Jorge Plasencia is the Very Best Miami Has to Offer

Jorge Plasencia,  Republica Havas (Photo courtesy of Republica Havas)

BY BILLY YOST, HISPANIC EXECUTIVE

One of Miami’s most celebrated and community-minded entrepreneurs is inspiring brands and business leaders to rethink what it means to truly connect with diverse audiences and their contributions to a multicultural world. Cross-cultural storytelling is a worldview, not limited to isolated campaigns.

These are not platitudes; they are the lived experiences of one of Miami’s finest. Jorge Plasencia is the co-founder of Republica Havas, soon entering its second decade, and one of Miami’s most awarded advertising agencies for campaigns and storytelling done globally. In 2025, the oft-awarded firm was ranked as The Drum’s most awarded agency, a top-tier distinction on par with its Ad Age ranking before merging with Havas as the number one independent US multicultural agency in existence.

Centered in Service

Plasencia is co-founder, chairman, and CEO at Republica Havas (originally founded as Republica, the company joined forces with Paris-based Havas Group in 2018, expanding its reach to global giants like Toyota, Google, and Sanofi), but it’s what the creative and executive has done with his success that defines him. At just seventeen, Plasencia co-founded Amigos For Kids, a Miami-based nonprofit that serves under-resourced children, youth, and families. It’s still in existence and thriving today. How’s that for an enduring legacy?

The executive is also a former board chair of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino advocacy organization, where he led a major rebranding and national expansion. Plasencia’s civic engagement and community service (he currently serves on several boards, including as board chair of the Miami Dade College Foundation) were recognized earlier this year by The Children’s Trust naming him a “Champion For Children” and by the March of Dimes, which several years back awarded him “Humanitarian of the Year” for his lifelong community service as one of the most influential Hispanics in the US.

When the executive speaks about cross-cultural storytelling, it’s because that is what made Republica Havas so successful in the first place.

Strategy, Authenticity, and the Miami Differentiator

“Brands that are authentic and show up in communities reap lasting loyalty,” Plasencia says. In a fragmented, complex media landscape, honoring cultural roots and telling meaningful stories is what put his organization on the map and made outstanding work for its partners.

Work at Republica Havas goes beyond brand strategy. The agency’s work is driven by a belief that creativity should be a force for good. It has spearheaded meaningful campaigns reaching mainstream and broader multicultural communities. The key is to do so authentically and informed by the communities for which the campaigns are created.

“Coming from a Hispanic perspective myself, we’re a very loyal customer base,” Plasencia explains. “If you connect your brand and your product with Latinos, you can have a loyal customer for life. The more you speak to us with cultural relevance, the more you tug at our heartstrings, the more you show up in our communities, we pay back dividends.”

Republica Havas is a global organization, but the executive says you cannot remove Miami from the company DNA without destroying it. Plasencia is a rarity in Miami; he’s a local. He’s Cuban by heritage but was born and raised in Miami.

“What makes this place special is that it’s such a young city; next year it’ll be 130 years old,” Plasencia says. “Miami is like a clean canvas for anybody with talent and a vision to create. That’s why I have such a deep love for my hometown. It’s unique in every way, down to the hue of the sky. There isn’t a deep establishment that’s hard to penetrate like other major cities. It was a city rich in cultures, open to ideas and expression.”

Word Hard, Stay Humble

Republica Havas interns recently ended their summer session, and the outgoing young professionals had a Q&A with the Republica execs. Plasencia says his advice may seem traditional, but he strongly believes in it. Working hard can never be taken for granted. It’s imperative, and no AI-automation can ever fully replace a motivated and hard-working, winning spirit.

Jorge Plasencia, Republica Havas

(Photo courtesy of Republica Havas)

And, invariably, people will pass you on the way up. Plasencia says humility is key. Someone may always do it better, faster, and smarter. But do the best you can do, and it will play out the way it’s supposed to.

“The last piece I always try to offer is to get involved with nonprofits and start giving back as early as you can,” the leader says. “Some of my very best professional and personal relationships have come from sitting on nonprofit boards and supporting the community. If you’re truly engaged in the volunteer work, you’re going to connect with purpose-driven people you enjoy being around and collaborating with.”

Keep Learning

When Plasencia is asked what else he hopes to accomplish at this point in his career, he invokes friend, client, businesswoman, philanthropist, and fellow-Miami titan Adrienne Arsht.

“Adrienne gets asked that question often, and she always says, ‘I just put one foot in front of the other,’” the executive quotes. “I think that’s what life is about. We’re on this continual journey of learning, adapting, and growing. Nothing is linear in business. Three-plus decades of experience have taught me that. We just do the best we can, while keeping a positive mindset, facing each day, and learning as we go.”

Hispanicexecutive.com