ANA Judges' Journal: Gustavo Cecilio
What will it take to have your work make it to the winners’ circle?
ANA’s Judges’ Journals features a series of Q&A sessions with leading industry executives participating on 2024 ANA Award juries. Gain insight from the judges on what they will be looking for and what makes the difference between a good vs. award worthy submission.
In this segment, Denise McDevitt, senior vice president, award programs at ANA connects with Gustavo Cecilio, head of multicultural marketing at PepsiCo Foods North America regarding his role on the 2024 ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Jury.
Q> What current trends are you seeing in multicultural and inclusive marketing? What has been the biggest shift since a year ago?
Gustavo> I can see a tremendous progress in multicultural marketing in the last 5 years. There are multiple areas that evolved fast, including representation in casting, in language content, agencies and supplier diversity and recognition of main multicultural consumers passion points to connect with marketing initiatives. The biggest shift I can see this year vs year ago is the shift from a specific multicultural driven creative idea and execution to a multicultural inspired creative idea that is relevant to general population. This shift was only possible due to the power of influence that multicultural segments like Hispanics, Afro Americans and Asians have in total US population.
Q> Every entrant wants to know what it will take to win an ANA Multicultural Excellence Award – what campaign components will you be looking for this year to distinguish good vs. exceptional?
Gustavo> I always evaluate the work starting with what problems it is trying to solve, that provide great context for the evaluation. In PepsiCo we always look for: 1-How the campaign can break through the clutter? 2-Does it have a big idea that is rooted in a true insight that evokes powerful emotion with potential for a long-lasting effort vs a one off? And, 3-Does it have a potential to get people acting / talking about it? Lastly, I normally like to evaluate the formats of content and how they are connected to the media strategy ( considering the awareness, conversion etc..)
Q> When I’m talking with entrants, I encourage them to provide a bit of education on the industry sector, competitive landscape, current cultural sensitivities of the intended audience, etc. – what situation details and elements do you feel to be essential in a case study submission?
Gustavo> All the above are relevant. I would also appreciate a clear perspective on the problem to solve or Job to be done. In addition I would love to understand the impact in the society that the brand or campaign is generating.
Q> In the submission form, we ask entrants to excite us with the “ah-ha” solution they developed – what elements are you expecting the entrant to share in this section? What are you hoping to learn regarding the creation of a team’s big idea?
Gustavo> All start with a consumer truth. In other words, what is the insight that generated the Big Idea. How that is unique and credible to your brand, and can this big idea be contagious and iconic for your category.
Q> Data-driven decision-making has become a standard operating procedure for marketing teams - how do you handle the role of data in your initiatives and to what degree will you be weighing the use – and application - of data and analytics in the award submissions?
Gustavo> It is essential, often consumer and category insights that generate a brand positioning or big idea come from data and analytics. There is also a key role for that in the evaluation of the media strategy and tactics of a campaign.
Q> Risk taking and effectiveness – sometimes friends, sometimes foes. How have you handled the balance in your marketing efforts, and how will you weigh these elements in your judging of the submissions?
Gustavo> When your brand positioning is tight, your risk becomes much lower. Most times, groundbreaking iconic campaigns have a fair amount of risk, however more than never we need to respect sensitivities.
Q> How would you complete this sentence: “If nothing else, be sure your submission _______________________________.”
Gustavo> If nothing else, please make sure you give context of what problem you are trying to solve, and it has a clear articulation of what evokes emotion and connection with consumers.
The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards offer the ultimate opportunity to showcase work that makes a difference and celebrate the teams who are leading the charge in establishing an unwavering, authentic commitment to effectively include and engage with diverse, multicultural audiences.
The final deadline to submit work into the 2024 Multicultural Excellence Awards program is August 9, 2024.
The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards program is judged by a select jury of industry leaders to select the entries that represent best-in-class examples of multicultural marketing — work that features powerful cultural insights that ultimately helps brands to effectively connect with diverse consumers.
The ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards Celebration will take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at the Bellagio Casino & Resort, on the second evening of the 2024 ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference. Awards will be presented to top brands and agencies for the top Multicultural Marketing campaigns of 2023 across 17 different categories. The event culminates with the Best in Show Award announcement, honouring the overall top campaign of the year chosen from the Category Grand Prize winners.
To view the full portfolio of ANA Awards visit here.
