Brazil consistently receives numerous awards at Cannes each year. AKQA Sao Paulo’s “Never Done Evolving” campaign for Nike won the Grand Prix in the Digital Craft category in 2023. AlmapBBDO’s “E4RTH” campaign for B3 Stock Exchange was recognized with a Grand Prix in the Creative B2B category.
Brazilian creativity has been recognized and celebrated for decades at festivals worldwide. However, beyond winning jurors’ hearts, a lot of change is happening outside the industry’s spotlight through professionals who are questioning the market in a very courageous way.
This list highlights some of these leaders and the change they brought about in the country throughout 2023. They are leaders who may never be awarded or honored by festivals like Cannes Lions but deserve to be remembered for their courage in confronting the status quo and their desire to transform the ad industry for the better.
Changing the face(s) of Cannes
In May, the Publicitários Negros (PN) collective formed a partnership with Cannes Lions, after nearly a year of conversations with Lions CEO Simon Cook. The goal was to bring five Afro-Brazilian creatives from ad agencies to the 2023 festival. The initiative gained the support of brands and Black professionals, who donated resources to fund the all-expenses-paid experience for the five creatives. The PN collective currently has over 8,000 Black professionals and a board of 14 volunteers, including creatives like Luna Lima and Simone Bispo.
Dining with purpose
Raphaella Martins found it uncomfortable to always meet with friends to discuss issues or demand better conditions in the industry. So, she started Toda Última Quinta (Every Last Thursday), a monthly dinner series focused on affection and connection. The dinners bring together about 30 Afro-Brazilian women in senior leadership positions. Even though more than half of Brazil’s population is Black, Black women occupy only 4.6% of leadership roles at the largest agencies and advertisers.
Opening doors for transgender creatives
For 14 years, Brazil has had the unfortunate distinction of being the nation with the most transgender homicides. Last year, Ariel Nobre wrote 14 letters to remind and question top agency leaders about what has been done to support the trans community. Through a video and over 100 handwritten pages, the initiative raised awareness among CEOs and created urgency within some agencies to develop goals and strategies to hire and promote transgender creatives.
