APG Sideways
About our guest: Diego Choque Hokama
Hi, I’m Diego, a strategist born in Peru and now based in Toronto. I’ve had the chance to collaborate with Grey Peru, Tech & Soul Brazil (AdAge’s Small Agency of 2021), BBDO Argentina, and DDB Centro, with a strong focus on the Central American market. I’m also proud to be a 2024 ADDC Gold winner (student category).
I’m the kind of strategist who hits the streets to live each brief, uncover insights firsthand, and keep a childlike curiosity alive.
Beyond work, I’m into fitness, architecture, and design, a passionate Barça fan, and still hunting for the best Italian sandwich in the GTA.
Brilliant Weird Best
Strategists are curious folks, so we asked Diego to tell us the most brilliant, weirdest and best things he’s come across recently.
BRILLIANT: Crocs - Smartphone cases (Team up with SLBS)
Cell phones have become a medium for personal expression (as Hailey Bieber showed with Rhode) and now Crocs is following that trend.
What’s interesting about this move is that it’s built on several truths: that “phone cases are the new handbags”, that eccentricity and fun work as a hook, that personalization is a strong cultural value, and that Crocs has shed its reputation as the “ugly shoe” to become a status symbol.
WEIRD: Traegerator - Bud Light (Agency: The Martin Agency)
Weird, fun, and perfect for the baseball season: baseball, like football, is not just a sport, it's a social ritual where tailgating is part of it too. Tailgating represents community, shared food, and beer as a point of connection. An idea that doesn’t just stay in the stadium but goes straight into how fans also experience the games. Brilliant!
BEST: Swiss Medical - Adulthood welcomes you (Agency: La America)
Young people entering adulthood face a new and scary decision: choosing their own life insurance. Swiss Medical offers quality insurance at low prices, but Latin America's widely held "Mientras más caro, mejor" (“the more expensive the better”) mindset was affecting consumer perception of their quality. In response to this tension, Swiss Medical calmed their fears: don’t worry, we have the perfect plan for you. Turn on English subtitles when watching.
Top Guilty Pleasures
Not all of our consumption habits can be academic. That's why we asked Diego to give us the sources to his creativity.
Upgrade instant ramen – Tiktoker @dannygrubs
Recently, I’ve come across content featuring Michelin-starred chefs who show you how to elevate your ramen to the next level. I’m not a big fan of ramen, but I do enjoy seeing how you can put your own stamp on or elevate things that seem simple in everyday life, like a humble pack of instant ramen.
My analog journal – YouTube channel
If you’re like me and want to listen to something different every day, instead of the same old playlist on repeat, go to YouTube and follow MAJ. It’s a space where different vinyl DJs create sets with genres you might never have heard… or imagined could go together: bossa nova with electro boogie, or something called Ethiopian jazz, or even psychedelic cumbia.
This month on Slack
Been MIA on the APG's Slack Channel? No worries! Catch up on all the buzz with our latest and greatest links right here!
Contributors - Jon Crowley, Cameron Fleming
Our Brain Food channel debated the pedestaled role of the insight. When we debate whether a line is insightful enough, are we missing the part that will actually sell the product? Jon Crowley shared that his team at one point actually pulled “insight” out of their briefs because it was usually a distraction. Cameron Flemming put forth the Jobs to Be Done framework as an alternative. Jon agreed, saying “It’s oddly led to more insightful work because we spend more time identifying a problem, what people currently believe and a new thing we want them to consider.”
Contributor - Trevon Daley
Trevon Daley shared insight on this new slang term in the Dial a Gen Z channel. According to Trevon, ‘shrekking’ means dating someone you’re not attracted to in hopes that they will treat you better than the more attractive suitors out there. The past tense of this word is ‘shrekked’ and is used when your partner (whom you shrekked) leaves the more ‘attractive’ person (you). Just crazy stuff. The channel went into a frenzy.
Contributor - PK Lawton and many more
According to an article shared by PK Lawton in Shitposting, real therapists have started using AI. This adds a whole new layer to the whole don’t use Chat GPT as your therapist discussion! Our Shitposting channel chatted ethics, privacy issues, and AI-induced psychosis. What a time to be alive!