AME's powerhouse Grand Jury are known for their global reputation as award-winning creative innovators. They are consistently honored for their ability as creative and strategic leaders to deliver distinctive and effective results for global brands on behalf of their agency.

2022 AME Grand Jury member Paola Ortega is Strategy Director for BBH. Having spent the beginning of her career in multicultural agencies helped give her the foundations to always dig deeper, to push past the obvious to read between the lines and never assume that one size fits all. She’s taken her skills and love for the craft to agencies like Mekanism, Preacher, DDB and BBH, giving her the unique opportunity to work across a range of industries and creative challenges.

Paola’s spent some time in CPG, helping brands within the General Mills portfolio (Yoplait, Cheerios, Progresso, Old El Paso) connect with Hispanic audiences and helping iconic American beers (Budweiser, Coors Light, Coors Banquet) regain their footing in the midst of the craft beer craze. She has also helped take a once niche bourbon brand, Basil Hayden's, expand its audience while protecting its non-mainstream appeal, and translated Crate & Barrel’s heritage in style and design for a younger audience entering a new phase of life. She most recently joined BBH USA, where she now works on Mattel, Barbie and Lionsgate, as well as leading the agency’s DE&I Taskforce.

In the interview below Paola shares her perspective on the evolution of brand positioning and tone of voice the past few years, her most favorite successful campaign, why she agreed to judge the AME Awards and more.

AME Awards: What stand-out attributes do you recognize in award-winning creative effective advertising?

Paola Ortega: Conviction in a point of view. I look for conviction. Brands that stand for something and believe in what they say. If they believe it, then others will too. Lack of conviction makes things soft and ignorable.

Contagious Creativity. Work that elicits an urgent need to share. Ideas that connect with you in such a unique way, that you can’t wait for others to connect as well.

Craft in every detail. Treating every element like it’s the most important one. It’s the parts that make up a whole. The art direction. The writing. The delivery. Every detail matters and makes for work that works.

AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards important?

Paola Ortega: First and foremost, proving that creativity and business are not at odds. They only will be if you treat them that way. Awards like the AMEs are a way to continually raise our standards as an industry. To challenge each other - as clients, as agencies, as colleagues - and ensure we never stop at ‘good enough’.

AME Awards: Speak to the evolution of brand positioning, values, and tone of voice during the past few years.

Paola Ortega: We’ve seen a little insincerity. We’ve seen brands notice the mounting pressure to act on social issues, and end up polluting the world with many vague, blanket statements. I think the whole industry has learned from bad posturing, and now we’re seeing brands deeply reflect on what their true values are, what role they can play in people’s lives, and how to act with credibility. Not everyone can be Ben & Jerry’s, but not everyone has to.

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?

Paola Ortega: I was raised to believe a day without learning is a day wasted (Gracias mami!). And what better way to learn than having the opportunity to see some of the best work in our industry - to learn from others’ journeys and do it in the company of industry giants.

AME Awards: What is your favorite most successful ad and why? What campaign resulted in a global brand making an impressive pivot?

Paola Ortega: Having spent a big part of my career in alcohol brands, I’ve always admired ‘Keep Walking’. The brand’s ability to land a platform that stood for a clear, singular thing (progress), that was able to flex with cultural nuances and stay relevant, and had the longevity to evolve along with the brand is something I truly applaud. Having worked on global brands with wide portfolios, it’s no easy feat to find a common ground that won’t lose its edge. They managed to take ‘Keep Walking’ and make it mean something in 180+ markets, and focus the brand’s communication for commercial success.

In recent years, ‘Don’t Mind If Bailey’s’ has been one of my favourites. While the world obsessed over healthier alternatives to everything (even if consumers didn’t ask for them) Bailey’s leaned into the versatility of their product, and what could have easily been a perceived weakness (indulgence) was flipped to be the most appealing attribute - the human desire to treat yourself.