AME's Grand Jury of Strategy Directors, Managing Directors, CMO's, CEO's CCO's, Chairman, social media experts and other prominent executives are some of the world’s most creative and strategic minds in advertising and marketing communications. They bring a robust tool box of skills and industry expertise to the AME jury panel, with years of experience working on award-winning campaigns that deliver effective results, they truly set the benchmark for innovation.
2021 Grand Jury member Lorenzo Foffani’s mantra, that doubt is the supreme knowledge and simplicity the ultimate sophistication, has driven him to learn new things in new places, working in London, Madrid and Milan in some of the world's most renowned agencies – including Y&R. Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Worldgroup and DUDE. Now he leads strategy at AKQA Italy and continues to stimulate innovation through the power of creativity and imagination. He also lectures at universities (IED, Università Cattolica) to pass on his knowledge and push others to build on his ideas, methods and mistakes.
Lorenzo shares his insights and industry perspective in the interview below sharing his thoughts on effective advertising, how the brand's voice changed during COVID, what innovations are changing the way agencies create on behalf of brands and so much more.
AME Awards: As a strategic creative, what stand-out attributes do you recognize in award-winning creative effective advertising?
Lorenzo Foffani: From communication to culture. A sign of outstanding effectiveness of a creative work is when it affects the culture, not just the comms.
AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards important?
Lorenzo Foffani: Setting the standard. If you want to create a great work, you need to know what “great” looks like (and how it is measured).
AME Awards: How has the brand’s voice changed since the pandemic confinement measures? Speak to the evolution of brand positioning, values, and tone of voice during COVID.
Lorenzo Foffani: More than words. Brands learned to say less, and act more. When you walk the talk, your tone of voice might be the same, your tone of walk is what matters.
Why so serious? The situation is serious, but a smile can always help. No matter how hard is life, lightness can add value.
AME Awards: What will advertising look like next year? What brands have evolved and succeeded during this year and why?
Lorenzo Foffani: Brewdog has redefined the frontier between product and comms. They are just part of the same thing.
They also showed how to get through tough times with people, adding to their sense of humor a new sense of help.
AME Awards: What innovations are changing the way agencies create on behalf of brands or launch new products? Does big data and AI play an even bigger role today?
Lorenzo Foffani: Data will always matter. But value matters more. Data can be quite useless, if you don’t make the best of it.
AME Awards: Why did you agree to participate on this year’s AME Grand Jury and What do you hope to learn by viewing entries into this competition?
Lorenzo Foffani: Is always good to learn from the best, to define a better standard for yourself and you agency.