Hybe Co. is South Korea’s largest music company operating as a record label, talent agency, music production company, concert management and production company and music publisher. It has several subsidiaries, such as Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, among others and are collectively known as Hybe Labels.

They are behind K-Pop superstars such as BTS or NewJeans and this year they took their first steps to establish themselves in the growing Latin music market with the acquisition of record label Exile Music, taking advantage of the fast-growing Latin music market, estimated at $1.3 billion.

After this acquisition, they needed a rebranding and so, hand in hand with the HYBE Latin team, we brought Zarpazo to life: the label for emerging artists without genre boundaries and that seeks to rediscover the soul of the Latin sound and turn it into a global phenomenon, focusing on emerging talents that resonate across generations and have a defining impact on the music world, not only in the Latin sphere.

Zarpazo was born as a cool, bold and risky brand that bets harder on emerging artists and resignifies Latin culture and history, with a message told through music and transforming the clichés and stereotypes surrounding Latin culture.

The goal was to create a brand that becomes a seal of quality, curation and a cultural statement that creates superfandom, without marrying itself to a single genre but surprising with a fresh and propositive curation, seeking to expand the boundaries of what is known as Latin music.

After several interviews we realized that emerging Latin artists are increasingly looking for labels that offer them more than just financial support. They want partners who will protect their creative output and help them cultivate loyal superfans who not only buy the music, but live it every day. This is especially important in an industry where Latin artists are often pigeonholed and limited by gender stereotypes. That’s why the brand should not focus specifically on any one genre or Latin nationality, which, while they are very similar cultures, have particularities specific to each country and region.

A key idea driving our strategy is the realization that traditional record labels have shifted from being cultural managers to focusing strictly on business, losing their cultural prominence. Zarpazo is taking advantage of this shift to position itself as a culturally significant label with a fresh and innovative approach to Latin music.

To achieve this, we position Zarpazo as the independent Latin label that champions diverse and non-traditional Latin sounds and becomes a curator of style and creator of a new Latin culture.

The visual identity was designed to reflect its edgy and diverse nature, using bold and dynamic elements to stand out in the industry. The color palette is vibrant and eclectic, symbolizing the variety and richness of Latin music and culture. The brand’s communication style is approachable, friendly and often in Spanglish, reflecting its authentic, approachable yet international nature.

With emerging Latin artists such as Magna, Chicocurlyhead, Andrea Ele and Mariah Angeliq, the brand seeks to transcend and position itself in the coming years as one of the most important music labels in Latin America and the world.