Client: Holsum de Puerto Rico
Length of engagement: ongoing
Altamente's applied social research and analysis branch also provides counsel and assistance in implementation of strategies desgined for the follwoing areas social media direction, grassroots marketing efforts design, corporate social responsibility strategic planning and corporate communications.
In 2007, Altamente suggested creating a customer loyalty portal for Holsum where consumers could register their purchases and use a point system to purchase educational enrichment lesson plans and materials to add moments of fun and excitement for classrooms. The lesson plans were developed in colaboration with school psychologist, Isabel de Puigdorfila, and anthropologist, Laura Gorbea. In just one semester hundresds of students from around the Island were able to enjoy the new curriculum. Opening this new vehicle of communication with the classrooms, paved the way for the development of a growing list of new activities.
In 2014, Altamente designed a new education enrichment program that used the emblematic mascot, Bimbo, as a focal point to create excitement for reading and writing stories. The program called "Bimbo va a la Escuela" (Bimbo goes to school) has visited dozens of schools and served over 5,000 students across the Island. Among the program highlights we find a child friendly review of company history with an overview of entrepreneurship, and the importance of innovation and collaboration in small and big endeavors. The activity also addresses the importance of daily story time rituals and invites students to create their own stories, write them and dare to share them. During the event, an adventure story featuring Bimbo is read and Bimbo comes along to greet and encourage the students in their endeavors.
Following reports and insights from schools arond the Island, Holsum asked Altamente to prepare an ethnographic look into the present experience of "being Puerto Rican". The resulting ethnography and analysis informed the company's next advertisement entitled: Bendiciones Holsum, which focused on Puerto Rican daily rituals of sharing a blessing. The corporate direction of wanting to extol positive traditional interactions provided a clear example of how to rebuild social trust and quality of life in every day interactions reinforced Holsum's position as a local brand that cares and is committed to rebuilding Puerto Rico.
Through the school visits Bimbo emerged as more than an emblematic mascot, rather a powerful beloved icon of childhood in Puerto Rico. This realization informed the 2015 choice to open Teatro Bimbo (Bimbo Theater) as the reception area for all tours to the Holsum facilities. Once again, Altamente's expertise in education and communiciations were requested in the development of materials and guidelines for the educational goals of the Bimbo theater presentations and tours.