“I think the Portuguese people have a very strong energy. If we want to achieve something, we can achieve it, ”said Luce, an official who has been in the United States for eight years. “It’s just that the attitude of our people is not like the attitude of the American people.”
Having made a significant career in some of the best advertising agencies in the world, the Madeira creative noticed a big difference when he started working in the United States.
“One of the things I felt here was that everyone wanted to do everything they could to make the project go as far as possible, from intern to agency director,” he said. “Here they always want to be the first and the winners.”
In Portugal, where the “workforce is very good” and there are countless examples of best practices, the approach is different.
“We have opportunities, but we do not believe that we are the best, and that matters,” emphasized Luis Márquez. “We need to support each other, pull each other.”
The creator’s journey, which took him through Colorado, Amsterdam and Chicago, took him to Los Angeles when AT&T bought Time Warner and asked BBDO to open an office on the US West Coast.
“They told the agency that they wanted to move from a telecommunications company to an entertainment company located in Los Angeles,” explained Luis Marquez.
At the time, the Portuguese was working on Samsung Mobile’s memorable “Snail” advertising campaign and was hired as Deputy Creative Director of the new office and later became Creative Director.
The covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for AT&T, a major client of the Los Angeles office, because filming has been suspended in the city.
“It was a very slow time during the pandemic,” said a person in charge, who took the opportunity to study photography and ended up setting up a sole proprietorship to sell the images.
As the pandemic improved in California, which lifted the restrictions on June 15, the agency’s pace of operation has accelerated, and now there are more clients.
One of them is Juanita`s Foods, a Mexican food brand that wanted to become more famous in the market by taking advantage of the Independence Day, which the United States celebrates on July 4th.
The “Dip-spenser” campaign, created by Luis Márquez and Brazilian copywriter Julio D’Alfonso, was an immediate success, featuring Internet highlights and TV segments about the marketing idea.
“We have established a connection with covid, and on July 4th, this is the first nationwide party where people can be together without a mask, and most of them are vaccinated,” explained Luis Marquez. As the situation improved, the idea came up to convert alcohol gel dispensers into nacho cheese dispensers.
“We did the job with little money, asking for a favor, and it was a very enjoyable teamwork,” said the Portuguese.
BBDO Worldwide employs approximately 150 people in Los Angeles.
