“I have no special talent. I am only
passionately curious.”
– Albert Einstein
I have bad memory. Maybe it is not wise for me to admit it to possible recruiters or blast it on social media, but it’s true. Everybody has flaws, and terrible memory, is one of mine. But in life, there are certain experiences or anecdotes that are forever ingrained in the brain. Memories that shape us, represent us and act as soundbites of our lives. For me, it was a silly conversation with my mom on a random Roman night.
For my thesis, I decided to work on a personal and professional project that I had started in my years as a student: Dulce Tentación. Dulce Tentación is an Argentine bakery in Madrid that seeks to enchant the Spanish market with its autochthonous delicacies.
After doing extensive research, I found out that Madrid is Spain’s main commercial and service centre, yet there are only 10 Argentine bakeries in the center of Madrid. Considering the countless proof of the international success and interest of Argentine products, I found a missed opportunity and therefore immense potential of the startup. Through that research I was able to narrow down the target audience onto two groups: Argentines living in Madrid and madrileños (people who are from Madrid) curious to expand their culinary and cultural experience.
Imagine having to do a cross media campaign for a relatively small and new NGO who doesn’t have much of a budget, employees or focus allocated to its communication.
Well, that is exactly what my Cross Media teacher asked of her students when she introduced the case of the Danish NGO: FANT.
Present in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Gambia, FANT is short for Football for a New Tomorrow. It partners with local organizations to create stronger civil societies and promote development within the community through sports. Since their start in 2012, the Danish NGO has launched five projects, but the one chosen for my class’ project was “Backway is not the solution”.
“Backway is not the solution” collaborates with YAIM (Youth Against Illegal Migration) to prevent Gambians from falling into the trap of illegal migration, and consequently suffering from a scam that leaves them with trauma and economic loss.
For the cross media communication plan, they wanted to create awareness and incentivize Danish donations, without resorting to the typical sad and guilt-tripping messages of NGOs.
Why are tabloids, gossip and eavesdropping so popular? Because people love taking a peek into strangers’ lives.
Once, walking down the streets of Madrid, I peeped through the back of my eye an old couple who was looking and pointing in a specific direction. Of course, my natural instinct was to look at what these people were so interested in. To my disappointment, I couldn’t understand what exactly was worth pointing out in that direction. But it did strike up a thought… What if advertisers used that intrinsic curiosity that humans share to their favor?
Minimalism project: SAALT menstrual cups
Whether you believe that minimalism is a growing trend or a massified lifestyle, one thing is true: it is a phenomenon that is worth studying. The final project for my Market Research class consisted in analysing the minimalism market and proposing a service or product that would align to the wants and needs of this part of society.
The old saying goes: “Laughter is the best medicine.” However, whilst walking down the nature-filled parks of Copenhagen, listening to emotional music and having some therapeutic tears roll down my face, I started thinking: sometimes tears are the best medicine.
Crying is an expression of pure and undisturbed emotion. Whether it’s tears of joy, sadness or laughter; crying relieves, releases and soothes the soul. So if crying is such a natural, relatable and powerful human reaction, why not showcase it instead of trying to hide it?
Finding Pedro
Being a photographer is also being a storyteller; opening a new world to those who contemplate your art. Throughout all of this process, I wanted to be as creative and genuine as I could. I wanted to let my surroundings surprise and inspire me. So I decided to not plan my pictures ahead of time. It was a difficult task to achieve, but I realised that through this method I allowed myself to be in the present. To really submerge myself in my work. To use what was available to me. And something that was a constant in all my pictures was my friend Pedro.
Other than the extreme loss suffered in the pandemic, one of the most frustrating and demotivating consequences of Covid-19 was the seeming stillness of time and progress. Patience, especially in this day in age, is hard to develop. Because when speaking of patience, you are not only asking people to wait but you are asking them to wait without certainty if and when the waiting will stop. Uncertainty is the number one driver of fear, and with a fearsome society, chaos is set to unleash.
That is why in order to motivate citizens, the barriers between the government and the people need to be broken down. Citizens need to feel like they are understood and their time is being valued. They also need to see the other side of the coin: Waiting is difficult, but in the case of the pandemic it can save a life. The final message must be of authority but of empathy and hope. Showing citizens how all of today’s efforts will work to construct the tomorrow they want.
How can the most elite nightclub in Copenhagen incorporate a CSR strategy into their communication plan and salvage their reputation?
That is the question that my group posed, and consequently answered, in the CSR report found at the bottom of this page. But first… who is ARCH?
ARCH is one of the most expensive, notorious and exclusive nightclubs in Copenhagen. As most clubs, they have bouncers, but as few clubs, they also have pickers. Pickers who are known for being incredibly selective, and somewhat, discriminatory. Even Politikken, one of Denmark’s most read media outlets, wrote an article exposing famous Danish singer’s, Karl Williams, rejection: “I was rejected for being too ugly”.
This has amounted the club a negative reputation. Reputation which may currently not be a problem today but due to societal demands, increase in political correctness, a growingly multi-cultural Copenhagen and changes in beauty trends will surely cause a problem in the future.
By introducing a CSR strategy onto their communication plan, not only will ARCH be the first in the field but they will also revamp their brand and actively prepare for the social demands of the future.
Tuft & needle
With 32850 reviews and a 4,6 rating, the T&N Original Mattress is one of the best memory foam mattresses in the market. With its own T&N Adaptive® foam, it is able to provide the maximum quality without compromising the comfort of the user.
Although Tuft & Needle’s positioning may be enviable, they need to differentiate themselves from competitors and win over their target audience’s trust and loyalty through a strong brand personality.
The ad highlights how the T&N Original Mattress adapts to all sleeping positions, scenarios and therefore people. It plays on the idea that as the mattress has memory adaptive foam, it remembers every single one of its customers and shapes itself to give them the best night of sleep.
The personification of the mattress, the comedic tone and the relatability of this ad, allows Tuft & Needle to show a friendlier and closer face. Everyone can feel identified and part of the T&N community.
In 2021, I participated in a Unilever Contest where students from all different Spanish universities had to create a campaign proposal for their beauty and personal care brand: Love, Beauty and Planet. The goal of the summer campaign was for the expansion of the British brand in Spanish soil. It had to show Love, Beauty and Planet’s personality, connect with the target audience, build a community around the brand and instigate a growth in their social media reach. The focus was not to create Advertising, as they had already went that route in the past, but to create captivating content which would generate owned, earned and paid media. The campaign also had to include a few influencers and a brand ambassador.
