Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivonne Kinser. She shares her story with us below:
Ivonne is the Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for Avocados From Mexico. She leads a high-performance team and the innovation agenda that put Avocados From Mexico on the Fast Company 2021 list of “Most Innovative Companies in the World” and top in the branding category.
In 2022 Ivonne became the first Latina to be awarded the American Marketing Association’s highest honor bestowed upon a deserving recipe, the Lifetime Achievement Award. When the largest global professional association for marketing professionals puts this kind of award in someone’s hands, it is not recognizing one specific accomplishment but instead each of the choices that build an outstanding career. Ivonne’s career is an example of the kind of determination, grit, commitment, and passion for innovation that leads to praiseworthy success.
Ivonne has been included in the list of “100 Most Influential Latinas in the U.S.” for two consecutive years, in 2021 and in 2022. In 2018, she became one of the five women honored with the Changing the Game Award in the Brainwave category, an award given by the prestigious She Runs It organization which recognizes women within the marketing industry who are true catalysts of innovation by fearlessly making bold moves and reinventing the rules of marketing to transform their brands and their organizations.
The previous year, the American Advertising Federation had included her in the list of “20 Women to Watch in Dallas Advertising” and awarded her the Shining Star Award, which recognizes women in the Dallas advertising industry who are breaking glass ceilings.
Over the span of more than 20 years in marketing, Ivonne has played leadership roles in multiple corporations representing multibillion brands, as well as in top advertising agencies such as Lintas, McCann Erickson Worldwide, and The Richards Group, working with well-known brands in almost every category. In 2014, she joined Avocados From Mexico as the Head of Digital Marketing, and in seven years, she built the organization’s digital practice, which became one of the most successful digital groups in terms of performance and innovation.
Under her leadership, AFM’s digital work won dozens of accolades and recognitions, including the only brand to be among the top two positions on Merkle’s list of “Best Digital Super Bowl Campaigns” for five consecutive years, from 2016 through 2020; an ANA REGGIE Award in 2020 for Disrupted Use of Digital Technology; and a Gold (Sol De Oro) for AFM’s 2017 Super Bowl digital campaign in the category of Real-Time Content at the FIAP competition in Buenos Aires. This festival is recognized in the Latin American region as one of the two most important festivals, together with Cannes.
She has addressed hundreds of keynotes — across the nation and internationally _ about Innovation, disruptive creativity, and a nontraditional approach to marketing that has helped to catapult her current brand Avocados From Mexico as the most innovative brand in the world, according to the 2021 Fast Company list of Most Innovative Companies.
MY STORY:
Throughout my 25-year marketing career, I’ve steadfastly maintained my freedom to think differently. You could say that I spent the first half of my career learning the rules just so I could spend the second half breaking them. It has not been a straight line but rather a winding journey in which I’ve relished the opportunity to experiment, rule out bad fits, develop strong transferable skills, and gain immensely valuable self-awareness regarding my true passions and core values.
In 2001, just a few years out of college, I moved from Venezuela to Dallas, Texas, with an advertising degree and barely enough experience to fill out a résumé. But that didn’t stop me from printing it out and walking into — without an appointment and without an invitation — a beautiful, sleek building that belonged to Temerlin McClain, arguably one of the best advertising agencies in the region at the time and part of the global media conglomerate Interpublic Group.
Two weeks later, I was managing the advertising account of the world’s largest airline across 20 Latin American countries, and soon after that, I was leading American Airlines’ first-ever digital advertising effort in Latin America.
At that moment, I realized my drive and passion comes from creating, from building what has yet to be imagined, and from blazing new trails. My goal has been and will always be to leave the world, as well as the industries and brands I work for, a little better than how I found them. My pursuit for creative freedom has driven me to continually search for spaces that allow me to stretch the possibilities in order to bring about progress, evolution, and innovation.
I have broken historically established records in several industries for several brands and have gained knowledge, satisfaction, and recognition. But it hasn’t been easy. I’ve gone through a few rough patches, which were often the result of difficult decisions made from a desire to preserve my freedom to think differently. Ultimately, everything has worked out, and those tough times have made me grateful and appreciative for the opportunities I’ve been given. In hindsight, despite the difficulties, I’m very proud of my journey, of the decisions I have made, and of my unwavering commitment to my beliefs and passions.
Looking back at my journey, my career path has been unconventional and unorthodox, and my professional experiences diverse — and with every career decision, I’ve shown my unwillingness to compromise my core values: creativity, inspiring work, and free thinking. I often like to recall the puzzle piece-stacking video game Tetris. It taught me very early on that when you fit perfectly, you disappear — and in the brand-building industry I’m in, I’ve learned firsthand that only those who have the courage to defy convention will be able to stand out and succeed. And as a mentor once told me, those who stay true to themselves, despite being different from the rest always end up finding their tribe. I’m proud to say that I have found mine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This year marks my 20th year in the U.S. and in Dallas, Texas. A place that I proudly call home today as a Venezuelan American. Twenty years ago, this city welcomed me with open hearts and arms, and for me, it was love at first sight as well. However, the road hasn’t been completely smooth. Career-wise, staying true to yourself, to your passions, and to your values comes with a high price. For me, it meant sometimes leaving stable situations in pursuit of what I truly believe in. I believe in the freedom to create. In some way, I’m a free spirit and an artist at heart – and for someone like me, there’s nothing worse than the paralyzing constraints of the status quo. I believe that each of us came to this world with a mission, and that mission manifests to its full extent in our desires and in the endeavors that bring us joy and fulfillment. For me, that is using my creative talents to leave things better than how I found them.
I may have had a great future at the beginning of my career working for multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 companies where everything was already figured out and where traditions and well-established processes and protocols were regarded as sacred. One day, I decided to leave all that behind without a plan but with the conviction that there was a better fit for me somewhere. I explored, tested, and re-discovered myself and the potential of my talents and ultimately arrived where I belong. Although the transition path was strenuous and rough, I built a wonderful network from scratch that lift me up in the moments I needed the most. For that, I’m forever grateful and in debt to this amazing city!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m the Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for Avocados From Mexico. I lead a high-performance team and the innovation agenda that put Avocados From Mexico on the Fast Company 2021 list of “Most Innovative Companies in the World” and top in the branding category.
What sets me apart is my marketing approach and style. Innovation, disruptive creativity, and a nontraditional approach to marketing are the hallmarks of my work.
I’m most proud of breaking records wherever I have been. From breaking a 50-year Historical record in international markets development as the VP of International Marketing for the Dallas Market Center to increasing the international attendance for U.S. lighting manufacturers by over 300% in only 6 months, building and launching the first-ever digital campaign for American Airlines in Latin America, all the way to building one of the most successful and vanguardist digital practices in the industry for Avocados From Mexico; placing the brand among the top two best digital Super Bowl campaigns for seven consecutive years, and leading the innovation agenda that placed it as the top one Most Innovative Brands in the World by the Fast Company 2021 list of Most Innovative Companies.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
– We humans are not one-fits-all, and neither are companies. We need to strive to find “our tribe”, meaning the people and the companies that allow us to bring out the best in us, that create the conditions that let our talents flourish and that bring us joy and fulfillment. – A good life is a life in which we don’t compromise our values, our beliefs, and our passions but instead remain true to ourselves regardless of the circumstances.
– Risk-taking creates a space where we can re-build ourselves stronger than we had ever been,
– Everything expands beyond our comfort zone.
– Trying to fit in is one of the most exhausting experiences. On the other hand, building our world around who we truly are is one of the most rewarding.
I’m a risk taker by nature, and one of the most important learnings in my life came from the fact that I have never ever regretted a decision I made, even when that decision implied a huge risk. The only things I have regretted are those I didn’t dare to make.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ivonnekinser.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivonnekinser/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ivonne.kinser
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/IvonneKinser
Image Credits
Ivonne Kinser
American Marketing Association
Fast Company
MERKLE
