A tourism campaign with a difference is a notable thing. Havas Creative has found that magic for a campaign for Madrid Turismo by IFEMA MADRID, Madrid’s event institution, and it will roll out across 13 countries – the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

The campaign, Madrid Beats, draws its audience in with the idea that what makes Madrid unique cannot be seen, it can only be felt  – a  contagious energy that is the beating heart beating beneath its avenues, forests, towns and historic sites.

The commercial, designed as the centrepiece of Madrid Beats, follows a tourist who discovers Madrid’s heart and gets swept up in its rhythm across various moments and historical eras. Along the way, they cross paths with figures such as Ava Gardner, Ernest Hemingway, Francisco de Goya, and Diego Velázquez – all of whom also found in Madrid the very energy that inspired the campaign’s creative concept. The invisible heart symbol in the commercial is designed to transcend the campaign itself, aiming to become a permanent brand asset for Madrid, for both locals and visitors. It leaps from the commercial into real life through a large-scale sculpture inspired by the rock types most abundant across the Region of Madrid.

Madrid Beats builds a new brand territory for Madrid rooted in the shared essence, identity, and energy of the city and region. Jesús Rasines, CCO Havas Creative Network Spain, stated, “Madrid has a distinct identity and energy, but the challenge was finding a concept that could synthesise them and make them recognisable beyond our borders. That’s why this campaign stems from a simple yet powerful idea: turning what makes Madrid unique – its lifestyle, character, and the energy you feel when exploring it – into a symbol strong enough to transcend traditional tourism advertising. Our goal wasn’t just to talk about Madrid to the world, but to build a distinctive, recognisable brand territory capable of driving the city’s positioning as one of the world’s leading urban destinations.”

Film production was handled by ROMA and directed by Nono Ayuso (represented by Contrario), one of Spain’s most internationally acclaimed directors, and is narrated by American actor, Walton Goggins. The original soundtrack was composed by Paulo Gallo, and the cinematography was led by Ana Francesca Solano.

Rocío Aguirre, an acclaimed Chilean photographer living in Madrid, offers her personal interpretation of the city’s invisible heartbeat to the campaign with 17 creative visuals across various locations and adapted for different international markets. The graphic identity for Madrid Beats was crafted by design hub T.O.T. Studio, that created a logo and visual system rooted in the subtle details of Madrid’s streets – drawing inspiration from the shapes, colors, and historical typography that have always defined the city. The international media plan was developed by Havas Media, prioritising video channels (Connected TV & YouTube), complemented by high-impact OOH, social media, cinema, influencer marketing, and branded content partnerships across top-tier publications in each market.

Carmina Serrano, director of Madrid Turismo by IFEMA MADRID, commented, “Madrid Beats is a new communication platform built to endure over time, with the goal of positioning Madrid as a top destination for high-value travelers. Our purpose is to bring consistency to this ambitious campaign across all touchpoints in 13 target markets. To execute the project, we introduced a new working methodology – shifting from a model involving 17 different international agencies to consolidating everything under a single agency network managed directly from Spain. This allows us to craft the creative vision using local insights while executing a global media strategy tailored to each country.”

Credits:

Client: Madrid Turismo by Ifema Madrid
Client Team: Carmina Serrano, Juan Manuel Sánchez

Creative Agency: Havas Creative Spain
Media Agency: Havas Media Network
CCO: Jesús Rasines
Executive Creative Directors: Félix Carral & José Izaguirre
Head of Art: Cadu Bussad
Creative Directors: Fede Botella, Borja Álvarez, Diana Casadiego
Associate Creative Directors: Dani Albaladejo, Luismi Ábrego
Creative Team: Román Tarrazona, Flavio Jiménez, Adrián García, Diego Chaurrondo, Álvaro Palma
Digital Creative Team: Marta Anido, Ana González Couñago, Elena Balduque
Managing Director, Havas Creative: Alejandro Saracho
Managing Director, Havas Media: Ferran Juaní Solans
Business Partner: Mª Luisa Fernández-Villaverde
Chief Strategy Officer Havas Creative: Alberto Zschiesche
Strategy Director, Havas Media: Alejandra Chacón
Senior Strategist: Helena Álvarez
Account Directors: Elena Moreno, Rosa Galera, Marta Sánchez-Fayos
Account Executives: Alejandro Torreblanca, Raquel Barquín, Isabel Rozas
Head of Production: Vanesa San Millán
Producers: Cristina Traver, Sofía Monreal
PR Director: Ana Picó
PR Team: Cristina Gómez Rico, Sofía Felipe, Vanesa Miranda, Adela de Miguel Casado
Production Team: Alfonso Aznar, Myriam Creus, Bárbara Carrasco

Production Company: ROMA
Co-Production: CONTRARIO
Director: Nono Ayuso
CEO & EP: Pablo García Acón
Executive Producer: Juan Bascón
Producer: Assaf Eldar
CONTRARIO Executive Producer: Manu Aguer
Director of Photography: Ana Francesca Solano
Art Direction: Curru Garabal
Styling & Costume Design: Ivana González

Post-Production: TPO
Post-Production Director: Tamara Diaz
Post-Production Coordinator: Luber Mújica
Editing: Iñaki Pereira, Isaac Amboage
Photographer: Rocio Aguirre
Image Bank Photographer: Lapili
Colourist: Nadia Kairat, Patricia Brewatt
Music Production: Paulo Gallo
Sound Design: Isilik

Making Of: ROMA