Spain Special: Monica Moro

A classic woman of today, Monica Moro is adept at juggling both the demands of her role as McCann Madrid’s general creative director and those of her twin toddlers. And, as Olivia Atkins discovers, her approach to work and home life is to apply the same maternal, talent-nurturing style to both – leading, no doubt, to happy tots and a close-knit, award-winning creative team

Despite Spain still being in recovery from the economic crisis of 2008, Monica Moro, general creative director at McCann Madrid, refuses to let this affect her sunny outlook. As an outspoken creative who takes her job of trying to change the world very seriously, her toughest challenge yet is striking the balance between her personal and professional life, given that she has twin girls, aged just three.

But if her commitment to her career is to be judged on her commitment to attending the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, then it’s fair to say she’s got it pretty much sorted. This year, she flew to Cannes for a few days before flying back to Madrid to see her tots – her other “Lions” as she calls them – perform in their first show, and then raced back to the South of France to mingle with the industry. It’s with this work ethic and determination that she hopes to steer the agency into a brighter and more successful future.

A dream duo is born

Moro had the good fortune to have parents who supported her teenage dream of pursuing a career in adland. Though they didn’t know much about advertising, her folks’ positive influence and encouragement was a springboard and inspired her own nurturing approach to agency life. “The important thing is to help people find their own talent,” she says. “I think that we all have a talent for something, so I like to find that and help people to put all their energies into it.” It’s unsurprising that she treats the agency as a family, given that it’s the only agency she’s ever worked at.

She’s been at McCann Madrid for 18 years, working up from trainee creative to her current role, which she assumed four years ago. Her career progression has been relatively pain-free, too and she’s even had her university chum, Raquel Martinez, working by her side since the pair graduated in advertising from Madrid’s Complutense University. The pals were close but never dreamed that they would spend their careers together. They were the ones sitting together at the back of class, copying each other’s answers in exams, but it wasn’t until they took part in the Creatividad en Vivo competition – a talent-hunting drive launched by the university and Spain’s ad agencies – that the pair considered working together.

With Moro as the copywriter and Martinez as the art director, they got their lucky break after winning the contest with a test campaign for Sprite. Reflecting on how their relationship has evolved, Moro says, “We’re like an old married couple. Our relationship functions telepathically. We have a lot of confidence in each other... we’re like sisters.”

For some, staying at the same agency for the whole of their career would be unthinkable, but for the ever-loyal Moro, it’s just the way things have panned out. Knowing the agency inside out means she has also personally weathered its highs and lows. When she first started the agency had a reputation for being more service-focussed and less creative and Felix Vicente – who has been CEO since she joined – left for a brief time seeking more creativity. Moro says, “He found it hard to persuade major Spanish creatives to work here.” But thanks to hard-working juniors, such as Moro and Martinez, striving to change the agency’s culture they managed lure Vicente back and together forged a new creative powerhouse.

Moro has had many different bosses and mentors throughout her time at McCann who have contributed to her creativity and managerial approach – making it seem to her as if she’s actually worked at different agencies. Now, with Martinez and the latest addition to her crew, ECD Jon Lavin, she has fostered a tight-knit team and a democratic internal structure, insisting, “There’s no hierarchy [within the agency].”

She’s committed to “jobs that are really creative and absolutely real, i.e. not created just for festivals.” By that, she means she focusses on powerful creativity, socially-empowering messages that are true to the brand and that emotionally connect with its consumers. “It’s very difficult but we try not to give up,” she adds. Her commitment is paying off. While she says the agency does not actively seek awards – preferring instead to create lasting impressions with consumers – the work speaks for itself. Moro is proudest of the team’s work for Spanish food group, Campofrío, which in 2015 scooped a couple of Lions – one gold, one silver – for its heart-wrenching campaign, Ashes.

Reacting to a fire that broke out in one of the company’s factory buildings, the spot reached out to the employees who were now out of work – by sending them a brick made from the previous building’s ashes and inviting them to lay it at the building’s reconstruction. “The greatest reward is to transform a brand,” says Moro. “Campofrío was a boring and traditional food brand that sold ham to housewives. We transformed it into something completely different – and I find doing that sort of work most fulfilling.”

There’s no place like McHome

Talent, luck and nurturing skills form part of the winning formula for Moro and, by extension, McCann and will help steer the agency through the country’s post-crisis doldrums. “You are guided by your heart on how to influence brands and your team,” she says… That, and ego. It’s a dirty word to some but Moro maintains, “It’s good for making your work better… but you have to master it.” If Spain’s economy stabilises, the hard work, clear vision and calm instinct of the agency’s mother-figure will continue to show results. And despite many offers she’s had from other agencies throughout her career, to Moro, McCann is home.