Most advert businesses are born in boardrooms. Republica Havas used to be born from a rejection letter – and a son who best discovered a long time later. We to find out extra as a part of The Drum’s Miami center of attention.
Back in 1968, Jorge Plasencia Sr, a Cuban exile rebuilding his lifestyles in the USA, despatched a hopeful letter to Young & Rubicam’s hallowed places of work on Madison Avenue, New York. He wasn’t on the lookout for a mortgage – he used to be already a banker, having secured a task with the gang he labored with in Havana. He used to be achieving for one thing else totally: a long term in promoting, the place he may just satisfy his goals to be a author.
The answer, signed via the company’s then-chairman and leader government, Edward L Bond Jr, used to be well mannered, however company: “There is no way that we could use a non-professional ‘collaborator.’”
His son, Jorge A Plasencia Jr, who’s now CEO and co-founder of Republica Havas, by no means knew his father had even carried out. “My mom found the letter in his papers,” he says. “He never told us. I had no idea he ever tried to get into advertising.”
However, that rejection letter now hangs proudly in Republica Havas’s Miami HQ, only some toes clear of the place the company’s 120-strong crew plots campaigns for manufacturers around the globe. Not best has Jorge Jr made it in promoting – he’s executed it with taste.
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An company with persona (and persona loans)
When Plasencia teamed up with longtime inventive spouse Luis Casamayor in 2006 to start out the company, they named it Republica as a tribute to Jorge Sr, who had labored at Republic National Bank – probably the most best establishments to offer loans to Cuban immigrants based totally now not on bureaucracy, however non-public integrity.
In some ways, it used to be perhaps simply as neatly banking didn’t lose him to promoting. He used to be instrumental in serving to many Cubans rebuild their lives and companies in Miami thru ‘character loans.’ “He gave people a shot,” Plasencia says. “That belief in potential – that’s what we wanted our agency to stand for.”
The duo introduced complementary talents to the project: Casamayor had run a design studio referred to as Cosmyk and had a pointy eye for artwork path, whilst Plasencia had constructed his occupation in media, sports activities and leisure – together with stints at Univision, the Miami Marlins and with Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
“We were digital, mobile and social from day one,” says Plasencia. “That early adaptability shaped how we work – and how we win.”
World ranked in 2025
18 years on, Republica Havas isn’t just thriving – it’s topping charts. In The Drum’s World Creative Rankings 2025, the company now sits at No 1 in Miami, No 1 in Florida, No 15 in the USA, No 30 within the Americas and No 64 globally.
“This recognition is a tribute to our team’s relentless passion, creativity and commitment to making a meaningful impact,” says Plasencia, who additionally serves as international leader consumer officer of the Havas Creative Network.
Casamayor provides: “Creativity is at the heart of everything we do. This recognition reaffirms our commitment to pushing boundaries and crafting work that makes an impact. We’re here to elevate brands and create ideas that resonate globally.”
Miami’s international second
“When we started, it was hard to convince people to come work in Miami,” says Plasencia. “Now? Everyone wants in. We’re not a regional city any more – we’re a global one.”
That shift has became Republica into one thing greater than an company. It’s the inventive soul of town. And quickly, its headquarters will formally turn out to be a Havas Village – bringing in combination inventive, media, well being and experiential divisions beneath one roof.
But Republica hasn’t ever been about expansion for its personal sake. Its soul is rooted in group – and in tradition.
Creative with goal – and pulse
From emotionally charged Alzheimer’s consciousness campaigns like ‘Name Confusion’ to long-standing enhance for nonprofits like Amigos for Kids, Republica’s output has a moral sense. Its paintings in Hispanic and multicultural advertising and marketing is going a ways past translation.
“There’s still this idea that you can just translate a general-market ad and reach everyone,” says Plasencia. “But a lot gets lost in translation. We believe in transcreation. You’ve got to understand the culture.”
That perception has paid dividends. Republica’s mixture of inventive excellence and cultural fluency has made it a go-to spouse for manufacturers that need to talk to fashionable America, now not only a section of it.
Full circle, totally Miami
Despite its international succeed in and rising record of world awards, Republica Havas hasn’t ever overlooked the place it began – or why.
“This agency is named after a man who believed in people,” says Plasencia. “That still drives everything we do.”
It’s a reminder that even in an business pushed via algorithms and awards, probably the most robust power stays the similar: folks.