Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Joao Camacho. Executive Creative Director of Tonic International
Tomilli : In an industry as dynamic as advertising, how can you build long relationships with customers?
Honesty. Full-on brave honesty. We can no longer face them as consumers. Brands are engaging with people, with humans. I say the most successful brand/human relationships are born of honest/brave/simple ideas.
What about creative teams?
Creatives are humans too. Somehow, we think less about consumers as these distant, exotic creatures we must engage, and more what if it was me? Relatability and consequently honesty.
Simple is smart?
Simple will always be smart, effective, brilliant, relatable. The best ideas are simple and should be written in our contracts when we join agencies.
How do you manage to channel creative passion for projects that may not require creativity, such as retail for example?
All projects require/deserve creativity. If any creative ever believed the contrary they are not deserving of the client’s trust. All problems that brands face, from a campaign to a digital solution, require a brave creative approach. So trying to answer this question (even though I don’t agree with it) all clients deserve creative passion and drive from their partners (agencies).
How to make passion inspiring?
Believing in the brand/product. One of my principles is to fully understand the brand, only knowledge creates truthful, meaningful ideas.
Could Tonic be classified as one of the most creative agencies in the region?
Yes. We use data and strategy to help form our creative ideas. Again, knowledge feeds the idea passionately.
As a WINA jury, what will be your greatest requirement in the creative judging of the pieces?
Purpose. The best creative always celebrates purpose. The best ideas are nothing but an honest, standing ovation to a brand or a product. So that is what I always look for, the equation:
Knowledge + Purpose = Creative.