Many local businesses —restaurants, workshops, gyms— still rely almost exclusively on word-of-mouth to acquire new customers, even in highly competitive areas like the Costa Brava.
In a region where seasonal businesses, tourism, and local commerce coexist throughout the year, standing out from the competition without a stable acquisition system is becoming increasingly difficult.
It is in this context that ONIN, the digital growth and AI consultancy founded by Mel in Blanes, has been operating for over five years.
Before that, Mel was involved in dropshipping: an e-commerce model with which, he says, he used to earn considerable money. He decided to quit because it didn't align with his values —it didn't generate real value nor did he feel he was helping anyone— and he opted to put that same knowledge at the service of local businesses.
The agency's services have evolved over the years: from social media management initially, to an offering that today includes web, positioning, advertising, automation, and more recently, the complete launch of new brands before their opening.
Among the businesses the agency works or has worked with are La Brasería de Samu, Serralleria Escoriza, Inox i Més, Hybrid Fitness Academy, Atelier Bri Ver Bel, and La Nou, among others. Hybrid Fitness Academy now bills 4 times more than when it started working with ONIN; La Brasería de Samu, almost double.
The agency maintains a declared preference for long-term relationships over one-off projects, and for its own systems —such as its free marketing tools— rather than relying solely on external templates.
With more than five years of experience, the company says it is now focused on consolidating its role as a long-term growth partner, beyond the one-off marketing tasks it started with.
“"I decided to quit dropshipping because it didn't generate real value nor did I feel I was helping anyone."
“"We started by managing social networks; today we build complete acquisition systems."
