How did you get into the industry?
An opportunity came up when we were hired by an agency to tackle a challenge deemed impossible by a competitor. The task was to execute an Augmented Reality for Web campaign (without the need to download an application) with image tracking (no requirement for a QR code to activate the experience) for a collaboration between Heineken and the Champions League.
We were up against two of one of the largest Augmented Reality companies in the USA, with less than three weeks until the launch, and the catch: the concept was already approved and in motion. Over 2 million beer coasters were on their way to bars and restaurants nationwide, complete with the link and campaign mechanics. What's even more interesting is that we had never worked with augmented reality before this episode.
Result: we were the only ones to successfully deliver the job, while Blippar could only develop the experience for an application. This moment revealed an important, new, and growing market that we could tap into using our creative potential focused on innovation to solve real problems for our clients while crafting experiences that delight and tell stories to connect communities with brands.
I believe our creative process was responsible for being the only ones, under tremendous pressure at that moment, to innovate and find the key to this puzzle:
1) Deeply understand the heart of the problem and all its spectrums;
2) Brainstorm paths and possibilities with the team - Diversity of thoughts and backgrounds are crucial for success here;
3) Start looking for solutions that effectively address the hypotheses to be validated;
4) Define which metrics will validate or invalidate the hypotheses - Important note: The most crucial aspect at this stage is learning, not the validation of the hypothesis.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I am located in Brazil, in the city of São Paulo. After winning my first award at the São Paulo Creative Club in 2005, I decided to step out of the traditional advertising scene dominated by major traditional agencies. My goal was to forge my own path, focusing on solving problems for small and medium-sized clients, where I could genuinely impact business outcomes.
I've been navigating this path since 2007, setting me apart as a professional who uses creativity not just for winning advertising awards but for creating exponential businesses and digital products centered around purposes that resonate with communities, accelerating results, and impacting business metrics.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
During college, I considered studying music. I played guitar for 8 years, from 11 to 18, until I shifted my focus to my degree and internships. This passion is part of my DNA; everything I do, I do better with music in the background. It inspires, motivates, and enhances my concentration.
This passion comes from my parents, especially my determined mother. At 15, I started creating logos, banners, CD inserts, and other materials for rock bands and a production company. Without fully grasping it, I was already a self-taught art director, illustrator, finish artist, and web designer.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I believe I try to focus on an absolute understanding of the problem I'm facing. I spend much more time trying to comprehend the heart of the problem than attempting to solve it. This perspective connects me with ideas that naturally emerge without me consciously thinking about them or seeking a solution.
In my view, it's easy to become in love with our own solutions or ideas that don't necessarily address the core of the problem. I aim to quickly validate these hypotheses - with MVPs, small simulations, fake interfaces, research, etc - and identify metrics that prove or invalidate the idea.
Here, failure is also success because the focus is entirely on data-driven learning. This makes the creative and innovation process more agile, inspiring, and with reduced real risks for clients and investors.
How would you describe your style?
As a person who goes "all in," my commitment is unwavering, giving 110% or nothing at all. Unafraid to explore the new while relying on techniques, tools, and methodologies that align with less risk, aiming to turn the desire to discover the seemingly impossible into reality.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
My heroes are certainly my parents, who gave everything so that I could become who I am today as a human being. But, speaking of the industry, the professionals I can most connect with and understand their motivations are those who seek a higher purpose and follow that purpose, even when everyone is following the most "obvious," common, ordinary path.
I'm inspired by: Mahatma Gandhi, Mandela, Charlie Chaplin, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Daniel Pink and Simon Sinek.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Leveraging creativity to address concrete, measurable challenges with tangible outcomes that contribute to your cause. While being creative for creativity's sake is gratifying for artistic pursuits, it becomes invaluable in professional settings like agencies and companies where your worth needs tangible justification.
To attain absolute success, I believe in striking the ideal mix between the artistic spirit and the pragmatic mindset of a business professional.
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Focus on real results. What problem did you solve, and what business metrics did you impact? Executives, wielding decision-making power, are strategically oriented and aim to achieve specific objectives in their companies.
Identify their current objectives and showcase real cases with a results-oriented focus: perhaps you improved operational efficiency, reduced CAC, boosted LTV, or optimized sales conversion - let them know what you are capable of. Be concise, transparent, and propose small experiments to build client trust rather than presenting large contracts. If you deliver results, bigger contracts will naturally follow.
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
Spotify, pen, blank paper, Photoshop, Illustrator, Wacom, Google Search; Golden Circle Concept - from Simon Sinek; Agile concepts like Scrum, Kanban, OKRs, Fit for Purpose, Management 3.0.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
Keep your body in constant motion. Exercise regularly. Maintain a healthy diet and ensure restful nights. Set aside time for yourself to enjoy your own company. Stick to this discipline, and your body will take care of the rest naturally.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
I believe the work I'm most proud of is the PetspotApp. It's a platform we developed to help locate missing animals by connecting people in neighborhoods where disappearances are reported.
We have thousands of users and hundreds of success stories involving both missing pets and adoptions. This digital product has also garnered attention from Shark Tank and Chilli Beans founder, Caito Maia, who featured it on his social media in an entrepreneurship segment.
The platform delivers incredible and exponential results, thanks to its strong connection with the pet lover community that resonates with Petspot's purpose.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
The Finite Game mindset that drives short-term and money-at-all-costs mindset of shareholders and investors pressuring C-level executives creates a cascading effect across all areas of companies. This absolute pressure hinders and almost immobilizes any innovation within companies, directly impacting the evolution of society - Finite Game versus Infinity Game.
Toxic corporate cultures, driven by high individualistic goals, discourage collaboration and penalize mistakes. Prioritizing money over quality work fosters a business-centric rather than customer-centric focus.
While it might sound idealistic, I firmly believe in finding a balance between the profit-oriented approach of a CEO and the visionary, purpose-driven perspective of a Chief Vision Officer (CVO).
This balance is exemplified in key moments when company founders returned to rescue their enterprises from failure after being replaced by supposedly more "experienced" CEOs, as seen in the cases of Apple, Dell, and Oracle. The same nearly happened again recently with OpenAI and its founder and CEO Sam Altman, but fortunately, for both employees and clients, the situation was quickly rectified.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
• Start with Why - Simon Sinek;
• Infinity Game - Simon Sinek;
• Exponential Organizations - Salim Ismail, Michael S. Malone and Yuri Van Geest;
• The Lean Startup - Eric Ries;
• Drive - Daniel Pink;
• Management 3.0, Scrum, Kanban, OKRs and Fit for Purpose concepts;
• Finite vs Infinity game - Simon Sinek - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCB-0LWAmxw
Ted Talks
• Linda Hill: How to Manage for Collective Creativity?
https://www.ted.com/talks/linda_hill_how_to_manage_for_collective_creativity
• Tracy Young: How Vulnerability Makes You a Better Leader? https://www.ted.com/talks/tracy_young_how_vulnerability_makes_you_a_better_leader
• Dame Vivian Hunt: How Businesses Can Serve Everyone Not Just Shareholders? https://www.ted.com/talks/dame_vivian_hunt_how_businesses_can_serve_everyone_not_just_shareholders
• Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action? https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
