Three Effies for Jabón Rey: How Agencia Quiroga Turned Cultural Connection into Growth

News

Jabón Rey earned three awards at the Effie Awards Colombia 2026 for two campaigns developed jointly by Fantástica Agencia and Latin American ICOM member Agencia Quiroga, which led media execution and digital implementation.

Both winning campaigns were a joint effort between Fantástica Agencia, which led the creative, and Agencia Quiroga, which led media execution and digital implementation. Each tackled a different business problem, but both drew on the same asset: the trust Jabón Rey has earned in Colombian households over more than 60 years.

Letting Colombians make the case

With hard-discount retailers squeezing traditional brands, Jabón Rey needed to protect its position without resorting to price cuts or endless promotions. So instead of making claims about itself, the brand handed the microphone to its users. “Pregúntele a un colombiano por Jabón Rey” (“Ask a Colombian About Jabón Rey”) built the campaign around real people and the stories and habits passed down in their families.

It paid off: bar soap sales grew by 11% and liquid soap by 25%. The campaign took home two Effie Golds, in Crisis Response and in Household Products & Services.

Building a community, not just a following

Online, the brand had a quiet audience of around 3,000 followers. “Quiero ser amigo del Rey” (“I Want to Be the King’s Friend”) set out to get people talking, with content rooted in Colombian culture, a more playful brand voice and plenty of room for users to join in.

Engagement jumped from around 7% to a record 337%, and the community grew to almost 20,000 followers. The work earned an Effie Silver in Engaged Community – Products.

Gustavo Quiroga, CEO of Agencia Quiroga, explained why the recognition is especially significant for the agency: “These Effie Awards are especially meaningful for Agencia Quiroga because they recognize the ability to turn strategy, consumer understanding and strong execution into tangible results for our clients. In Colombia, they carry an added significance. It is a strategic market for our regional operation and one where we have been strengthening a highly talented team and an increasingly solid offering.“

Having this work for Jabón Rey recognized by Effie reinforces that path and encourages us to keep growing, strengthening our presence and creating value from Colombia across the region.

Why it worked

What links the two campaigns is where they started. Neither tried to reinvent Jabón Rey. Both began by listening to how Colombians already see and talk about the brand, then built a strategy around that. For Agencia Quiroga, it’s proof that a brand’s emotional connection with people is also a business advantage, one that can defend market share and turn passive followers into an active community.

This isn’t the first time Jabón Rey’s work has been recognised at the Colombia Effies. In 2025, Agencia Quiroga earned a Bronze for the launch of Jabón Rey’s first-ever product extension, a liquid detergent. You can read that story here.

These wins also come as Agencia Quiroga celebrates 25 years of history as the only independent agency in Latin America, with operations in 12 markets, a strategic hub in Colombia and direct representation in China.

Congratulations to the entire Agencia Quiroga team, and to their partners at Fantástica Agencia, on this well-deserved recognition!