Born in 2000, José Olé made its mark with crave-worthy frozen Mexican favorites—mini tacos, taquitos, and chimichangas—crafted with real meat, authentic spices, and oven-baked tortillas. Every bite delivered on its promise: meatier, cheesier, crunchier.

When Ajinomoto Foods North America (AFNA) acquired José Olé in 2014, the brand had nationwide distribution—but limited distinction. Research confirmed what the sales charts already hinted: José Olé had faded into the background, overshadowed by category giants like El Monterey (with twice the user base) and Old El Paso (five times the users and dominant shelf presence in dry goods). Worse, the brand had no clear emotional anchor—its Mexican Charro logo was underused, and its story under-told.

So, Left Off Madison rebuilt José Olé from the ground up.

We treated it like a relaunch 25 years in the making—starting with fresh insights. Hispanic consumers were over-indexing on José Olé products, suggesting the brand’s recipes were closest to homemade. Across Walmart, Instacart, and social channels, a consistent truth emerged: consumers loved the authentic taste and quality. That became our north star.

We repositioned José Olé around one powerful idea—“Excite your taste buds. All 2,000 of them.” A campaign designed to make José Olé synonymous with sensory satisfaction, quality ingredients, and an unapologetically flavorful experience.

Through new creative, revitalized media strategy, and robust shopper and social activations, José Olé reclaimed its voice—and its growth.

The results: After years of flat household penetration, José Olé achieved +5.2% growth in just one year (MRI-Simmons), green-lighting new product innovations like Double-Stuffed Taquitos and reigniting momentum across the frozen aisle.

For CMOs, it’s proof that when you rediscover what consumers already love about your brand—and amplify it with modern storytelling—you can turn a quiet shelf staple into a sizzling category comeback.