Anselmo Ramos: Guided by his gut

Tell us about your journey to GUT. 

The day I discovered a pile of MAD Magazines under my father’s bed changed everything for me. I became obsessed with the cartoons from Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragonés and Don Martin, the ‘Holy Trinity’ of MAD. I started drawing cartoons and creating comics, submitting them to MAD Magazine in the US. I’m still waiting for a reply. 

I began my advertising career in Brazil, and went to work in Europe for four years and in the US for eight years before returning as Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy São Paulo. That was where I met my partner, Gastón Bigio. He was the Regional Creative Director back then, and was also leading Ogilvy Buenos Aires. Through working together, we proved that creativity could impact both culture and business. Five years later, Ogilvy Brazil became the 2013 Cannes Lions Agency of the Year thanks to, among other transformative ideas, Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches.  

GUT defines who we are and the work we like to do: visceral, courageous, and intuitive.

Then came DAVID, an agency we named after David Ogilvy. It was the perfect training ground for building an agency because we had help from Ogilvy and WPP. But, after five years, Gastón and I felt it was time to move on. At Cannes 2017, we decided to start GUT. It was a visceral decision; we literally followed our gut and the name came very quickly. GUT defines who we are and the work we like to do: visceral, courageous, and intuitive. Within seconds, I bought the gut.agency domain. There was no turning back. 

Above: MAD Magazine was the beginning of Ramos's creative journey.

How did you learn your craft? 

By being a true ad nerd. Being an ad nerd helps hone your intuition and develop your taste. And taste is everything. Knowing the difference between good and great. Spotting a nugget of a great idea, and building it into something that transforms a brand.  

I’ve always liked the Belgian philosopher and silver-screen icon Jean-Claude Van Damme. 

To quote the great Sir John Hegarty: “If you work in art, you study the history of art. If you work in science, you study the history of science. If you work in advertising, why wouldn’t you study the history of advertising?” Becoming an expert at anything is about maintaining your curiosity, immersing yourself in your chosen craft every day, and never giving up.   

Your life motto is “No retreat, no surrender”. Where did this come from and why do those words resonate with you? 

I’ve always liked the Belgian philosopher and silver-screen icon Jean-Claude Van Damme. When I opened David and GUT, my office was a laptop, a framed image of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and me. His “No Retreat, No Surrender” quote is a simple idea: once you believe in something, fight for it. This industry constantly tests your conviction: clients, timelines, fear, doubt. Great ideas are fragile. It’s easy for them to get diluted. GUT’s slogan, “No gut, no glory,” is just another way of saying “No retreat, no surrender.” 

Above: Above: GUT's company motto of “No gut, no glory” is a play on Jean-Claude Van Damme's motto of "“No retreat, no surrender”.

What have you learned during your career that you wish you’d known at the start? 

I wish someone had told me that it all comes down to four things: ambition, obsession, reputation and relationships. Ambition is first. Oprah Winfrey said that most people never achieve anything because they don’t know where they’re going. A big, clear ambition is the north star that keeps you on track. Obsession for a specific thing is becoming rare. Choose one thing and obsess about it for as long as you can. 

The best relationships are built around great work. Because great work is the product of shared values and common goals.

Reputation takes a long time but it’s so important. The best way to build reputation is by consistently doing great work. You’ll become an awards juror. Great leaders will call you. Brave clients will find you. Great work shapes your life. The best relationships are built around great work. Because great work is the product of shared values and common goals, and that’s what great relationships are all about. 

Your three core values at GUT are courage, transparency and intuition. Talk me through why each one is so important to you. 

Courage is a daily choice. Safe work doesn’t move anyone. And if it doesn’t move people, it doesn’t work. Transparency is about spilling your guts inside and out. We believe in radical truth. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable and “100% transparency” is almost a myth, but that’s the goal. 

Great work comes from truth, not from politeness. Intuition is about always following your gut. Data is nothing without guts. We love data. But we prefer a beautiful tango between data and intuition. 

Above: GUT Mexico's recent campaign for Purga Studio. 

What are your thoughts on the future direction of advertising? 

My radical, optimistic view of the future involves advertising and production companies getting closer and, in some cases, merging. Producing is just an extension of creating; it’s part of the same process. Different remuneration models will appear built around the true power of an idea and the results it generates for clients.  

The most critical skill will be human intuition. There’s nothing more powerful than intuition. 

Agencies and clients will be more open to sharing risks and rewards, including IPs and residuals. AI will eventually become just another tool and we’ll return to valuing humans. 

What new skillsets will creatives need in the years to come? 

Curiosity, obsession and intuition. The most critical skill will be human intuition. There’s nothing more powerful than intuition. No wonder the scientific community calls the human gut our ‘second brain’. Because we literally have millions of neurons, serotonin and neurotransmitters in our gut. However, to use your second brain, you have to stop and listen to it. Because it doesn’t shout, it whispers. 

Above: Olivia De Camps' video for Becky G. 

What is it about your innovator, the director Olivia De Camps, that impresses you so much? 

Her unique point of view. It seems to consist of a very rare combination of strategic intelligence, instinct, and fearlessness. Her work feels completely authentic while being incredibly future-facing, which is a very delicate balance. 

[Olivia De Camps] seems comfortable being uncomfortable, and that’s a huge creative advantage.

I also admire the way she naturally connects innovation with humanity. A lot of people talk about technology, platforms or trends in a very cold way. Olivia never loses the emotional side of it. She understands that behind every screen, every algorithm, every piece of data, there’s a human being that needs to feel something. That’s extremely important. 

What does she do differently to her peers and why does it resonate with you? 

Olivia operates with a level of curiosity and openness that makes her stand out. She’s not limited by traditional advertising thinking. She moves fast, experiments, adapts and understands that culture moves in real time.  

She seems comfortable being uncomfortable, and that’s a huge creative advantage. The best ideas usually come from people willing to enter uncertain territory instead of protecting themselves with predictable thinking.  

Anselmo Ramos' nominated Innovator is Olivia De Camps. You can read her interview here.