Ogilvy México associate creative director, has built his career on big name brands in high-profile network agencies. His portfolio includes work for Mondelēz, Aeroméxico, as Movistar, Visa, Sanofi, Stella Artois, Coca Cola, Tequila Centenario, Procter & Gamble, Ricolino, Henkel, Filter, Casa Pedro Domecq and Pepsico. His agency history includes Leo Burnett and Y&R as well as three years at Ogilvy. Adrian is enthusiastic about the potential of AI if only creatives could approach it in a more playful way.
His interview takes you into the world of advertising in Mexico to discover its unique characteristics and challenges as well as his ideas for a triumphant industry in the future.
What will you be looking for in the work that you assess as a MAD STARS judge?
Adrian Sarchese: Memorability is the name of the game. I’ll reward ideas that stand out from the rest for their simplicity, excellent craft, and, above all, for being so unique that you simply can’t forget them.
The theme of this year’s MAD STARS is “AI-vertising, AI Advertising Marketing Era”. What is your view of AI’s role in advertising? Are you using it? If so, how?
Adrian Sarchese: It’s a creativity booster. It helps speed up workflows and streamline processes so we can focus on developing better ideas. I use it all the time, from refining strategies to co-creating texts. AI is like a Swiss Army knife on steroids for the creative process.
What do you think are the unique characteristics, and unique challenges, of the advertising industry in your region?
Adrian Sarchese: One of the defining traits of the Latin American market is versatility – in budgets, target audiences, and voices. There are major brands operating across multiple countries and smaller, more local ones that are just as relevant. The challenge lies in creating something that truly resonates with both the brand and its consumers. It may seem obvious, but in such a competitive landscape, finding the right positioning and tone can be the difference between building an iconic brand or fading into oblivion.
What do you feel the advertising industry needs to do to triumph over the future?
Adrian Sarchese: Have more fun and get back to the basics. AI is an amazing tool that saves us a lot of time. But if we use it too superficially, it only makes us technical and cold creatives. On the other hand, if we approach it in a more playful way, using it to express what we truly have inside without limitations, we could be at the forefront of content creation and marketing.
If you could choose three pieces of work for any point in history that make you say, “I wish I’d done that”, what would they be and why?
Adrian Sarchese:
Dumb Ways to Die for Metro Trains Melbourne by McCann Melbourne. A true classic – brilliant in every way. From concept and execution to brand positioning and memorability. And what a great song. It was a milestone in its time, and even after all these years, it still feels like a fresh piece of communication.
Huracán Laura for Cerveza Andes by F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi Sao Paulo. In this ad all the right elements come together to create a perfect piece. A powerful insight combined with a timely news event. Plus, the writing is incredibly sharp, delivering the best jokes with precision. Sometimes, you don’t need to show a beer to be in the beer world—just strong insights and fresh executions. Nothing mor
La Compil des Bleues for Orange by Marcel. This is a much more recent example. The way deepfake technology is used here feels incredibly fresh. And even though they rely on tech, they don’t compromise on storytelling—instead, they create a huge wow factor.
