Dream Teams: Wunderman Thompson's Innovation Powerhouses

“Ever since near the start of our careers, we’ve worked closely together. It’s like we were destined to be a team.”

Dany Minaker and Sebastian ‘Patán’ Tarazaga, now CCOs of Wunderman Thompson LATAM, have been joined at the hip since first collaborating at Argentinian creative agency Ponce in 2007. “Our chemistry was immediate,” says Dany. “We found connections through so many things, like our sense of humour, passion, attention to detail and respect for each other.”

“The secret behind so many years of being a team is that we both share the same ambitions,” adds Sebastian. “We are honest with each other. There are no secrets. Every time we have different thoughts, we think about what’s better for the work we are doing. And that’s it.” The pair are also global ECDs for The Coca-Cola Company, as part of WPP Open X, and describe this as a responsibility that pushes them to be up-to-date and think in a diverse and global way.

Through this partnership, the pair have worked on projects for Fanta and Costa Coffee - a brand Sebastian has a particular affinity for. “[It’s] a brand I have loved ever since my first cup of coffee at Heathrow. Who could have known that a couple of years later I would be the one helping to launch a new campaign for the brand? That´s something I love: to give a brand a personality, a tone, a way of communicating. You can only make that happen when you work with global clients like Coca-Cola.”

When they first started out, the duo’s first collaborations weren’t in the beverages sector, however, but rather involved two of the biggest global deodorant brands - Axe and Rexona (Degree). ‘Futwork’ for Degree in LATAM invited people to play football at their places of work, and involved shooting 10 videos from around 100 scripts. Meanwhile, their Axe ‘Music Star’ campaign combined technology with gaming and commerce to earn awards at festivals including Cannes Lions, starting a career-long affair with innovation.

[Above: Rexona - 'Futwork']

“Of course, times move on and looking at that project now, it seems completely out of date,” says Dany. 

Reflecting on their evolution, Sebastian says, “Year after year, position after position, the size of the challenge grows a lot. You start by being happy that your mom is able to cut one of your ads out of the newspaper. Next thing you know, you’re celebrating that you’ve won a Grand Prix at Cannes! Everything is important.”

This ever-present obsession with innovation has made this dream team a perfect fit for Wunderman Thompson LATAM. Always using some form of tech in every presentation, for inspiration and rough ideation, Dany says they were pleasantly surprised upon joining to discover how many of the existing team had additional skills in programming and electronics. This combination of creativity and innovation is the intersection at which both the agency and the CCOs feel most comfortable. “t’s no accident that we won two of the last three Innovation Grands Prix at Cannes Lions,” says Dany.

These Grand Prix-winning ideas were Augmental’s ‘MouthPad^’ campaign, which won earlier this year and ‘Degree Inclusive’, which won in 2021.

“It took a lot of work and a lot of time to make those ideas come true, and the sensation of winning is indescribable,” says Sebastian. “I still remember the moments when I discovered that we had won each of those Grands Prix - I will never forget it. In advertising, to win two Innovation Grands Prix in three years, particularly in LATAM – it means a lot. But most importantly, it means that it is really hard to beat a team that never gives up.”

Dany adds, “Both projects have in common a noble purpose and a focus on inclusive and accessible design, which is one of the network’s pillars. These innovative projects always bring difficulties and particular challenges, and you must put extra energy into them, and a lot of willingness to achieve. But at the end of the road, they are always worth it.”

[Above: Augmental - ‘MouthPad^’] 

The pair attribute these recent successes to the transparent and direct relationship they’ve built with their teams, setting a clear north star and expectations for each project. “Our leadership is based on principles of empathy and our focus on brilliant work,” says Dany. “We believe in small interdisciplinary teams focused on a common goal. We lead by example and by the work we create.” This attitude, which they developed for five years as the LATAM creative leaders of Wunderman Thompson, through the brand’s launch and the subsequent pandemic era, is now what spearheads their navigation through the challenges of the VMLY&R merger.

Besides the ongoing merger, another topic on Dany’s mind is sustainability - a theme that he believes the industry should be committed to tackling together.

On this, the duo recently worked with AI and NFTs on a global warming fashion collection for The North Face in Mexico. The project aims to raise awareness of the “alarming statistical data” around climate change, and the necessity for everyone to take action. “Not achieving that aim is, unfortunately, not even worth thinking about,” he says. “It´s a beautiful campaign that has recently won a Grand Prix, and that has interesting aspects, from its design, data interpretation, the use of technology and sustainability as an objective.”

Right from the get-go of their working relationship, the two bonded both in and out of the office - before they both had children or, in Sebastian’s case, even a girlfriend. Now, over 15 years later, Sebastian says they have become more than just colleagues. Especially since moving to Miami six months ago, they both enjoy bringing their families together to explore new places and socialise at the beach.

“There are many things I´ve learned from Patán [Sebastian],” says Dany. “I think that, over time, I went from being an art director to a copywriter, largely because of his influence. I learned from him, his simplicity, and his ability to focus and look at the bigger picture. In non-working spaces, he inspires me with the value and importance that he places on his family and his dearest friends.”

Reflecting on their journey together, Sebastian shares that observing Dany’s obsessive eye for detail when discussing design has helped mould him into a design team leader, despite his background being in copywriting. However, the big lesson he’s taken from their dynamic is simple: trust each other.

“For answers, for ideas, for making decisions. That´s the great part of being a pair. You always have someone to ask if you want a second opinion.”