The environment, poverty, political extremism, gender equality: these are among today’s most pressing issues. And the ad industry has made great strides towards embracing them as topics. Prime examples can be found among the Latin American winners at the Epica Awards. Argentina, Brazil and Colombia spearheaded an impressive crop of campaigns with a clear common thread: responsibility as a driving force.
But how do agencies find a balance between addressing this new age of political correctness and staying true to their creative process? We asked some of our Latin winners.
Why are brands turning to public interest topics?
Daniel Minaker and Sebastián Tarazaga (left) are executive creative directors at Wunderman. The Buenos Aires agency garnered awards for campaigns against introducing foreign animal species into native forest ecosystems, and for matching storytelling and mobile technology to address bullying issues at schools.
They suggest that the trend of social responsibility in advertising is the result of the industry’s constantly changing nature. “Advertising must accompany the consumer’s mindset. Some years back we wouldn’t question a lot of things that we find unacceptable today. The biggest risk for a brand is to not evolve and adapt, to ignore the changes in society.”
Alejandro Devoto and Hernán Kritzer, CCOs at Grey Argentina, agree. “Working on these subjects is definitely risky because people will not forgive you if you do it wrong. But if you pull it off, the payoff is huge because you position yourself on the consumers’ side without making them feel as if you’re selling them something.”
The agency won Gold with a campaign that used humour and a live prostate exam during a radio spot to break the taboo around getting tested. It resulted in six times more prostate exams during the week following the broadcast.
According to Andrea Siqueira, executive creative director of BETC/Havas in Brazil (left), people now demand that companies go further than tradition dictates. “Research suggests that 73% of people believe that companies should do more than just offer a product or service. Now ‘story doing’ is worth more than ‘story telling’ alone.”
Her agency’s Gold-winning “Dissolving Poster” combats mosquito-borne diseases, dissolving in rain to emit an insecticide that kills mosquito larvae.
Why is it important to remain genuine as a brand?
One of the major risks that brands run when engaging with social issues is the possibility of a backlash from audiences that have grown skilled at sniffing out disingenuousness. “People can distinguish empty speech from a sincere positioning,” confirms Andrés Marques, CCO of Brazil’s WMcCANN. His agency was awarded at Epica for “The Fall”, a touching animated film made for a cancer hospital with which the agency has a long-term relationship. “The most important thing is to be true to and really interested in the cause.”
Another Epica winner, Joanna Monteiro, CCO of FCB Brazil, echoes this thought. “It has to be an authentic issue for the brand. Opportunistic advertising can be deadly. For example, when a company doesn’t have policies that are pro-women and pro-diversity, but uses these causes in its communication, it’s an obvious shot in the foot.”
FCB’s winning campaign was “100 Things To Do in Brazil Before You Die”, for Estadão newspaper. The bucket-list style of the title concealed alarming real-life stories of people who had been murdered in Brazil doing regular, everyday things. “We're also readers and victims, so that ensured a real engagement with the brief,” points out Monteiro.
Lisandro Cardozo, who works alongside Devoto and Kritzer as CCO of Grey Argentina, warns that insincerity not only has negative consequences for an agency, but a ripple effect for the rest of the industry. “When we’re clumsy and don’t have a real commitment, it shows. And that sets us all back, nullifying the possibility of using advertising for more relevant messages in the future.”
How does political correctness impact creativity?
Advertising campaigns depend on ideas and craft to sell products. Now they are often judged by their impact on society too. Is creativity in danger of being stifled by political correctness? Minaker and Tarazaga from Wunderman think not. “Every brief has limitations and boundaries that we as creatives have to work with to achieve the campaign’s objectives, but I don’t believe political correctness falls into that category.”
In that respect, Brazilian creatives are in line with their Argentine colleagues. Monteiro of FCB Brazil (with team, left) says: “Creativity is the intelligence to create conversations between brands and people in new and attractive ways, therefore it can be found anywhere.”
Andrés Marques of WMcCANN adds: “Creativity will find the message and style that makes sense for the audience without offending people who think differently.”
But perhaps Andrea Siqueira from BETC/Havas summed it up best of all. “You have to achieve a balance in everything. Of course, it’s a challenge for creativity, but I believe it’s worth it.”
Matías Stetson is the founder of Insider Latam and a member of the Epica Awards jury.
This article appears in Epica Book 32, published in September 2019, featuring all the winners and selected high-scoring entries from the previous year's awards.