A revolution against ordinary food

Mad Mexican has been making authentic, chef-led Mexican food in Toronto for more than two decades. Its founder, Jose Hadad, built the business around a conviction that real flavour and quality ingredients shouldn't be sacrificed for convenience.

The challenge was getting more people to recognize that difference in a grocery category crowded with products promising freshness, flavour and authenticity. At Candybox Marketing, I was part of the creative team behind Taste the Revolution, a 10-part video campaign designed to make that message impossible to ignore. And we had a particularly ambitious deadline: Cinco de Mayo.

Giving a brand's convictions a voice

The campaign brought Mad Mexican's revolutionary spirit to life through Francisco, an unapologetic defender of fresh ingredients and traditional craftsmanship. He wasn't interested in politely explaining why Mad Mexican was different. He was there to expose the compromises consumers had come to accept from mass-produced food.

The stories put Francisco in everyday situations where he could challenge those compromises, from confronting ordinary tortilla chips at a party to rejecting forgettable salsa and defending an avocado's natural browning. The comedy gave the campaign its personality. But underneath it was a consistent message about quality, freshness and refusing to settle. As the campaign's copywriter, I contributed to the storytelling and voice that helped bring that message to life across the video series.

Ten stories. One unmistakable personality.

The scripts needed to work as entertaining, standalone social videos while maintaining a recognizable character and a consistent brand message. They also needed to be practical to produce.

The creative and production team brought the series together across two locations, with three principal actors, over two filming days. The result was a campaign designed for Instagram and TikTok that gave Mad Mexican a distinctive character, a recurring creative idea and plenty to say about what makes its food different.

Beyond the campaign

Following its Cinco de Mayo launch, the work attracted attention from advertising and marketing publications. It was featured among AdForum's Top 5 Food Ads of the Month, while Ads of the World showcased three launch videos. Strategy and DesignRush also covered the campaign.

For me, this project demonstrated what can happen when a business has something genuinely worth saying and a creative team finds an entertaining way to say it. Mad Mexican didn't need to invent a new reason for people to choose its products. The reason was already there; we helped give it a voice.

Explore the campaign

Watch the launch videos on Ads of the World

Read the original campaign story at Candybox Marketing

Have a story worth telling?

I work with businesses to find the right words, sharpen their message and turn good ideas into communication people remember.

LET'S TALK →