PATTAYA, THAILAND — On March 20, the opening day of ADFEST 2025, Carlos Camacho, Chief Creative Officer of GUT Asia, took the stage alongside Belynda Sim-Mak for their session titled “Think with your Gut”. The talk delved into the concept of bravery in advertising — how any brand can be brave. GUT’s Bravery Scale helps measure how bold a brand is today, and where it can go. GUT partners with each client, step by step, to guide them on their journey toward greater creative bravery.
After his talk, adobo Magazine caught up with Carlos to gain deeper insights into his perspective on creative bravery, his journey in the industry, and his vision for the future of advertising in the APAC region. A globally recognized creative leader with a career spanning Asia, Europe, and Latin America, Carlos not only served as a speaker at this year’s ADFEST but also as a jury member for the Brand Experience Lotus, Commerce Lotus, and Direct Lotus categories.
Talking to adobo Magazine, Carlos shared the pivotal role bravery plays in shaping impactful advertising. He emphasized the importance of balancing audacity with tangible business results, describing a scale that Gut Asia uses globally to assess and navigate progress. Rather than advocating for risk-taking for its own sake, he stressed that bravery must be intentional — designed to drive real growth. It’s a process, one that takes time, as agencies and clients move together up the bravery scale, ensuring that creativity doesn’t become recklessness.
Not every brand is immediately ready to take creative risks, but Carlos believes that bravery is a journey rather than a singular act of defiance. He cited Mercado Libre as an example — a client that, over five years, transitioned from being relatively traditional to winning a Grand Prix. For Carlos, bravery doesn’t necessarily mean making radical, high-stakes moves overnight. Instead, it’s about taking incremental but meaningful steps forward, slowly pushing creative boundaries while ensuring that each step serves a purpose. “Sometimes, being brave is not about being as big as you can imagine, but being brave enough to go one step ahead of where you were before—like slowly becoming somebody better,” he said.
With his return to Asia, Carlos has had the opportunity to immerse himself once again in the region’s diverse creative landscape. He highlighted markets like Thailand, Japan, and India, where different voices bring unique perspectives to the table. The variety of cultural values, languages, and attitudes toward risk-taking make APAC a particularly exciting region for advertising. The Philippines, too, is part of this dynamic scene, continuously pushing new ideas forward. Carlos told adobo Magazine, “It’s a very rich creative region, so it’s very exciting to be here, because it’s not just one voice — it’s different voices doing different things. And now being here again, it shows you how everyone is trying to come up with different ideas that are more creative and disruptive.”
Ultimately, Carlos sees bravery as a delicate balance. Citing case studies from clients such as Stella Artois and Foodpanda, he illustrated how this certain type of bravery requires a clear strategy rather than reckless leaps. His approach involves working closely with clients, helping them identify where they are on the scale of bravery, and guiding them toward creative boldness that aligns with their business goals. This methodical approach ensures that bold ideas don’t just make noise, but actually drive meaningful growth.
He reflected on the body of work he presented during his talk, explaining how each client and campaign began at varying levels of bravery. Through bold, strategic choices and a commitment to creativity, they steadily gained recognition and achieved lasting business success.
“When bravery and business come together in the right way, amazing things can happen. Looking back at our criteria, we wanted to encourage the audience to reflect on what they want to push — whether with a client, a team, or in their office — to move in the direction of great work,” Carlos shared. “I strongly believe that producing outstanding work elevates the industry as a whole. The more great ideas we see, the stronger and more creative the region becomes. I truly hope to see that happen.”
As Carlos continues to lead Gut Asia’s expansion, his insights serve as a call to action for the industry: to embrace creativity not just for its shock value but as a means of driving meaningful business results. By pushing boundaries while maintaining strategic focus, brands and agencies alike can redefine what it means to be brave in advertising.
