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 a core part of After because, as he puts it, \u201cit\u2019s an agency that\u2019s constantly moving, and each year it feels like you\u2019re working in a new one.\u201d He has just been promoted to General Creative Director, but he shatters myths and in this AfterTalk reveals that the daily life in a creative department is the opposite of what we see in Mad Men. Toni admires people who apply creativity in fields outside of it and has a client who keeps him on his toes 24\/7: his daughter. We spoke with him to learn more about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The turnover and the advertising agency sector go hand in hand. What does After have that makes you continue betting on it after 13 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s constantly moving. So much so that every year it feels like I\u2019m working in a new agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve recently been promoted to General Creative Director. Will you stay for another decade?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My idea is to stay true to the company\u2019s motto: \u201cWhen I see that I can no longer contribute, I\u2019ll step aside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toni, does a creative person have to be born or made?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as we all have a child\u2014and a serial killer\u2014inside us, we also have a creative side. And just like in the other two cases, you just need to give it an excuse to come out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are people tired of seeing advertising?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When has there ever been a moment when they weren\u2019t tired?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s twist this a bit. What movie could you watch on repeat and which one do you fall asleep to within five minutes?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, I find it hard to watch something on repeat. Just as I find it hard to fall asleep in five minutes. But I could spend an entire weekend binge-watching 5 seasons of a new series. That I could do on repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And speaking of falling asleep, what does a campaign need, creatively speaking, to avoid being a bore?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A client, whether a marketing director or brand manager, who is eager to do different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do all creatives dream of going to the Cannes Festival?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All creatives over 40 (or more).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you more of a beach or mountain person?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beach. All year round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13 years at After means a lot. If I asked you to choose your best work, the one you\u2019re most proud of, the most creative of all, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alma de \u00c1frica, a football team made up only of immigrants. We convinced them to replace their names on their shirts with the racist insults they receive every game in their final league match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And is this project also the one that has had the most impact in the industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not at all. It didn\u2019t even make the shortlist in any festival. But it had the most media impact: apart from appearing in all Spanish media, it ended up in the New York Times, ABC News, Fox\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the fine line that separates a correct campaign from a stale creative proposal?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hmm\u2026 I\u2019d say it\u2019s the mood of the person impacted by the campaign. If it\u2019s a product, insight, or message that doesn\u2019t connect with them, then it\u2019s a stale campaign. For that person, I mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which brand would you love to create a campaign for that you haven\u2019t worked with yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d like to work for any brand that is a competitor of one that has dismissed us in a non-paid pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does Toni Tugores do when his clients let him disconnect?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, there\u2019s a client who keeps me on my toes 24\/7 with all my senses engaged: my daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who are not in the industry, what is a normal day in a creative department like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you seen the series Mad Men? Well, it\u2019s nothing like that. In fact, it\u2019s the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the worst sin of a creative department?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Believing that the adjective “creative” makes you special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can ChatGPT replace the role of a creative?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t think so. But people who know how to use it might.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you go to a restaurant, what is the dish you always order?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meat with potatoes. Unless I\u2019m with a vegan. In that case, I also order salad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which creative do you admire?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I admire a new one every week. Last week, a mechanic from Les Franqueses. This week, a nurse from Hospital Juaneda. I\u2019m amazed by people who apply creativity in fields other than creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What book could you read more than once without getting tired of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00bfD\u00f3nde vamos a bailar esta noche?<\/em> by Javier Aznar. In fact, it\u2019s the only book I\u2019ve read twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A piece of advice for future creatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it should be the other way around: What advice do young creatives give us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you were born again, would you choose to do this again?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know, to be honest. But I would have liked to have started this 40 years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 a core part of After because, as he puts it, \u201cit\u2019s an agency that\u2019s constantly moving, and each year it feels like you\u2019re working in a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-after-en"],"yoast_head":"\n