16º Worldwide Advertising Festival of Gramado

By Andressa Martins

The 16º Worldwide Advertising Festival of Gramado at its main theme “Creativity ahead new Technologies” was all creativity on June 13th, 14th and 15th at the hills of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a lot of series lectures, the Gramado Rooster awards and many interesting parellel events.For those who follow the Festival since its early editions, it´s not hard to realize the growing of this event, considered the greatest advertising event at Latin America and the second largest advertising event in the world, only losing for the Cannes Festival.

At this year was enrolled 3.072 ads, from 383 advertising agencies from Brazil, latin american, european and asian countries.This year the Festival elected the Conventions Center Serra Park, a large space big enough to receive the five thousand participants enrolled at the event.

The opening ceremony counted with the presence of Mrs. Yeda Crusius, governor of Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), Mr. Roberto Requiao, governor of Parana state (PR) and Mr.Leonel Pavan, governor in exercise of Santa Catarina state (SC). At the solenity was deliveried the Mauricio Sirotsky Sobrinho Medal to six personalities at the event and plates of honour at a homage for 27 latin american advertising professionals.The Festival patron, the advertising man Roberto Duailibi from DPZ/Brasil made the opening speech saying: “I dedicate my past to build the future”.For Duailibi, the advertising function is take off people from their capsules, from their tigth ropes, and let them to assume an atitude for life.Duailibi was president of ABAP – Brazilian Advertising Agencies Association twice, and at his agency DPZ created brazilian icons like the advertising boy of Bombril, the short guy of Kaiser and the little rooster of Sadia.

The challenge of one more sucess by Joao Firme and his company fellows was overcome.Speaking about Joao Firme, he was circulating, very happy, at the huge fair that was happening in parallel, carring lots editions of his book “Causas e Concausas da Vida de um Comunicador”, the story of Joao Firme since the early days in the city of Santa Rosa, where he was born and raised, untill his arrive at Porto Alegre, where he was graduated as Contability Technician, Journalist, PR and Lawyer.But was as advertising professional that he did what few people did in the history of communication at Rio Grande do Sul, at Brazil and from the Gramado Festival also in the whole world.The person Joao, a great human figur,he deserves all the homages and recognition from many friends, many of them present at the book in thrilled words.

The most persuade lecturers were the japanese advertising professionals from Dentsu, the designer Hans Donner, Nizan Guanaes, president of Africa Comunicacao and Ehr Ray,

president of Borghierh Lowe/Brasil, among others.

The Japanese advertising professionals presented the Digital TV scene at Japan on the panel: “The japanese Digital TV technology”.Ken Aihara, Media Executive from Dentsu said: at the moment the Digital TV is penetrating at Tokyo and in a second time will be spread at all japanese territory.”The penetration happens by the sell of tv sets, he said.

Even with the high selling of LCD and Plasma tv sets, there´s a great dificult for the people to use in fact the interactivity, and could apreciate what´s been made by the advertisers,what means a change in the consumer´s habits.From July 24 2011 the japanese goverment will finish the analogic transmissions, that will be replaced by a totally digital transmission.Nowadays there´s around 100 millon people receiving the sign and around 20% are already at the digital system.According Noriyuki Shutto, Executive Director of Dentsu, will be a great change in advertising.Today in Japan there isn´t incoming profits from the actions of interactivity. “The local communication is more and more important”, he said.Mr.Shutto critize the agency model today.”We have to stop to copy imported ideas from USA and create the own ideas.Advertising is a local business.Brazil, for example, already have his own identity and it´s necessary to develop more”, he critized.

The last lecture at the event was made by Nizan Guanaes.At the lecture, the creative spoke about his professional trajetory and pointed the diferences of his company, consider by the advertisers the best agency at Brazil.Also spoke some stressed lines like:” They say that internet is everything, it´s a stupid modism.The radio is much better.What´s gonna to stay, in spite of technology, it´s the work´s quality.Whose doesn´t write and read well doesn´t have a mind to produce any ideas with any technology”.

In parallel at the main auditorium, there were workshops.With 300 seats, the place became small for so many people interested in participate at the lectures, like: “Creation: who have focus doesn´t have to fear”, presented by the advertising professional Stalimir Vieira.He made a strong critic about the unprepare of profissionals, today at the key position in the Marketing departments and the intelectual pobrerty of creative professionals starting at the market.The inability to write in a clear way, as spoken by Stalimir, it´s the roots of all problems that we live in daily basis at the advertising agencies.

The Advertising Memory was present at the Festival at the 3^rd Exhibition of Design and Graphic Arts of Latin America, by a presentation about the history of animation in advertising.Inbetween the lectures, the public was passing through the Communication Fair, with the presence of 30 expositors and the participation of great communication companies like RBS, Record, Correio do Povo, Pampa, Jornal do Comercio, Editora Referencia and others.

In the heat of the moment at the Festival the Rede Record made its oficial arrive at the gaucho market in the first night at the Gramado Festival, at the dinner in Laje de Pedra Hotel,where they participated with the Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, professionals and executives of advertising agencies, advertisers and press.In her speeching, Mrs. Yeda Crusius saluted the group from Sao Paulo that´s arriving to the state “special, with own featuring, the largest Human Development, newspaper reading and a series of others numbers.The coming of Record to Rio Grande do Sul is very important for us, to receive more information, more opinions, and mainly, to take our state to all Brazil and the world”, spokes Yeda.The president of Rede Record, Alexandre Raposo, and all his executives at Rio Grande do Sul confirmed the intention and plans of hard investiments at the veihcules they bought from Caldas Jr Group, and they said about his company is here now “to make the best” and fight for audiance at the gaucho state.

Making an evaluation at the end of event, with the General Secretary of ALAP and one of the creators of the Festival, Joao Firme de Oliveira, the president of this festival edition Airton Rocha said: about it:”At this three days, Gramado was the capital of brazilian advertising”.Rocha also spoke that the festival reached all his goals, the quality of lectures and the participation of advertising profissionals and students.”The Festival was very productive to show the ways and how the new technologies will impact at our business”, he spoke mainly about the expectations for the arrive of digital television at Brazil.

The 16º Worldwide Advertising Festival of Gramado was closed with good results and with the presence of representatives from many countries like Chile, Russia, Japan, Portugal, France, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Brazil. The expectations are huge for the Extra Edition Mexico that will be held at the City of Mexico in 2008.