OPPORTUNITIES

Come In All Sizes

Alex Okada Chief Creative Officer

Havas Lynx Group

How do you spot and evaluate award winning work?

Winners in awards shows usually have this combination of freshness, ingenuity, and craft. So, they are new and unexpected, usually the result of looking at things from a different point of view. It’s not only about solving a problem… it’s about solving problems in an ingenious and elegant way. And finally, the craft is what makes the difference between the colour of the metals.

How have you adapted to working remotely and are there any ways of working you will keep moving forward?

In my case, it was not a significant difference because my previous role was Global ECD for multiple brands, so most of the time I was working remotely with teams from different parts of the world. US, Brazil, South Africa, Colombia, Singapore, Spain, Germany, Australia… a remote model was already part of my everyday routine. For me the hybrid model has come to stay, and we can all benefit from it, especially if your agency has a strong collaborative culture. You just need to pay special attention to the young talent that are impacted by the nonpresential ways of modern day working, since they need close interaction to learn and grow.

What's been the worst moment you've had working remotely?

The worst was not having the physical interaction with the teams and clients. The energy of working together, face-to-face, in the same space is totally different. You just can’t replicate that via Zoom or Teams!

Any work from the industry that excited you from last year?

Technology should not be considered a “trend” because it’s a necessity and a constant in moving things forward. But this time think we need to make an exception… because see three different fronts where different aspects of technology are deeply changing things. The first is medical where new therapies and treatments, like gene therapy, are reaching a moment that promises to transform the landscape in many areas. The second is the AI advancements that are fast moving and can impact plenty of aspects of the H&W creative process. And lastly, the creativity recognition itself where tech companies are entering into awards shows for H&W and Pharma. Most of the big winners at Cannes last year were either lead by, or created in partnership, with a tech company.

What's your favourite piece of work that isn't yours from this year’s shows?

The first is not from a pharma company, but from a grocery store. But it’s related to the category since it’s a message about the COVID pandemic. It’s “The Wish”. A fantastic film about a teen son that asks his mum what her wish for Christmas would be. Her wish is very unexpected at first: that he behaved like a rebel – escaping classes, lying about school grades, and throwing secret parties. But finally, we find out what this is really about: the wish is for her son to get back the two years of life that he totally missed because of lockdown. For him to live and have experiences like a normal teen.

The second is “Letters for a Law” where a Chilean Association was fighting for a change in the law that would decriminalise the use of cannabis for Parkinson’s therapy. And they did something simple and elegant… they asked sufferers to write two letters to the Congress. One before the cannabis drops and one after. The visual impact of the therapy effect on their handwriting is impressive and does the job beautifully.

Is there anything exciting you're working on now? (That you can tell us about.)

I’d say that for me, almost everything is exciting, because I’ve always imagined the possibilities of what things can be. So, no matter if it’s big or small, or if it’s easy or hard, it can be highly challenging and stimulating. But there are two specific opportunities that I’m especially excited by… one is a partnership with a tech start up to solve an inclusion issue and the other is a new way to approach a big problem common for all pharma companies. I wish I could tell you more…

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