By Anselmo Ramos
Why did you found DAVID? I’d always dreamed about having an agency. I just didn’t imagine it would be named after David Ogilvy. I also couldn’t have imagined that my partners would be a college friend and an Argentinian—Musa and Gaston, love you guys! DAVID allows us to do things our own way, while having a great foundation and reputation to live up to. We know that somehow David Ogilvy is watching over our shoulders. We feel that weight every day.
How has the experience of starting out in Brazil affected your work? Not much. I left Brazil when I was still a junior writer. And then I worked for twelve years abroad, four years in Europe and eight years in the United States. So I’ve become a result of my experiences in São Paulo, Lisbon, Madrid, Miami and New York. It gave me a global view of advertising and communications. I always look for global insights and ideas that can travel. That’s probably why I love global projects, even though they’re usually hard and time-consuming.
What are some differences between the creative industries in Latin America and the United States? Overall, creatives in Latin America are more flexible and resourceful because of the uncertain political and economical contexts of their countries. They live in a constant survival mode. And overall the creatives in the United States are a bit more organized, disciplined and collaborative, especially during the production process. At DAVID, we’re lucky to have both creative types working in our three offices. We’re all learning from each other all the time.
What made the Dove Real Beauty sketches campaign so successful? Real Beauty Sketches was the perfect advertising storm. The right brand, right positioning, right brief, right client, right ambition, right idea, right production company, right everything. I was just lucky to be part of it. We had no idea it would have such an impact. I think what William Goldman said about Hollywood applies perfectly to our industry: “Nobody knows anything.” The greatest success was showing women all over the world they are more beautiful than they think. This is as good as advertising gets.
Where do your best ideas come from? I guess the clichéd answer is to say ideas come from anywhere. And they do. But actually the best ideas need to check a lot of boxes: Is it new? Is it within the brand positioning? Is it within budget? Is it relevant to the target? Is it well executed? And so on. Yes, ideas can come from anywhere. But the best ideas check so many boxes it’s almost a miracle when they happen. That’s why there’s so few out there.
What do you consider to be the greatest headline or ad of all time? “I’ve never read The Economist —management trainee, aged 42.” And a bunch of other headlines from the classic magazine campaign. And Guinness “Surfer,” which shows us how far a commercial can go. It’s a piece of art.
What would you be doing if you weren't in advertising? I’d be writing screenplays and directing. There’s no better seat than the director’s chair. In my ideal retirement plan, I am like George Miller, shooting expensive car chases and explosions in my seventies.
What is one challenge currently facing advertising agencies that they need to address to remain relevant? I think our biggest challenge as an industry is to value what we do. If we don’t, who will? When I see CFOs becoming CMOs, and robots buying programmatic media without talking to a single human being, I’m afraid we might become too much about data and numbers.
There’s nothing wrong with effectiveness, but nothing replaces the old-fashioned great idea. What’s the price of a great idea? That’s the ultimate question. Because that is what we sell everyday.
What trends in advertising are you most interested in and why? Brand content. Even though everyone is talking about it, few brands are actually doing it right. Brands today are like media companies. They have the right channels, the right audience. It’s all about the content they put out there. Brands need to start doing what Netflix did. Give people what they want: great content, and a lot of it. Brand content shouldn’t be just something extra that brands do on top of their traditional advertising. Everything a brand does is brand content.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Be proud of being in advertising. There’s no profession like it. It’s about business and art. Understand your power. You can make or break products, brands and companies. You can help shape pop culture. It’s supposed to be fun. If it gets boring, something is wrong. In that case, just get out and shoot some car chases and explosions.
How has the experience of starting out in Brazil affected your work? Not much. I left Brazil when I was still a junior writer. And then I worked for twelve years abroad, four years in Europe and eight years in the United States. So I’ve become a result of my experiences in São Paulo, Lisbon, Madrid, Miami and New York. It gave me a global view of advertising and communications. I always look for global insights and ideas that can travel. That’s probably why I love global projects, even though they’re usually hard and time-consuming.
What are some differences between the creative industries in Latin America and the United States? Overall, creatives in Latin America are more flexible and resourceful because of the uncertain political and economical contexts of their countries. They live in a constant survival mode. And overall the creatives in the United States are a bit more organized, disciplined and collaborative, especially during the production process. At DAVID, we’re lucky to have both creative types working in our three offices. We’re all learning from each other all the time.
What made the Dove Real Beauty sketches campaign so successful? Real Beauty Sketches was the perfect advertising storm. The right brand, right positioning, right brief, right client, right ambition, right idea, right production company, right everything. I was just lucky to be part of it. We had no idea it would have such an impact. I think what William Goldman said about Hollywood applies perfectly to our industry: “Nobody knows anything.” The greatest success was showing women all over the world they are more beautiful than they think. This is as good as advertising gets.
Where do your best ideas come from? I guess the clichéd answer is to say ideas come from anywhere. And they do. But actually the best ideas need to check a lot of boxes: Is it new? Is it within the brand positioning? Is it within budget? Is it relevant to the target? Is it well executed? And so on. Yes, ideas can come from anywhere. But the best ideas check so many boxes it’s almost a miracle when they happen. That’s why there’s so few out there.
What do you consider to be the greatest headline or ad of all time? “I’ve never read The Economist —management trainee, aged 42.” And a bunch of other headlines from the classic magazine campaign. And Guinness “Surfer,” which shows us how far a commercial can go. It’s a piece of art.
What would you be doing if you weren't in advertising? I’d be writing screenplays and directing. There’s no better seat than the director’s chair. In my ideal retirement plan, I am like George Miller, shooting expensive car chases and explosions in my seventies.
What is one challenge currently facing advertising agencies that they need to address to remain relevant? I think our biggest challenge as an industry is to value what we do. If we don’t, who will? When I see CFOs becoming CMOs, and robots buying programmatic media without talking to a single human being, I’m afraid we might become too much about data and numbers.
There’s nothing wrong with effectiveness, but nothing replaces the old-fashioned great idea. What’s the price of a great idea? That’s the ultimate question. Because that is what we sell everyday.
What trends in advertising are you most interested in and why? Brand content. Even though everyone is talking about it, few brands are actually doing it right. Brands today are like media companies. They have the right channels, the right audience. It’s all about the content they put out there. Brands need to start doing what Netflix did. Give people what they want: great content, and a lot of it. Brand content shouldn’t be just something extra that brands do on top of their traditional advertising. Everything a brand does is brand content.
Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Be proud of being in advertising. There’s no profession like it. It’s about business and art. Understand your power. You can make or break products, brands and companies. You can help shape pop culture. It’s supposed to be fun. If it gets boring, something is wrong. In that case, just get out and shoot some car chases and explosions.
Anselmo Ramos is the chief creative officer and founder of DAVID, a global agency with a Latin heart, with offices in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Miami. He got his start at 24 years old after he moved away from his home in Brazil to work for Y&R Lisbon, Madrid and Miami, and Lowe New York. During his time abroad, Ramos won 82 Cannes Lions along with other prestigious awards from the One Show, CLIO and D&AD. In 2007, he came back to Brazil and became chief creative officer of Ogilvy Brazil, the agency responsible for Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” and the winner of 35 Lions in 2013. Ramos and his wife Camila have two daughters, Helena and Stella.
