From the growth in U.S. Hispanic audiences to an evolving Gen Z landscape to the increasing need for culturally fluent creativity, CROING has spent years helping brands stand out with ideas that feel personal, emotional, and deeply relevant. We sat down with Anggie to talk about audience intelligence, the future of creativity and what it takes to break through the noise.
To start, can you give us a quick background on CROING and the work your agency does?
Anggie: We are a creative agency and part of the 0.1 percent of women-founded agencies, and we are also 90 percent women-led. Everything we do begins with strategy. We look at a brand’s challenges, opportunities, and long-term needs, then develop insights that become ideas audiences can connect with.
We focus on crossing brands with people. Relatability is everything for us — a campaign has to make someone feel like they see themselves in it. We started as a design studio, then moved into social, and now focus on full creative campaigns.
We specialize in US Hispanic and Gen Z audiences. US Hispanics represent 20 percent of the population with huge buying power, and because we are part of this audience ourselves, we understand the culture and nuance behind what resonates. More brands are realizing that true diversity is not only ethical but also smart business.
When you are speaking to such a specific audience, how do you craft campaigns that feel targeted without alienating the broader community?
Anggie: It always starts with insight. The world today is more global and interconnected than ever. Trends, behaviors, and interests spread across audiences regardless of age or location.
Demographics are dead. People define themselves more by what they love than by traditional labels. So our job is to find the emotional core that many audiences share, and build from there.
Authenticity matters more than anything. If a brand does not communicate from a place of truth, audiences feel it. When something is crafted with heart and real research, it becomes more universal than something broad and generic.
Great strategy makes a campaign feel local, even when it resonates globally.
What does your team focus on in the early stages of a new client relationship or campaign?
Anggie: Every engagement begins with audience understanding. In kickoff calls, we ask clients what they believe they know about their customer, what insights they already have, and what they have tried before.
Then we build on that with research, focus groups, and speaking to people who belong to that audience. Sometimes clients come in with assumptions that can lead a campaign in the wrong direction, so we validate or correct those insights early.
We also test ideas with people from that audience before presenting final concepts. A brand may want the audience to see them in a certain way, but we always show them the reality of how they are currently perceived. That honesty is what creates strong creative. You need to understand the brand and the audience with complete honesty or the campaign will not land.
Creativity today is evolving fast. How do you think about the relationship between creativity, strategy, and technology?
Anggie: We have always been early adopters. When TikTok launched, we were one of the first agencies to go all in. Now we look to China and Asia to understand what will hit the US next.
Some of the trends we love are featuring the consumer as the face of the campaign, brand mascots, brand personification, and real-time cultural storytelling. Our goal is to entertain while staying true to the brand and the audience.
Technology plays a huge role. We use AI not to come up with ideas, but to visualize them. Clients are visual, and AI helps us show ideas faster for TV, social, experiences, and activations.
For example, we created a full AI video for Zoetis and use AI storyboards to map out commercials and physical activations. It makes the process more efficient and allows us to test ideas early.
What do you feel AI is helpful for, and where does it fall short?
Anggie: AI does not replace empathy, emotion, cultural nuance, or concept development. That still needs human insight.
We use AI to visualize ideas, build mood boards, map storyboards, and show clients what the concept will look like. It’s perfect for physical activations, commercials, and thought-starter decks.
AI makes the process faster, but it does not replace the heart behind the work. Ideas don’t come from AI. The idea comes from us. AI helps us show it sooner.
Where do you think marketing is headed and what should brands be doing to stay ahead?
Anggie: People consume content everywhere at once. Your campaign needs to break through a scroll, a show, a feed, and a conversation all happening at the same time. The only way to do that is through strong strategy and honest storytelling.
The audience has the power now. Gen Z especially wants brands that stand for something. They buy from companies that reflect their values, not just their needs.
Being number one can make a brand comfortable, but comfort is not a strategy. Brands need to take risks or they’ll lose relevance.
How do you and your team stay inspired?
Anggie: We stay close to culture. We watch entertainment, film, music, and global trends. We look at what different audiences are consuming and how they interact with brands across platforms — with a key focus on Asia because we find that marketing and product trends typically begin there.
We also listen to our own community. Many of the ideas that resonate most come from lived experience. When the team feels something, the audience usually feels it too.
