Mexican Bakery Bimbo Uses AI to Prove the World’s Best Hotdogs and Hamburgers Aren’t Made in the USA

Historically the United States and Mexico have had a complicated relationship, not least when it comes to food. The US appropriates Mexico’s dishes and comes up with curiosities like Mexican Pizza and Crunchwraps. Meanwhile, Mexico has taken food from the USA to new culinary heights - thanks to the 8,000+ indie vendors around the country who have put their own twist on icons of American eats like hamburgers and hotdogs. 

Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery company, and one of the world’s top providers of hotdog and hamburger buns, is celebrating Mexican culinary creativity and helping the thousands of small businesses by introducing The Greatest Guide, a new platform that steers foodies to more than 8,000 creative Mexican street chefs innovating hamburgers and hotdogs.

The platform includes a Google-supported digital map and printed guides showing the way to delicacies such as La Chingadera, El Chapulín Colorado or La Hipócrita, featuring surprising ingredients ranging from grasshoppers and octopus to Takis and Macha sauce. The platform also leverages generative A.I. and a suite of technologies to give each one of these vendors their own personal branding, helping them stand out in the sea of major fast-food chains.

For 75 years, Bimbo has provided the hotdog and hamburger buns for the culinary creations of families, chefs and restaurants. The guide is the brand’s “thank you” to its indie vendor clients.

"For us, our clients are business partners, they are a vital part of the brand, and our ‘Greatest Guide to Hotdogs and Hamburgers’ demonstrates this," said Gabriela Mendoza, Bimbo's brand manager buns & rolls.

The campaign was conceived out of Vector B - a bespoke IPG unit for Bimbo Mexico comprising McCann Mexico, FCB Mexico and Mediabrands; and McCann Worldgroup agency Performance Art, the data- driven creative agency behind the award-winning 'Black Elevation Map'.

AI Amplification

The more than 8,000 personalised signs created for each of the vendors highlight their individual specialties. They were developed with generative AI and a suite of digital tools, informed by the style of local Mexican artists.

“It’s relatively easy to use the latest round of generative AI tools to produce stunning combinations of visuals and words,” says Ian Mackenzie, chief creative officer, Performance Art. “What’s much harder is using the tools to express the spirit of a brand like Bimbo, at scale, with cohesion across thousands of pieces of high visibility brand collateral. With the ‘Greatest Guide,’ we’re unlocking the power of generative AI for our client, while keeping the focus squarely on its customers and their highly creative food. At a time when generative AI is the story, we’re using its full power to shape local businesses and help drive economic impact. “

The inaugural promotional campaign for 'Greatest Guide' included 350 pieces of content that invited people to use the map to visit restaurants and carts throughout Mexico, reaching more than 77K visits and an average engagement rate of 10.85%, in addition to a 12% increase in sales in these stalls and carts—breaking sales record in the weeks of campaign implementation. Finally achieving total sales of the category in special channels that was +23% growth vs AA.

The global rollout this week marks the debut of the customized branding for all the vendors, and Bimbo’s vendor partners can download their own “Greatest Guide” branding from the website. Meanwhile, the rest of the world can get started on ticking the world's best burgers and dogs off their culinary bucket lists.

”Bimbo for decades has proudly provided the buns for the delicious creations of food vendors around the country,” said Elizabeth Juárez, creative VP of Vector B. “‘Greatest Guide’ underscores the brand’s dedication to support their businesses and bring them the attention they deserve for their contribution to culture, introducing new flavors from Mexico to the world.”