Back when we could all drink from the same nozzle, the first thing I ever aspired to win was a Coca-Cola.

I learned my first life lesson playing a shirts vs. skins match in 125? Fahrenheit weather: Never let your team down. Even if you're wearing the only pair of school pants you own. Even if you know you will pay for the consequences when you get home, you slide as if it were Wembley Stadium. Anything to raise those 12 ounces of bragging rights and share them between 11 as the ultimate symbol of we are one and we just won.

Now, before you accuse me of siding with the big, established brand in an attempt to get my newly-founded ad agency into their roster, I do have something to say: I’m guilty as charged. 

I still aspire to win a Coca-Cola. 

Queue ironic laughter by advertising executives. Followed by a “Don’t we all?”

 See, when we opened Lovers Not Haters, we promised ourselves we’d only work with brands we Love, Live and Believe in. 

Something that didn’t sound very smart to some of my ex-bosses. “Take whatever account or client you can. Make the money.” Thanks for the advice but I just can’t. 

That’s why we say it boldly on our site: If it means something to us, no one can sell it better than us. (See for yourself: www.loversnothaters.com)

We might not have a Coca-Cola in our list of clients. Yet. But we can assure you there’s not one single client we don’t truly love, live and believe in. That’s why we invest ourselves fully. We see their business as our business (We’re partners in some of them) and we never, ever have to betray our values or work on something we don’t like. Jumbo size difference.

We want the Coca-Cola account. But most importantly, we want all our accounts to be more like Coca-Cola. 

I’ve watched my aunt Marilu ask for a “Coca” because it helps raise her blood pressure. 

I’ve accused someone of thinking they’re the last Coca-Cola in the desert. 

I’ve danced to El General’s song: “Pareces una botella de Coca-Cola”. 

I’ve used it to make the tires in my dad’s car shinier.  

And I look forward to drinking one on mile 16 of the marathon at my Ironman events. 

That’s what we aspire to do with our clients. 

So, as we wait for that call from Coca-Cola in Atlanta or Mexico City (We were informed today that they weren’t expanding their agency list at the moment but that it can change at any time) here we are. 

We are Lovers Not Haters. The agency the world is just starting to hear about. 

We’ve worked at the top agencies in the world (W+K, Goodby, Crispin, Fallon, TBWA Chiat, The Community) on brands like YouTube, Airbnb, Lyft, Bud Light, Heineken, Burger King, Domino's Pizza, Powerade, Gatorade, Volkswagen, Kraft, JetBlue, Holiday Inn Express, HP, Target, TurboTax, Citibank and others. And we happen to go to sleep and wake up hipspanic?.

So if you’re looking for an agency full of people willing to slide on a dirt field in their only pair of pants for you, send us a note.

We might not be able to drink from the same bottle. But we can still have a Coke on Zoom.

Roberto Lastra

Co-Founder, Executive Creative Director

Lovers Not Haters www.loversnothaters.com

[email protected]