‘A Fresh Creative Air’ Means the Sky is The Limit for Spain

Today sees global advertising and design awards show The One Show release their third instalment of ‘Creativity Cheat Sheet’. In a series of five country profiles, The One Show has connected with some of the most impressive creative agencies across the world to provide an invaluable insight into the power-countries that are reshaping the landscape of advertising and design. 

With the world’s most impressive advertising and design being entered into The One Show every year, the team that lead the non-profit organisation (The One Club for Creativity) has a keen eye when it comes to what’s hot. 

“Spain has always been a hub of creativity and passion. Some of the world’s most brilliant creative minds originate from this country from Velasquez and El Greco to Dali, Picasso and Gaudi and it seems that creative heritage continues to flow – with force. Despite some financial and social uncertainty over the past few years Spanish advertising and design has flourished. The creative work hailing from Spain and Spanish creatives has been racking up global appreciation not to mention an impressive amount of metal! This is a country to watch very closely.” says The One Show CEO, Kevin Swanepoel.

Don’t just take their word for it. The One Show has opened up discussions with Spanish agencies to get a true insight into the strength Spain has to offer on a global level. 

DDB Spain ECD, Jose María Roca de Viñals, Leo Burnett Spain ECD, Jesús Lada, MRM // McCANN ECD Jesús Revuelta, Sra.Rushmore MD, Marta Palencia, La Despensa creative director, Daniel Saenz, &Rosas ECD, Isahac Oliver, LOLA MullenLowe Madrid ECD, Pancho Cassis and Proximity ECD, Eva Santos talk inspiration, bravery and world class talent...

The One Show> In one line, how would you describe your local market?

DDB Spain ECD, Jose María Roca de Viñals> Huge. The Spanish market is not only about Spain anymore. It is about the whole of the Spanish-speaking world. It is huge.

Leo Burnett Spain ECD, Jesús Lada> Slow recovery would be the best concept to define our market right now. It looks like we´ve past the worst and advertisers and agencies seem to be more optimistic at the moment.

MRM // McCANN ECD Jesús Revuelta> As a result of certain confusion in the way of understanding integrated, liquid, digital ideas, and after having been through a too rational and conservative period, the Latin picaresque has flourished.

Sra.Rushmore MD, Marta Palencia> Pablo Picasso used to say that ‘inspiration exists but it has to find you working’. We Spaniards are working hard to be more inspired than anyone else. 

La Despensa creative director, Daniel Saenz> We’ve lived through better times but there’s a lot of fresh air coming in, in 2017… at least in La Despensa.

&Rosas ECD, Isahac Oliver> Since the digital revolution Spain has been able to have a bit more freedom to develop communications and become more than a market that adapts work from international HQs. 

LOLA MullenLowe Madrid ECD, Pancho Cassis> The Spanish market is recovering but both agencies and clients are optimistic and pushing for work that stands out.

Proximity ECD, Eva Santos> On its way to get confidence in creativity back. Still sceptic and untrusting.

The One Show> Why should all eyes be on Spain right now?

Jose María Roca de Viñals> Spain is a bridge that connects Europe and Latin America. We get to be creative with the best of both worlds. On the one hand, we follow the latest European trends, while on the other hand we absorb the Latin vibe.

Jesús Lada> Optimism equals bravery. We have always been a talented country, but we were contained by fear. Losing the fear could unleash our creativity.

Jesús Revuelta> I left Spain for two years and, now that I'm back, the market is much stronger than it was.  I’m hearing a lot about Spanish young guns now working in London, Amsterdam, New York or Latam which are willing to come back with more experience and perspective. 

Marta Palencia> In this global political turmoil Spain has turned out to be one of the most stable markets plus it’s expected to grow faster than most of our neighbours in the Euro zone. The sky’s the limit!

Daniel Saenz> We’ve always had very strong creative capabilities in Spain. There are many Spanish creatives around the world showing our different way of thinking. We probably need to take that “creative pride” back. We have the talent and we must show it.

Isahac Oliver> There are some outstanding creative minds in Spain. However, we think that these Spanish creatives will be more likely to lead creative projects in international agencies in bigger markets. In fact, this can already be seen with Paco Conde in BBH, Edu Pou in Here be Dragons, Alvar Sunyol in Alba DDB, Christian Lopez in 72Sunny, Victor Monclus in Droga5…

Pancho Cassis> Because Spain has talent. We are steadily moving up the global creative rankings. Some of the best work we've seen over the past three or four years was made by Spaniards working abroad. Dove Sketches, Proud Whopper and several more were created by Spanish creatives. The world needs to be very interested about the next generation. It's coming out of Spain.

Eva Santos> Because a country that, after going through a brutal crisis, remains among the 10 most creative countries in the world is, without a doubt, a country with high creative capabilities.

The One Show> What creative work are you most proud of?

Jose María Roca de Viñals> I am proud of the majority of the stuff we produce in DDB Spain. Campaigns for Audi, BBVA or Volkswagen among others. However, there is one campaign I am particularly proud of, Holograms for Freedom. Further than the multitude of awards the campaign has received and its creative values, I love it because it reminds us (all of us) that, thanks to Internet and Technology, people still have the power to protest and demonstrate their collective power.

Jesús Lada> This is the third year in a row that we´ve made the Spanish Christmas Lottery campaign, and we are very, very proud of what we have done for the brand in this time. After the success we had with last year´s ‘Justino’, this year’s ad was a huge challenge but we are really satisfied with the response the campaign had and the results.  This is the third year in a row that sales have grown so we must be doing something right!

Jesús Revuelta> I hope the next time you ask me this question, I’ll be able to show you some new MRM/McCann Madrid work  I'm particularly proud of.  But since I joined the agency just a few months ago, for now  I'd say "Claro Extra Minutes" which, paradoxically, was done in Costa Rica (Ogilvy & Mather).

Marta Palencia> ‘Alan Bean’ for Vodafone

Daniel Saenz> Amnistía Internacional España ‘ Tu luz mantiene a las personas desaparecidas con vida’ 

Isahac Oliver> Dewar’s ‘Live True’ series

Pancho Cassis> In the last year we have had two or three pieces of work that we are especially proud of. First, the Magnum ‘Be True to Your Pleasure’ integrated campaign. Then the Football Memories online radio for Líbero and finally our project Road to Tokyo for Nomad skateboards that helped skateboarding become an Olympic sport. 

Eva Santos> Our last campaign for Audi: ‘The Doll That Chose to Drive’. A brave doll decides to cross the chasm ofthe toy aisle to reach the toy cars. She breaks with convention by driving an Audi R8 for the first time. The story is also a metaphor for the gender stereotyping that still exists in the driving world, which starts in childhood with the mistaken belief that toy cars are only for boys.

The One Show> Who would you say are the hottest up and coming creatives in your region?

Jose María Roca de Viñals> There is a production company in Spain, called Garlic, which I admire because of its creativity and capabilities. They are a sort of Renaissance style production company. They have the talent and skills to produce anything, from a beautifully shot TVC to an innovative and advanced technological solution for your creative ideas. 

Jesús Lada> There has been a generational shake-up in the last few years. A lot of young creatives are now in charge of big agencies or small shops. To name some, Angel Torres and Lucas Paulino from el Ruso de Rocky, Bitan Franco and Sito Morillo from Publicis, Pancho Cassis from LOLA are all Young and insanely talented.

Jesús Revuelta> Spotting young creative talent is a marathon rather than a sprint. You never know if a good creative is going to be perseverant, or even if they are going to find their right place.  But we’re seeing a lot more young runners now than when I started - and I feel grateful that I'm learning a lot from some of those that I have around!

Marta Palencia> The new generation of Sra. Rushmore’s creative directors. Fresh, irreverent and digital natives. I won’t share the names because we prefer them to remain at the agency!

Daniel Saenz> It looks like the new generation of creatives are not hungry for success. Honestly, I don’t know of any young creatives that are at the top right now. I hope this year someone will change my opinion. In terms of the seniors, Tuning, a Creative Director from &Rosàs, always does great work.

Isahac Oliver> O estudio creativo. A multidisciplinary group of creative minds who don´t come from the ad world, but rather from other creative areas; music producers, fashionistas, graphic designers, artists and brand directors.

Pancho Cassis> If I give you their names then someone will come and hire them away (haha!). In general, there are really solid and interesting teams working in Spain and also in London, especially in Adam & Eve and Mother. 

Eva Santos> Juan García Escudero, Mónica Moro, Tomás Ostiglia, Pancho Cassis, Alba Vence.

The One Show> Apart from your own work, what was your favourite piece of creative work in Spain over the past year?

Jose María Roca de Viñals> There was a Spanish campaign that clearly stood out from the rest last year. It was covered by the main global communication outlets and received a lot of prominent awards in the important creative festivals. I am referring to “Justino” for the Spanish State Lottery Company, Gold One Show Winner and one of the most shared viral videos of the year in Spain. 

Jesús Lada> All the work that Publicis has done for Loteria Primitiva is amazing. They gave the Brand its own voice. It’s very refreshing and funny work. McCann had a great year, working for clients such as IKEA, Campofrio or Coca-Cola, and doing a very recognizable work for all of them. &Rosas, a small shop based in Barcelona, kept doing an amazing work. And the work that LOLA made for Unilever speaks for itself.

Jesús Revuelta> "The doll that chose to drive" for Audi, by Proximity Barcelona. It's not the idea but the perseverance of the agency what I admire the most. They are not the main Audi agency in Spain, but every year they try to do better work for the brand. They started by doing creative e-mail marketing around about five years ago and now they are achieving a fantastic level of work.  

Marta Palencia> We loved the massive outdoor billboard created to promote Narcos, the Netflix series. It literally said “Oh, white Christmas” (which is the name of a famous Spanish Christmas carol) along with Pablo Escobar’s face. It was hanging in Sol, the most popular spot in Madrid. The Colombian government asked to have it removed so it created lots of free press for them. It was such a smart move by Netflix.

Daniel Saenz> I don’t want to talk about a specific piece. I don’t have a favourite one. I prefer to talk about a whole agency, and probably &Rosàs are the coolest agency in Spain right now.

Isahac Oliver> Audi R8. ‘La muñeca que eligió conducir’ by PROXIMITY

Pancho Cassis> I would say the Spanish Lottery. It´s the biggest, most ambitious campaign of the year. It really connected with people locally but actually ended up being considered one of the best Christmas adverts of the past year globally. It also won multiple Pencils including Gold in The One Show and other prestigious awards including a Grand Prix in Cannes. 

Eva Santos> The new campaign for Mixta, a famous beer in Spain.