The new Chief Creative Officer of McCann London chats about creative leadership, British humour, and the twists in his career plot.
It must be tough to exchange the sunny streets of Madrid for London, but that＊s exactly what Emiliano De Pietri did when he was made CCO of McCann London. Ironically, the skies are blue when we meet, but we agree that Bishopsgate 每 a main artery of the financial district, where McCann is based 每 is kind of insane.
※Seriously, when I go out of my building to get a sandwich or go to my hotel, it＊s hard to cross the sidewalk,§ he jokes. ※All these people speedwalking in the same direction. I guess they＊re busy pulling the strings of the global economy.§
McCann feels like an oasis of creativity among the bankers. ※Yeah, we can＊t take private planes, but I bet our meetings are more fun: we can horse around in a room for two hours.§
That＊s the way he gets the most out of a creative team, he explains. ※I treat it like a dinner party. Cracking jokes, telling stories, digressing. When people have the feeling they＊re with a group of friends, they start saying things they might have felt self-conscious about. ＆Is this an interesting idea? Am I going to sound dumb? Is it too unsophisticated?＊ If there＊s an atmosphere where people feel that risk-taking will never be censored or chastised, that＊s what you want.§
When you work so closely with somebody, there＊s no place to hide.
The pandemic factor
Emiliano is still home-hunting at the time of our interview, but he＊s used to feeling displaced. Born in Milan and raised in Madrid, he was educated in New York and worked in Peru, Colombia and New York before returning to Spain.
He also nearly worked in London before, but Covid derailed his plans. It＊s quite a story, which Emiliano tells with the aplomb of a born copywriter who started out as a journalist. He was working at Grey New York when he was contacted by Javier Campopiano, who＊d just joined Grey as CCO Europe.
※He offered me the role of European ECD in London 每 essentially his right hand in the region. Great opportunity, except you＊d be better off shooting somebody in the street in New York than breaking a lease. As I had six or seven months left on my Brooklyn apartment, Grey London paid for temporary corporate housing here. So I was in this situation where two-thirds of my stuff was still in Brooklyn, one-third in London. Then Covid hit.§
At first he hunkered down in the soulless corporate apartment, watching the news on an uncomfortable sofa. When the crisis worsened and flights were cancelled, he decided to head for Madrid to be with his family.
※So there I was, paying for a pricey New York apartment, with belongings in London, but working from my childhood bedroom surrounded by old Michael Jordan posters. The funny thing? Javi lived just four blocks away. As restrictions eased, I started walking over to his place, and we turned his living room into a makeshift Grey office. Just the two of us, brainstorming, working on scripts, running global pitches. And of course, when you work so closely with somebody, there＊s no place to hide. What you see is what you get. So we realised that we had a lot in common and we worked very well together.§
The partnership ended 每 temporarily 每 when Emiliano was hired as Chief Creative Officer at McCann Spain. He＊s proud of the work he did there, particularly ※Trapped In the 90s§ for IKEA, a genuine reality TV show in which a bunch of Gen Z youngsters are locked in a home with pre-millennium tech.
※As a creative you instinctively go for the most controlled approach to an idea. But that would have meant faking a reality show, so we went for the less controllable, more nerve-wracking approach: let＊s just shoot this and see what happens.§
He discovered that there＊s a directorial element to reality TV, as the inhabitants are prompted with games or suggestions to provoke challenge or conflict. ※There＊s some psychological manipulation going on. It＊s an experiment in a glass house. But they were getting paid and having a ton of fun.§
London calling (again)
Now Emiliano is finally back in London, and working with Javier Campopiano, who＊s since become Worldwide CCO at McCann. It was Javier who asked him to lead the London team for the Peroni beer pitch 每 which they won, securing his future as London＊s new creative leader.
※The chemistry with the team went really well, which was pivotal for the decision to offering me the London CCO role. There will always be a place in my heart for that brand, because now it＊s linked to a significant career move for me.§
The team is working on the global campaign, which will launch soon. ※It＊s going to be very exciting because we＊re repositioning an iconic brand.§
What does he think of London＊s creative culture? ※Humour§ often comes up in the context of British advertising. ※I actually feel closer to British humour than Spanish. My dad was a political cartoonist, and his formative years were spent in London. So he showed me Monty Python, Fawlty Towers with John Cleese＃.§
British humour is a source of national pride, he adds. ※You have great biscuits, Harrod＊s, Wimbledon 每 and your sense of humour.§
I actually feel closer to British humour than Spanish.
The Creative's Journey
As a writer, Emiliano admits that work and social media have eaten into his reading time 每 but he＊s currently re-reading ※The Writer＊s Journey§, by Christopher Vogler, which lays out the narrative structure that drives almost every story or script, from Star Wars to Anora. It＊s an ideal creative handbook.
Does he have any tips for overcoming the advertising equivalent of writer＊s block? ※Zero tips,§ he says at first. ※When it hits you, it＊s hard. Having said that, I remember a writing exercise I did at school where you write the first thing that comes into your head: stream of consciousness writing. That could work. Or maybe not.§
A better solution is bouncing ideas off somebody, he says. ※Especially somebody talented, with a quirky mind or a good sense of humour. If you keep at it for a few hours, there＊s always something. When it＊s a solo effort, you can spiral. Creativity, especially in our business, is about working together.§
