[Left to right: Gilberto Ahuatzi, Zadia Velázquez, Paul Kron and David Flores]

A newly launched bilateral agency is promising it can help clients save as much as 50% on traditional agency fees.

Headquartered in Mexico, with a second office in Toronto, Tangente North America boasts a roster of 20 working across creative insights and ideation, data-driven media planning and omnichannel execution, performance marketing, public relations, influencer relations and social media management.

The new shop is built around nearshoring, the practice of relocating business to nearby geographies.

By providing access to senior talent in Mexico, where skilled labour costs are affordable, Tangente says it can help clients achieve significant cost savings while maintaining the caliber of quality they’re accustomed to from North American shops.

It is a joint venture between Toronto-based partner and managing director Paul Kron and three partners based in Mexico City: chief creative officer Gilberto Ahuatzi, chief digital officer Zadia Velazquez and managing director David Flores.

According to Kron, whose relationship with Flores dates back to working on a GM of Mexico account and who helped launch the idea upon reconnecting in Toronto this fall, nearshoring helps clients achieve significant cost savings.

The relative proximity of Tangente’s teams helps eliminate some of the traditional pitfalls associated with offshoring, such as working in different time zones and being forced to deal with cultural differences that can impact the quality of creative.

“The key for this offering will be finding verticals where the budgets are a little smaller than the ambitions of the marketers,” Kron tells strategy. “We are already making inroads in B2B, and we plan on targeting retailers and smaller brands in packaged goods, both of whom struggle with the costs of traditional agencies.”

As Kron explains, another segment Tangente is looking at is providing an alternative to traditional, or in-house agencies.

“It provides clients with the strategic and creative firepower needed to drive results without breaking budgets,” he says. “With a seamless, bilingual team in Toronto and Mexico City, we provide the agility, cultural affinity, and expertise that today’s value-conscious clients demand,” says Kron, a 25-year marketing vet who’s worked with brands like GM, Kraft Heinz, Hyundai and Loblaw and served in senior strategy and director roles with FCB, FCB Health and Innocean Worldwide.

Kron says the team has great experience across a range of categories, including fintech and financial services, packaged goods, B2B and services for example, while his expertise is in CPG, retail, automotive, financial services and tech.

“I’ve been at this for a while now and I’ve lived the push to deliver more for less from both the client and the agency side of the business,” he says. “That pressure is not going to go away, and Tangente is an innovative solution to that problem.”

Tangente currently works with clients in both Canada and the U.S., producing work that has appeared in multiple international markets, including Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.