Claudia Penteado Interview(s)

I believe in diversity. I always thought that some of these awards end up inside a bubble, where the creatives themselves look at work and have biases that might affect their judgement. As a journalist, but especially as a consumer, a real person, who also happens to enjoy advertising, I don't have an agenda or a bias. I look at the work with a fresh point of view, but since I have written about advertising and marketing for the past 30 years, also very much aware of all the challenges companies and ad agencies have to face, in different parts of the country, sometimes under very particular circumstances.

That's exactly the point and the strength of the festival. Different points of view, different experiences can only turn the winning work a better selection of what is really relevant and effective, not just creative. Being creative is essential, but there are other aspects of the work that contribute for its excellence. Going beyond creative is going deeper and seeing what's really underneath the surface. Is finding work that's consistently great.

I like the idea. Sometimes, especially for smaller agencies, and in a country like the one I'm from, Brazil, submitting everything that might have a chance to win gets way too expensive. Hard choices have to be made, and a lot of work doesn't get a chance. You never really know what will be considered excellent work in an international award, especially one that has a diverse jury like PHNX. So having a chance to decide after a first round of analysis, seems like a very empathic solution.

I would say the perfect winner is a great idea that helps solve a client's problem, but also touches the heart of people. Making people truly feel something is the ultimate challenge, in a world where attention is scarce, and machines are increasingly doing part of the jobs.

I would say the search for meaning, the search for emotion, the need to slow down and get in touch with what really makes sense in life. IA is here, social media has been influencing behaviors and ruling our lives for too long, people are exhausted and mentally sick. I believe, very much so, that in every possible way there is a need for going "back to basics".

You mean ad people? I'm a fan of Anselmo Ramos, who has built a very interesting company called GUT, who just got acquired by tech group Globant. They have a very interesting positioning worldwide and have grown immensely, and have learned to say "no" to most of the bad and toxic practices that go on in the world of advertising and marketing. I also admire David Droga, who runs Accenture Song, and has been a visionary in many ways. In Brazil, I'm a huge fan of Felipe Silva, who has created the first all black ad agency in the market, Gana, and really made a difference in the creative scenery. There are many interesting names all over the world.