MediaMonk’s Mariana Albuquerque: “Forget You Work in Advertising on Weekends”

As a creative, Mariana Albuquerque looks for 'anything but vanilla' – a creative philosophy that has taken her around the world from São Paulo to Dublin. 

In São Paulo, she worked at global agencies such as Ogilvy, FCB, Publicis, ISOBAR, Wunderman Thompson/GTB before moving to Ireland in 2019 to join the Rothco creative team at Accenture Interactive. 

Now back in Brazil, she joined MediaMonks/Circus earlier this year as global creative director. MediaMonks/Circus is part of S4 Captial – a “tech-led, new age, new era” digital advertising and marketing services company. Albuquerque was also named a Next Creative Leader in Latin America by the One Club for Creativity and the 3% Conference in 2020. 

LBB> You moved back to Sao Paulo in January. How is the new role at MediaMonks/Circus going so far? 

Mariana> I'm really excited as this is my first leadership role. As global creative director, I'm responsible for creating and leading global campaigns in partnership with other creative directors and creative teams from all around the globe – especially São Paulo, London, and LA. It's been challenging, but in a good way. I've got the chance to get to know talented creatives in all S4 Capital Group offices. 

LBB> What does MediaMonks/Circus do differently to other agencies and production houses?

Mariana> MediaMonks/Circus are combining world-class craft and production with creative thinking. On the one hand, MediaMonks is one of the best players in the world in developing digital and experiential solutions for brands. On the other hand, S4 Capital has bought creative agencies all around the globe that are challenging Monks’ production team with never-seen-before ideas. My role is to keep MediaMonk's production and innovation department very busy.

LBB> What can you tell us about the creative scene in Dublin versus Sao Paulo: what did you enjoy most about your time in Ireland? 

Mariana> Ireland is my second home, and the home of many important writers. This also gets into the creative culture – they are writing enthusiasts. I learned a lot about how to put ideas into words as opposed to trusting only the visuals to sell ideas (like we do in São Paulo). Ireland is still a tiny local market, but it's growing fast and some agencies are already doing high-level global work. With Brexit, I see potential in Ireland to grow even more, since it's the only native English-speaking country in the EU. 

Although there are talented creative agencies in Ireland, my impression was that clients are still struggling to push boundaries and trust new ideas that go beyond traditional TVC and print. However, radio is still a big thing, as it is the main media reach in the country – which is sooo different from Brazil, which is always connected on smartphones and crazy for TV shows. 

LBB> Some of your best-known work includes ‘The Cliché’, which became one of Heineken’s most shared videos when it launched in 2017. Are there other stereotype-bending campaigns you’re especially proud of? 

Mariana> Bold creatives need bold clients. I loooove pushing boundaries and breaking the status quo. In the case of The Cliché, I was lucky enough to work for a client that wanted that too. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to repeat that yet, but I'm a huge fan of PPK SEM TABU, from Wunderman Thompson Brazil, which made a campaign about vaginal issues, as well as Viva La Vulva, and Wombstories. 

LBB> Do you have any unusual habits or interests out of work? 

Mariana> I believe good ideas come from living and perceiving life. If there's something I learned while living in Europe, it is the importance of forgetting you work in advertising during the weekend. This is the chance to be someone else, and exercise creativity from other sources. As for me, I'm an enthusiastic student of Tarot, Reiki, Shamanism, Bass and Drums… because why not? 

LBB> What are you most looking forward to as a judge of AD STARS 2021? 

Mariana> Everything has changed about our industry, from production to creating. I believe that tackling working from home, mental health, and the pandemic means that having world-class work to enter in a competition is already a great achievement. I'm excited to see how creatives all around the globe solved problems with technology, activations, experiential and never-seen before ideas.

The AD STARS 2021 Online Awards ceremony will take place virtually on 27th August.