The well-known advertising agents invited to the roundtable to discuss the challenges the marketing and communication industry will need to address in the coming years were Carlos Martínez-Cabrera, Chairman of the Spanish Association of Advertising Agencies (AEACP); Juan Campmany, Honorary Chairman of DDB Spain; Xavier Oliver, Chairman of Cognoscere and former Director of DDO Spain; Ignasi Ferrer, Advisor to the Chairman of Shackleton Spain; Joan S. Alòs, a partner at Empirica Influentials & Research and former Chairman of the Spanish Association of Market Research, Marketing and Opinion Poll Professionals (AEDEMO); Joaquín Lorente, founder of MMLB and the Lorente Group; and Miguel Ángel Furones, Chairman of Publicis.
The guests were seven of the noted advertising agents who contributed to the book La publicidad SÍ vende (Advertising DOES Sell) by Pilar Buil and Pablo Medina, both lecturers at the UIC Faculty of Communication Sciences. In the book, ten advertising agents who, as Carlos Martínez-Cabrera mentions in the preface, “succeeded in turning Spain into the third-largest global advertising power”, offer practical and conceptual reflections on the challenges facing the marketing industry in the coming years. These challenges include brand building, team management, talent creation and management, sharing decision making with the advertiser, developing creative strategies, and brand presence in the consumer's everyday life.
The roundtable discussion, organized to present the book, was moderated by Ernest Folch, Managing Editor of Ediciones B, who thanked the authors for the opportunity to publish the book, which he described as exceptional. He said, “It’s the first time that such open reflection, which extends to so many sectors, has been published on the subject in Spain. We are proud to include it in our catalogue".
The author Pablo Medina, who holds a PhD in Institutional Communication from the Universidad de Navarra and is a lecturer in Advertising at the UIC Faculty of Communication Sciences, began by explaining how the book was created. He said, "Many ideas are expressed in it". Without a doubt, the most important is the idea that advertising is a passionate activity, with a more than legitimate role to play in society as a key tool in advertisers’ success. The conclusion drawn by the book is contained in its title: advertising does sell.
Co-author Pilar Buil, who holds a PhD in Public Communication from the Universidad of Navarra and is a lecturer in Advertising at the UIC, confirmed the UIC’s commitment to the advertising industry. She explained that the objective of the book is “to learn from the best, be on close terms with the industry, and bring the successful experience of the greats in advertising to the lecture hall”.
The book analyses the whole advertising process: market research, marketing strategy, creativity and media planning. The authors asked each person they interviewed for their opinion on the past, present and future of their specialist area in advertising.
At the roundtable discussion, the advertising agents discussed these and other questions raised by Folch, including whether the golden age of advertising has come to an end, what future challenges face the industry and the profession, how to build client relationships, and the place of advertising in new media and formats.
In connection with the revolution in the industry, Xavier Oliver said, “The structure of companies has changed and so has the profile of the ad person, but the function of communication is the same". All the participants agreed that communication is still indispensable. Ignasi Ferrer said, “A company needs external professional help, the help of an ad agency”. Martínez-Cabrera added, “It is essential to understand a brand. Without advertising, no project can be successful”. Referring to new media, Juan Campmany said, “The Internet is not going to kill television. It enhances it and allows more messages to reach you”. Alluding to the crisis in the sector, Joaquín Lorente said, “Advertising is a competitive profession. The more fear there is out there, the better things will go for the courageous ones. I urge everyone here to work hard and use your talent. You can make better ad spots than us, so make them”.
The ad people addressed the majority of university students present in the audience in the main lecture hall and encouraged them to take risks. Joan Alòs, a lecturer in Advertising at the UIC, urged them to “make the leap”. He said, “If you are talking about creativity, you have got to make that leap. You have the creativity in you”. Miguel Ángel Furones added, “This profession has made us very happy”, and told the audience, “Be people with passion. Let nobody tell you that you lack ethics”.
The session was an open debate with a common conclusion. All the participants agreed that the crisis needed to be fought by fostering talent, risk-taking and the search for creative ideas.
The closing address was given by Dr. Ivan Lacasa, the Dean of the UIC Faculty of Communication Sciences, who thanked the authors of the book, Pilar Buil and Pablo Medina, for their hard work, tenacity and perseverance. He also thanked the roundtable guests and the audience for their participation.
