Face to Face with... Maxi Itzkoff

Last week, the international creative community gathered in Bilbao, Spain for the 28th edition of the El Sol Festival, a three-day event to celebrate Spanish/Ibero-American creativity. Culminating in the annual awards ceremony where winners were announced on Saturday, shots caught up with Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi Argentina’s ECD & TV/Cinema jury president Maxi Itzkoff.

Below, the creative talks about why the festival appealed to him, how he approached the judging sessions and what awards mean to the industry in general.

Tell us a bit about the El Sol Festival for those who don’t know and why you got involved as a judge…

El Sol is traditionally a Spanish festival that, within the last few years, has opened its doors to other Ibero-American countries. The reason I first got involved with the festival is because I have a lot of appreciation for Spain in general – I lived there for four years and I currently visit from time to time, as I’m also in charge of the creative department at Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi Madrid.

How did you approach the judging sessions and what did you take away from presiding over the jury in your category this year?

The best kind of judging there is is the kind that everyone is on board with. Not because they agree right off the bat, but because they debate about it. You know the process has really worked if 90 per cent of the hands in the room go up after there’s been a debate.

In terms of coverage, TV continues to be an excellent medium to generate the initial conversation. It’s the first spark that catapults the public onto other platforms. But, without a doubt, TV’s role in the new era is being redefined and it’s being used much more in conjunction with other media.

A TV or Cinema spot is always strongly tied to emotion. Contrary to brand cases, which explain outright how intelligent an idea is, TV and Cinema allow you to perceive its quality. You can feel it in its message and in its craft.

What are your thoughts on the current state of Latin American advertising?

Latin America figured out where its place was in the industry and discovered its own way of doing things more exotically. Especially when it comes to brand cases, which, I think, are its specialty.

What do you see for the future of Spanish advertising?

Despite Spain’s currently difficult social and economic situation, I notice that there’s still really incredible talent at every single one of its agencies. You see this reflected in the quality of their work, which, though there’s less of it than there used to be, is still really good.

Do you enjoy awards festivals in general and how important do you think winning is for those working in advertising?

It depends on how serious the judges are. I like working with people I respect and who, at the same time, have respect for the industry. Winning awards is great but it’s the least important stage in an idea’s lifecycle. Ideas are born with a goal in mind to efficiently communicate on behalf of a particular brand, within an established context. If the ad wins awards after having already triumphed in this regard, then the award is certainly warranted, but if that doesn’t happen first, we’re really just pretending to be doing advertising.