DDB Latina Looks Ahead to Cannes 2023 and DDB’s Bullseye Future

Speaking with LBB in September, DDB Latina’s president and CEO, Juan Carlos Ortiz, shared his thoughts on the success that DDB’s Latin agencies have seen at the Cannes Lions festival in recent years. In 2021, the DDB Latina group of agencies - encompassing the network’s offices in LATAM, Spain and Miami - earned 50% of the total points awarded to the DDB network as a whole. Following this impressive feat, in 2022, DDB Latina raised the bar once again by earning 59% of DDB’s Cannes Lions awards, with nine DDB Latina agencies claiming 33 Lions - including two Grand Prixs in the ‘Lion for Good’ and ‘Creative Data’ categories. 

In his recent interview with LBB, Juan Carlos - who is also the creative chairman of Bullseye DDB - attributed this regional accomplishment to the ‘Bullseye System’, the creativity-first structure and strategy that he has helmed and developed in the DDB Latina offices. He told LBB’s Ben Conway that, following this back-to-back awards show success, the global DDB network would soon be adopting the Bullseye System and implementing this strategy for increased worldwide success at Cannes.

“The impossible is nothing,” he said. “To improve on 50% was impossible, but we did it… The next step is not more awards [for DDB Latina], it’s that the company wants to expand the Bullseye System. It’s going to be the DDB Worldwide process.”

To help jump-start the globalisation of the Bullseye framework, on October 24th and 25th, DDB Latina hosted the ‘Bullseye Meeting’. This conference of DDB’s regional Latin leaders provided a space where the offices could discuss plans and ideas for the year ahead - including next year’s Cannes Lions festival. Joining Juan Carlos, the event was attended by senior leadership figures from DDB’s Latin offices, as well as Susie Walker, creative chief of staff at DDB Worldwide.

The full list of attendees, as well as the aforementioned Juan Carlos and Susie, are as follows: Luis Miguel Messianu, founder/chairman, alma DDB; Alvar Suñol, co-president and CCO, alma DDB; Sergio Gordilho, CCO, Africa; Jose Maria Roca, VP and CCO, DDB Spain; John Raúl Forero, president and CCO, DDB Colombia; Facundo Varela, GCD, DDB Argentina; Icaro Doria, CCO, DM9; Mar Frutos, creative VP, DDB Centro; José Caceres, creative VP, DDB Centro; Diego Ortiz, CCO, DDB Mexico; Enrique Renta, CCO, DDB Puerto Rico; Sergio Franco, ECD, DDB Peru; Agustín Febres-Cordero, CCO, Paradais DDB; Kevin Brenes, CCO, Madison DDB and Angela Henao, director of regional communications, DDB Latina.

Speaking to LBB from the important yearly event, the Bullseye creative chairman, Juan Carlos, said, “DDB Latina has represented more than the 50% in creative points for DDB Worldwide at Cannes in the last two years, and Bullseye has been a great creative tool in accomplishing this. We are optimists and excited about the future and Cannes 2023.”

It seems that, after several years of DDB dominance at Cannes, the DDB Latina leaders are more bullish than ever about 2023’s Cannes Lions - especially after the Bullseye Meeting which, according to Sergio Gordilho, co-president and CCO at Africa Brazil, has revealed “a lot of strong ideas to keep leading creativity at DDB globally.” Although he said that the most universally liked ideas are usually the most successful at the awards show, he admitted that Cannes is often “a great lottery where luck and talent go hand in hand.”

With high expectations for the work they submit, Sergio and the other leaders are praying for a bit of luck to assist the great ideas already taking shape following the Bullseye meeting. In high hopes following the meeting, John Raul Forero, CEO at DDB Colombia, added, “After evidencing so many solid ideas from many different offices across the region, my expectations for Cannes 2023 will probably remain the same as of 2022, or even higher. This was our first meeting of the year, and I can't wait to see what we have ready in June.”

Reflecting on the “incredible couple of days” with DDB Latina’s leaders, Susie Walker, creative chief of staff at DDB Worldwide, shared her excitement and hopefulness for the future of the global Bullseye process, which has been kickstarted by this event. “After an incredible performance at Cannes Lions in 2022 - with two Grand Prix for DDB Mexico - the work for 2023 promises to be another set of diverse and dynamic, culture-shifting projects for our brands.”

So, will DDB Latina once again increase its awards haul at 2023’s Cannes Lions awards show? Only time will tell… But what is sure, is that the global Bullseye process has begun its expansion across the DDB network worldwide, and that excitement is building among DDB’s Latin leaders and its global team for the coming year of creativity, evolution and, of course, awards.