 frames with mentions and tags that heightened the event’s reach. The N.Y.C event was more intimately captured on 43 IG grid posts by 36 contributors with 10K+ likes and over 400 comments. Campaign sentiment was not only positive across the board, but it also allowed HBO Max and Aida to create social moments, experiences and a reconnection to culture that attendees will remember for years to come.
