A Tribute to Argentine Creativity

By Roxana Lissa – Multicultural Marketing / Hispanic Market PR Consultant

It’s so great to be from Argentina these days, as we have been in the news a lot lately – for positive reasons this time. We finally won our third World Cup title, and Lionel Messi indisputably crowned himself as the best player in the world. Last week we also won Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes for the film “1985,” which chronicled the true story of how a public prosecutor, a young lawyer, and their inexperienced legal team dared to prosecute the heads of Argentina’s bloody military dictatorship.

And this past week, Shakira’s new song with 24-year-old self-taught Argentine DJ and record producer, Bizarrap, broke all kinds of records with over 100 million views and counting, becoming the biggest single day for a Latin song in Spotify’s history.

But it was during the month-long World Cup when we were able to witness how Argentines can fearlessly and courageously step out of their comfort zone and express their creativity. “Muchachos” (the song by the group “La Mosca”), became an anthem for fans that celebrated Diego Maradona, Messi, and the recent Copa America win, and transmitted a massive sense of pride not only for the team but for Argentines everywhere, especially in Qatar. People from all over the world, not just Argentines, tried to learn the song – and it’s not an easy song to learn! Some Argentine soccer fans tried to teach it to whoever wanted to be a part of the experience. Even some Qataris invited Argentines to come to their spectacular mansions to sing and teach them how to be true soccer fans. The truth is, for the most part, it’s guaranteed you will have a good time hanging out with Argentines.

The many, popular soccer songs were just only one of several pieces that ignited the fervor in Qatar and any place that had Argentines in it. You could feel the energy without being there.

After the heart-stopping Argentina-France final, one of many displays of true “creatividad argenta” came alive on social media when fans covered some of the actual street names after winning the final. The street “Francia” (France) became “Scaloneta” (a nickname for the Argentine team). Some fans even covered a street with Messi’s name to ensure he becomes a forever emblematic staple in the streets of Buenos Aires. In marketing lingo, this was a solid guerilla marketing idea that didn’t need a high-paid ad creative. A regular guy or woman came up with it generating millions of media impressions worldwide. That’s how many Argentines are. They come up with funny ideas on the spot, almost instantly.

And it is this same passion and creativity that have made their way to the Hispanic advertising industry in the U.S., and even in the mainstream for decades. It’s a known fact that many of the top advertising agencies in the U.S. at some point or another have had Argentine creatives in their teams. I happened to know some of the good ones. Pablo Buffagni, award-winning creative director and President of BBQ, Inc., attributes the distinct creative quality of Argentines to the fact that as a culture, Argentines don’t like getting no for an answer, and they always find a way to make things happen. “We are used to solving big problems with little resources, and that’s what being creative is all about,” he added. “Traditionally advertising in Argentina has been very creative and funny, and equally to soccer, the industry has done a great job in nurturing great talent who have found immense success overseas.”

I am proud of my fellow Argentine creatives. Many of them, emigrated to this country with big dreams and ideas, and have been extremely successful either launching their ad shops, working for global brands and agencies, or becoming solid creatives responsible for many memorable campaigns that have touched the hearts and minds of consumers everywhere.

Here are some of the names of just a few of the Argentine creatives that have worked so hard for so many years to deliver fresh thinking, and who have contributed to not only building the U.S. Hispanic advertising industry but the ad and marketing industry as a whole:

• Gustavo Asman. Hernán Bacchi. Carlos Bayala. Alejandro Berbari.
• Gastón Bigio. Juan Cruz Bobillo. Pablo Buffagni. Juan Cabral.
• Marcos Calandrelli. Javier Campopiano. Pablo Carpintero. Martín Donovan.
• Federico Duran. Alejandro Egozcue. Hernán Feuerman. Sebastian Garin.
• Juan Manuel Granados. Mario Granatur. Federico Hauri. Martín Insua.
• Hernán Ibañez. Mariana Ibañez. Matías Iribarne. Mariano Jeger.
• Maru Kopelowic. Maddy Kramer. Gustavo Lauria. Florencia Leibaschoff.
• Gonzalo López Martí. Consuelo Lyonett. Pablo Minces. José Molla.
• Joaquín Molla. Martín Montero. Paula Oliosi. Juan Oubiña. Roy Pari.
• Alberto Ponte. Maria Salaverri. Gabriela Scardaccione. Dino Spadavecchia.
• Ezequiel Soules. Favio Ucedo. Claudio Vera. Tony Waissman. Norberto
• Zylberberg.

Thank you for your ongoing contributions to pushing creative boundaries and making our country proud! If you happen to know more Argentine creatives, please share their name in this post. Gracias!