adobo talks to Singapore-based Brazilian Executive Creative Director Erick Rosa of MullenLowe Singapore
adobo: In your time as an ECD in Singapore, and in your first stint in Asia, can you tell us what has been the most significant learning or highlights of working in this region?
Erick Rosa: I’ve worked in both South America and Europe. And for five years, I lived in the US. And although I really thought those were multicultural environments (and to a great extent, they were) nothing compares to what we have here. So this is both a highlight and a learning. The completely unexpected insights. The left-field ideas. A mix of philosophies from everywhere. Wonderful people from amazing countries that work under the same roof at the agency and at the client’s. There is a need to understand different cultures in order to see if a script makes sense, and if an idea will resonate. It’s been very humbling, enriching, and I am very thankful for that.
adobo: What is the most innovative campaign you have seen coming from Asia and tell us why you chose it?
Erick Rosa: Every year, there are quite a few campaigns from the region that gets the world talking, sharing and liking them on all platforms. The first, big idea I saw as soon as I arrived, was the one from Honda and Dentsu, “The Sound of Senna.” It’s perfect in so many ways. It doesn’t fit any category, yet won in all of them. Being a Brazilian, a big fan of Ayrton Senna and of course, of good communication, this idea, campaign or whatever you might wish to call it, is one of my all-time favorites. Not just in Asia, but globally speaking. It is the kind of idea that unsettles you, but in a good way, and shows how far or where you can go to innovate.
adobo: What creative stimulus are you exposed to or seek in order to keep your creative juices flowing? Give us some examples.
Erick Rosa: My three kids are by far the best stimuli I have. Especially the little one. He is nonstop action. A mini nuclear power plant of questions and energy. I also love going to galleries, exhibitions, to the park, and to be in nature. And also, travelling. It is probably the best way to keep your soul ‘fresh.’ By getting lost in places you have never been to. Eating food you can’t pronounce. And meeting people for the first time.
adobo: How has technology changed the way you work and the way you create? Are agencies challenged to innovate their way of working with clients whose demands have adapted to the pace of technology and changes in media consumption?
Erick Rosa: It has changed in many ways. There used to be more hands-on work. It was more artisanal — writing, drawing, and crumpled paper. Nowadays, even the thinking process involves many shortcuts and interruptions. Because much of what we do and create is a result of the connections we make in our heads, the more we stop and Google, for example, the less we have of those “aha!” moments. Of course, most changes are for the better. But technology, in my opinion, stumps parts of the process that I used to love (and still try to do), like creating with the laptop off.
Agencies and clients always seek to find common ground when it comes to the working process. And innovation is always good. So the challenge works both ways. Agencies try to remain relevant with new ways of thinking. And clients do the same with new ways of reaching their audiences.
adobo: If you weren’t in advertising, what would you be doing?
Erick Rosa: My first major in college was Cinema. But I think that if I could, I would be the happy owner of a traditional Portuguese restaurant somewhere along the Costa Vicentina, steps away from the beach in Portugal.
In main photo: Erick Rosa (second from left) with his MullenLowe Singapore team
