Advent calendar: Armando Alves
Today we go West (but we stay in Europe) and in Portugal we meet Armando Alves who is the Head Of Interactive at Draftfcb Lisbon. He also writes a blog, called A source of inspiration.
1) Which is the digital project that impressed you more this year and why?
Orange Unlimited, for reminding us that simple is beautiful, and building a successful integrated campaign. Other notable projects include the Heidies by Diesel or the recent one by Renova Power, Spain, “Quien Es Fermin“. As for agencies, Northkingdom and FarFar still amaze us with outstanding work, with some great work coming from Eastern Europe, like ParkStudio‘s work for Fanta or Nokia.
2) In your job, which is the most important thing you learnt this year?
I’ve learned to quit looking at my own bellybutton, and start looking to what regular users are doing online. Call it interactive etnography or something like that, but the truth is that we professionals are so much self-absorbed that it all feels like a big echo chamber. For instance, it amazes me the tons of people that don’t have a clue what twitter is, but instead use regular email to keep their friends updated.
3) As a creative person what’s on top of your agenda for 2008?
I haven’t looked too much into social media, specially widgets, so i’ll try some hacks on OpenSocial et al. And speaking of Google, Android and similar platforms will be a fresh terrain for agencies to explore. I wouldn’t see it as the boom of mobile advertising, but rather as the beginning of a new bread of mobile experiences.
4) What, in your opinion, will be a killer application/key trend in interactive marketing in 2008?
Tactile, sensorial, all that connects users on a closer level. It’s a solid trend that has been shaping up this year, with the iPhone, multi-touch displays, light graffiti, etc. Doesn’t matter if it’s web based, multimedia or mobile, the challenge will be to add a new layer of perception on top of integrated campaigns.
5) Which book would you give as a Christmas present to Adverblog’s readers?
The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda. Or for something more classic The Online Advertising Playbook/a>
