Toni Tugores is one of those people whose mind works differently from the rest. He has been in the advertising industry for 20 years and 13 years as part of the soul of After because, according to him, “it is an agency that is constantly moving and every year it seems that you work in a new one”. He has just been promoted to general creative director, but he breaks myths and in this AfterTalk he reveals that the day-to-day life in a creative department is quite the opposite of how it’s portrayed in Mad Men. Toni admires people who apply creativity in a field outside of it, and he has a client who forces him to be 24/7 with all his senses on: his daughter. We chatted with him to get to know him a little better.
Rotation and the advertising agency sector go hand in hand.
What is it about After that makes you keep betting on it after 13 years?
That it is in constant motion.
So much so, that every year it seems like I work at a new agency.
You have recently been promoted to chief creative officer, so will you stay on for another decade?
My idea is to be true to the company’s motto: “When I see that I can no longer contribute, I will step aside”.
Toni, is a creative person born or made?
In the same way that we all carry a child -and a serial killer- inside, we also carry a creative. And just as in the first two cases, you just have to give him or her an excuse to come out.
Are people sick of seeing advertising?
At what point have you not been fed up?
Let’s put a twist on this. Which movie could you watch on loop and which one do you fall asleep to after five minutes?
The truth is that it’s hard for me to watch something in a loop. Just like it’s hard for me to fall asleep after 5 minutes. But I could spend an entire weekend devouring 5 seasons of a new series. This I could really do on a loop.
And, speaking of falling asleep, what does a campaign need, on a creative level, to not be a snooze?
A client, either a marketing director or brand manager, who wants to do things differently.
Does every creative dream of going to the Cannes Film Festival?
All creatives in their 40s (or older).
Are you a beach person or a mountain person?
Beach. All year round.
13 years at After is a long time. If I were to ask you to choose what has been your best work, the one you feel most proud of, the most creative of all, what would it be?
Alma de Africa, a soccer team made up only of immigrants. We convinced them to replace their names on their jerseys for the last league match with the racist insults they receive every matchday.
And this project you have chosen, is it also the one that has had the greatest impact on the industry?
Not at all. It didn’t even make the shortlist at any festival. But it is the one that has had more media repercussion: apart from being in all the Spanish media, it ended up in the New York Times, ABC News, Fox…
What is the fine line between a good campaign and a stale creative proposal?
Mmm… I would say the mood of the person that the campaign is impacting. If it’s a product, insight or message that doesn’t connect with her, then it’s a stale campaign. For that person, I mean.
What is that one brand you haven’t worked with that you would love to design a creative campaign for?
I would like to work for any brand that is a competitor of one that has rejected us in an unpaid contest.
What does Toni Tugores do when his clients allow him to disconnect?
Actually there is one client that forces me to be 24/7 with all my senses on: my daughter.
To give you an idea for those outside the industry, what is a typical day like in a creative department?
Have you seen the series Mad Men? Well, not like that. In fact, quite the opposite.
What is the worst sin of a creative department?
Believing that the creative adjective makes you special.
Can ChatGPT fill the profile of a creative?
I don’t think so. But people who know how to use it do.
When you go to a restaurant, what is the dish you always order?
Meat and potatoes. Unless I go with a vegan. In this case I ask for salad, too.
Which creative do you admire?
Well, every week I admire a new one. Last week, a mechanic from Les Franqueses. This week, a nurse from the Juaneda Hospital. I love people who apply creativity in a field other than creativity.
What book could you read more than once without getting tired of it?
Where are we going to dance tonight?by Javier Aznar.
In fact, it is the only one I have read twice.
A tip for future creatives.
I think it should be the other way around: what advice do young creatives give us?
If you were born again, would you do this again?
I don’t know, really. But I do wish I had done this 40 years ago.
