Interview - Issue 1-2022

 

 

JA    Advertising was not my first choice; I thought I would end up as a producer since I loved problem-solving; I’m a ‘make it happen’ type of person. 

I was working at MTV trying to figure out new ways to present the Top 10 TV show, and the director asked me if I had worked at an ad agency before. An opportunity to do so arrived soon after. Out of curiosity, I applied, and now 20 years later, I can tell you I was not expecting a long-lasting career at that time.

 

 

JA    After switching from MTV producer to an agency, I started as a copywriter for a much loved retail brand in Mexico, Palacio de Hierro; the brand was famous for its witty headlines. It was a blessing to have such a fantastic start. 

The first half of my career, I call them the strategic years – I worked for agencies and brands where strategic creativity was needed. As a reward for my great work, I was sent to the Cannes Lions Festival more than a decade ago, and after that trip, everything changed.

I was truly inspired. The hard work years came after that. Along with my team, we won the first Lion in Publicis Mexico’s history, and a year after that, the first D&AD Pencil for my country.

That’s how the second half of my career started; some more international awards followed, and then my first international jury. I love jury duty, I love to learn from other points of view, and it has changed how I think about advertising.

After 13 years at the same agency, I thought I would stay there forever, but a call from Ogilvy changed everything; I always wanted to work there. It was not an easy change, but I loved the challenge; it made me grow.

Ogilvy works as a network, so fortunately, I could contribute to some global briefs. One in particular was unique to me: a hothouse at Ogilvy Chicago. After that project, I got invited to join the Worldwide Creative Council, and I think I’ve never felt so proud of myself before.

The WWCC changed my career – I learn every  week from my talented colleagues. I love to help them when I can, and I know I can contribute to a bigger purpose. You can’t parallel that feeling. 

A few months after the WWCC call, Joe Sciarrotta and Piyush Pandey made a call I’ll never forget, ‘we want you to be the next Regional CCO’, those words stick in my head. My first reaction was full of fear, but if they believe in me, why shouldn’t I?

I started the Regional CCO role a few weeks before the pandemic, so the job description has changed along with the world’s circumstances. I feel I’ve had to switch gears constantly, but I’ve never grown so much. 

I’m thankful for the trust and responsibility that Ogilvy has given me, and I put my all into making Latina (as we like to call it) the best network we can be in LATAM.

 

 

JA    I was born and raised in Mexico.

Creatively Mexico is one of the strongest countries in Latam, but I think we are far away from reaching our full potential. You can breathe creativity on the streets, you can easily say that it is part of our culture, and that’s why for me, it’s a mystery why Mexico is not one of the top countries at festivals. Of course, I have some theories, but that would need another interview.

We are still trying to find our voice as an industry, and  I genuinely believe that we should be closer to the top. We are fragmented. In Mexico City alone, we have 400 agencies. That level of competition has erased the feeling of glamor. Fortunately, we know how to bring it back at our local awards.

We are hard workers, we work more than 12 hours a day, and when we work with other countries, they are always surprised at how quickly Mexico can make things happen. 

 

 

JA    ‘‘Work for free’ My first Cannes Lions was also the first Lion for Publicis Mexico. It was for an NGO called paraLife.

‘Erase the Difference’ I wanted to win something with one  of my most challenging clients, to bring some creative culture  to the account; I was not expecting to win the first D&AD Pencil 

for Mexico. 

‘Victoria 1.8’ Besides the many awards it won, we were able to help thousands of Mexicans keep their income during the pandemic. The messages we received from people still fill my heart with warmth.

 

L[A]  Which medium (print, TV, digital) has been overrated? Which do you enjoy working in the most? Do you agree with the maxim: ‘The Future is Digital’?

JA    Every time you think that one medium is overrated, new fantastic work comes out to destroy your theory. I thought print was dying, then Budweiser Tagwords came out to shut my mouth. You can say enough of TV manifestos, but every year there’s at least one that moves our hearts.

I would say that new buttons are added to our ‘control panel’ each year. When I started, we had very few buttons – TV, print, radio, OOH. You turn up a couple of them and sales went up – it was that easy. Today we have a thousand options, so pushing the right buttons is getting more complex: social media, adwords, CRM, DCO, podcast, lead generation… and more buttons will  keep coming.

So, for me, the future is to learn how to use the control panel and what buttons are needed for each project.

 

 

JA    In a few words: NFT is digital art, you can buy a piece of it, and the price varies depending on how many people want it and how much of it you want. It would be if people bought an original Banksy by pieces in the physical world. I have only been diving into NFTs for ideas’ sake. I’m not investing in them, but it looks interesting to be part of that world.

 

 

JA    I admire the way Piyush Pandey (Ogilvy Chairman of Global Creative) leads with calm and love. (Ogilvy Deputy Chief Creative Officer) Joe Sciarotta’s hunger and drive helps me keep myself on the right path. And Liz Taylor (Ogilvy Global Chief Creative Officer) helps me believe that I should be where I am and that I could be where she is.

 

 

JA    I’m an architecture fan, it’s my other passion. I designed a restaurant in Oaxaca a few years ago, and now and then some of my friends’ homes. It’s just a hobby, but for every bad day in the advertising world, I find myself recharging, reading, or consuming anything related to the architect’s world.

 

 

JA    Even though Covid is a health crisis, in third world countries Covid feels more like an economic crisis. People were losing jobs, brands were trying to help but didn’t know how. I think very few brands were brave enough to say something, and I take my hat off to the ones that did.

It’s hard to find brave clients who don’t mind being in the spotlight, which worsened during the pandemic. No one wants  to lose their job because of a campaign. Don’t get me wrong,  I know it’s easier for the agency to be fearless than for our clients, we shall always acknowledge that. Probably that’s another reason why I think the Victoria 1.8 project will always have a special place in my heart.

 

 

JA    I’ve told you I loved jury duty, and this was as satisfying  as that. It was a challenge, but I loved it. I love to choose the stuff I was ‘judging’. I also think the great advertising publishers should give a more prominent voice and space to works beyond  English-led campaigns.

It was hard to get great local work from other countries. For example, there was a brave campaign from Egypt that I saw at Dubai Lynx and I found it. It’s hard to do famous work from countries outside the English world.