Paulo Areas is CCO of Forever Beta, working with, among others, Rooney Carruthers of VCCP fame. He has held senior creative positions at Leo Burnett and Cheil and, before joining Forever Beta, was general creative director of Ogilvy in Madrid.
Desert Island Ads
It has been quite a journey for this industry, and as times like this insist on reminding us, there is more still to come. But for those addicted to feeding curiosity and learning with each step, the truth is that the advertising industry has given us so much, that it’s hard to keep up with it.
Forget the consumer journey for a minute. For the sake of this article, let’s talk about the creative journey.
From those amazing classic TV executions with perfect storytelling to uploading a new way of working on digital. From believing social was having a voice, to learning that we were out there to listen. From fooling around with technological prototypes to having relationships with fancy algorithms. Wow. So much has happened. If I was standing on a desert island I’d have a beautiful story to tell. Even if it was just to myself.
GOT MILK
I remember watching hours of advertising with my friends back in the day. It was just like the movies. The influence of the big screen could not be denied of course, but more than that, stories were compelling and profound. The word connection had a different meaning. It was emotional. Concepts would last for decades, always building upon the brand.
BMW
And why stick to the small screen, when you could go even smaller? The first barrier I remember being broken was with this digital/content campaign. And that was before content was even a thing. And there I was, loving this profession more and more.
STARBUCKS
And humour! Always relevant. I remember walking around singing along with Glen for so long, that even recently, my daughters and I were talking about this ad at the dinner table. Give people what they want. And sometimes, what they want is a laugh and music they can sing along to. Humour is a survivor in this Starbucks commercial.
CHRYSLER
Lines were more than just lines. Besides the perfect execution obviously, those 3 words (imported from Detroit) were probably one of the strongest concepts I can remember. It hurts.
DUMB WAYS TO DIE
And at a certain point, it was everywhere. From that nice viral video to the mobile game your kids were playing at home. Clearly, there were no more frontiers anymore, neither for the idea or the media upon where it stood.
TIDE – STAIN
First no frontiers. Then, no timeline. Before and after became just one thing: Real-time.
NIKE – UNLIMITED STADIUM
What now? Many asked back in the day. The answer? well: technology. It made it possible for us to interact with brands even more.
COLOR OF CORRUPTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq0IDJ51vXI
And finally, advertising has become an active social asset to spark conversations around brands and society.
So many conversations have happened along this creative journey that it is almost unfair to look for a few examples. But what remains clear is that good ideas, no matter what shape or size, have the power to engage in different levels, making creativity still one of the most important tools to reach people’s hearts. Let the journey continue. We will be around.
