Yesterday it was announced that Washington Olivetto, the iconic Brazilian creative director and head of WMcCann Brazil, is to be given the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Clio Awards. The award ceremony (which is owned by Guggenheim Digital Media and will be held at Cipriani in New York on the 1st of October), is amongst the most recognised international advertising, design and communications competitions and this years show will be the 55th annual ceremony. The awards celebrate outstanding individuals who have made great contributions to the creative industries, and have led their respective industries forward, paving the way for fresh talent.
The awards celebrate outstanding individuals who have made great contributions to the creative industries
Olivetto, who is renowned in his home country as a cultural figure, and across the world as one of the advertising industries leading figures, said he was “Exceptionally honoured to receive the CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award,” largely due to the distinguished names of those who had previously received the award, since it was first introduced in 2001. These distinguished names include iconic director, Tony Kaye (in 2001), AMVBBDO co-founder David Abbott (2002), BBH co-founder Sir John Hegarty (2005), Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide creative director Bob Isherwood (2007), and legendary adman George Lois (2013) amongst others. He hopes this award will shine a light on “The exemplary work being done around Latin America, and particularly in Brazil,” which he says has been a great source of inspiration for him, and the most rewarding challenge he could have asked for.
Washington Olivetto
One of the figures who helped shape the advertising industry (especially in Latin America), Olivetto has created iconic ads throughout his illustrious career, for brands such as Nestle, the Salvation Army, and BomBril, the Brazilian household staple, which is officially the longest-running advertising campaign to consistently use the same character. Previous award wins include the 2001 Clio Awards's Grand-Prix for a Epoca Magazine TV Spot. In 2010, W/Brazil, the agency run by Olivetto, merged with the Brazilian arm of McCann Erickson Worldwide, forming WMcCann, which is now based out of both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. WMcCann has been a runaway success for everyone involved, with the agency currently handling two of the country's biggest campaigns; Bradesco (Brazil's largest bank) and Seara (a popular food company).
“Washington's work has been bringing Brazilian creative to the world and the most sophisticated thinking in global advertising to the Brazilian market.” Nicole Purcell, EVP of the Clio Awards
Nicole Purcell, executive vice president of the Clio Awards, says that Olivetto was chosen for the award because of how synonymous his name is with innovation in the industry. “For decades,” she says, “Washington's work has been bringing Brazilian creative to the world and the most sophisticated thinking in global advertising to the Brazilian market. Defying contradiction, he's at once a classic adman and a radical pioneer." Strong words indeed for a man who is also considered one of the countries biggest soccer experts after helping to create the 'Democracia Corinthiana' movement alongside Brazilian soccer legend 'Socrates'.
Official WMcCann Brazil Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer from the UK who has never won an award. Unless you count the 'participation' awards you got from 'taking part' in first school, but let's be honest, who counts them really?
