BBVA Spain's new campaign promoting loans

Cool copy on a cup of coffee

Copywriting has the power of bringing concepts to life. Not easy at all. I've always enjoyed packaging, at many times, it's the most important contact point for consumer products.  I remember many years ago reading the packaging copy on the first Innocent Smoothie bottles and being amazed of how simple, corky and unexpectedly engaging they were.

Well, this morning I saw another fantastic example of the power of words to create a connection.  We're spending the weekend in Berlin and staying at this funky place called the Michelberger Hotel.  This is the coffee cup my wife picked up at breakfast this morning.  The copy on the cup is creatively brilliant.

"We meet at the bar. You ask for me. You know I'm hot. You can't resist. You put your hands on me. You pull me to your lips. You use me. You take what you want. Then it's all over. You throw me aside. You walk away. No calls. No letters. It's ok. I'm not bitter."

Building something special in Catalonia

Thiis is BBVA's campaign to communicate the integration of CatalunyaCaixa.  The campaign, produced in Catalan with Spanish subtitles, called "Sumar Multiplica" (adding multiplies) uses examples of people coming together to build something special like the castells - human towers built in festivals in Catalonia or the Roca Brothers - from El Celler de Can Roca.

Breakthrough launch from Amazon

Having spent so many years in consumer marketing, I loved seeing how Aamazin is exploring innovative ways to rethink the shopper experience.

BBVA Investing in UX and Design

BBVA acquires San Francisco-based user experience and design firm Spring Studio as we move forward with our objective of becoming the World's best digital bank. This is the video communicating the news featuring Mark Jamison - BBVA Head of UX/Design and Marianna Wickman, who leads the bank's global Design Team.

Iberia Airlines' new campaign

Here in Madrid, I enjoying consulting with Carolina Issler - CMO for Iberia Airlines - when I want to discuss anything related to the world of marketing. The travel industry is a benchmark when it comes to digital transformation and there's a tremendous amount of knolwledge that applies to other business categories. Here's Iberia's new campaign targetting the Brazilian market that Carolina shared with me the other day.  Ironically, I'm writing this post from an Iberia lounge at Barrajas International on my way to a ski trip in the French Slps.

It's here! The New BBVA Compass NBA American Express Card

Last Sunday, we very excited with the launch of the BBVA Compass NBA Amex Card - the very first credit card for NBA Fans.  https://www.bbvacompass.com/nba/

Those who are passionate about the NBA all over the U.S. can sign up online, choose a card among the 30 NBA Team designs, share the card experience on Facebook and enjoy exclusive NBA-themed benefits.

The Campaign is called "If the NBA is Your Passion, This is Your Card" and here is one of the national TV & YouTube executions that has started to air during the NBA programming. Campaign created by DDB.

Sign up for yours.

2015 NBA All-Star Weekend

This weekend, I was in New York for the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend - three days celebrating the World's very best basketball.  BBVA is the Official Bank of the NBA, so we had a number of activities scheduled with clients from around the World.

Personally, this was a very special NBA All-Star Weekend because we announced the soft launch of a digital product we've been working on for the past year and we're very excited about:  the BBVA Compass NBA American Express Card.

Passionate NBA Fans from around the country will be able to order online their NBA Amex Card, choosing among the 30 different NBA Teams... coming soon!

Here's the teaser campaign we're showcased at the NBA All-Star Weekend.

An email from yourself 30 years from now?

Have you ever received an email from yourself 30 years from now?

Well, BBVA Spain's Marketing Team sent these emails to our customers who currently have a BBVA Pension Plan.  Each email was customized with the person's name, age and how much they have been contributing annually.  The idea was to make them imagine, for just a few seconds, how life would be thirty years from now and how it could be better if he/she made larger contributions to their plan.  The response rate has been amazing generating 80% more contributions among those who received the email versus those who haven't.

http://www.bbva.es/estaticos/micros/planes-personalizados/?id=214/19282/5f9c4ab08cac7457e9111a30e4664920

http://www.bbva.es/estaticos/micros/planes-personalizados/?id=214/19282/4ec9599fc203d176a301536c2e091a19

The Art of Scent in Madrid

Last night, my wife and I went to see the exhibit "The Art of Scent 1889-2013" at Madrid's Circulo de Bellas Artes - the original exhibit was first shown in 2012 at New York's MAD - The Museum of Arts and Design.  The exhibit showcases twelve scent creations, curated by Chandler Bur, including classics like Jicky by Aimé Gerlain in 1889 or Chanel No. 5 by Ernest Beaux created in 1921.

The instalation combines information on the inspiration, cultural context, innovations and techniques used to create the scents, as well as, an olfactory experience.  There were also two videos, one describing the creative process behind Dior's J'Adore and the second was this video with the fascinating brand story of Chanel No.5, one of marketing's best examples of story telling and a true testament that a great brand can stand the test of time.

Useful tips on social media

I just finished reading "The Art of Social Media" by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick.  The ebook version is full of many useful hyperlinks that allow you to review examples while you read.  It's an essential guide for those of us who have a fairly good idea of the basics but want to get insights and tips on getting better at using social media for our businesses and personal life.

Showrooming

During the weekly digital marketing capability program we have here at the office, there was a fascinating session on different online/offline consumer behaviors.  One of them being the concept of showrooming, when someone checks out a product in a traditional retail store and then buys online. When the moderator showed this image, I totally related.

During the holiday season I walked into a small boutique in NY's Chelsea neighborhood and left with a pair of shoes from a brand I had never heard of:  Common Projects.  The salesman did a wonderful job talking about the brand story, their obsession with urban design, Italian manufacturing.... I was sold.

Back in Madrid, I decided to browse through the brand's site and clicking on 'buy online' I was redirected to an amazing multibrand ecommerce platform called thecorner.com that delivers any Common Project shoes in Spain. Perfect.  There I was buying my first pair of shoes online, something I've never done because of a number of reasons. Does the photo reflect the actual model? Will the shoes be comfortable?  Is the leather soft? What is the right size since different brands use different criteria and countries have different standards?  Now, since I have a pair that fits well and a style I relate to, suddenly my fears were over.

I must say that my story also made me feel I little bad since the store experience was exceptionally good but now I ordered my second pair online.  That's why I related so much to this cartoon.

Journeys for the mind and soul

The more I travel, the more I'm interested in learning experiences.  So, I enjoyed reading about The New York Times Journeys - an opportunity for discerned travellers to book trips inspired by the newspaper's editorial content and led by journalists and subject matter specialists.  Wouldn't it be amazing to join journeys like "The Two Sides of Southern Africa" or "Contemporary Life in Cuba"?  They're announcing over 25 itineraries, 70 departures dates in 7 different continents.

With the media industry being disrupted in so many ways and companies having to rethink how they can provide more meaningful relationships with their customers through new business models, this is a cool concept.  It makes you want to live the news and not just consume it.  Fascinating.

DIY experience for teens in NYC

Travelling with teenage daughters requires being imaginative and coming up with experiences beyond traditional tourist attractions.  So, this holiday season in New York, besides crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in the bitter cold to see the new year fireworks or exploring the interactive exhibits at the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design, my wife made an appointment for them to make their own lipstick at Bite Lip Lab (174 Prince St. - Soho).  They loved it.

We see the do-it-yourself and customization model in many different categories.  More than just making the shopping experience more memorable, within our daughters' demographic, these moments have certain social currency.  For the brand, which I later learned has a retail presence in stores like Sephora, this is exactly the type of buzz that builds advocacy.

Great concept.

A Photo that says lot about how mobile is shaping the world we live in

The 2014 National Geographic Photography Winner is a stunningly beautiful representation of one of the many ways that mobile technology is shaping the world we live in.  A transformation that is liberating but also daunting.

Brian Yen's captivating photo "A Node Glows in the Dark", taken inside a Hong Kong train, captures that moment we all know so well:  immersing ourselves into some virtual corner of cyberspace while we get the false feeling that everything around us comes to a stand still.  A situation that is becoming increasingly common.

How can we continue to benefit from this little remote control that transports us to so many places and yet still take the time to be cognizant of the what's happening around us, to interact with those next to us, to engage with the now?

Aristotle said that "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inner significance."  This photo does exactly that.

NBA's powerful social media influencing Pop Culture

As an NBA Sponsor, I'm continuously amazed of how well the NBA works social media.  No matter where you look, what you read, there's NBA buzz everywhere and the conversation is amplified by die-hard fans in so many ways.  Even today, on Christmas Day, The New York Times carried a great article on Melissa Brenner - NBA's Sr. Vice President for Digital Media - on how this is the most tweetable time of the year for the league.  Later in the day, I saw a very funny article on the Bleacher Report suggesting an "NBA Emoji", something that would serve as another incentive for fans to continue to talk about what happens before, during and after the games.

The NBA is a great example of the power of social media as a way to influence Pop Culture, an interesting case study for brands.

http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/nbaemoji/

Exploring the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in NY

Today, I took my Family to visit the newly renovated Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York (2 E 91st Street / +1 212 8488400) that reopened its doors last week.

 If you're into marketing, you certainly love design and the fascinating intersection of beauty and functionality. So, on your next trip to Manhattan, it's worth exploring this museum. For my two teenage daughters, they enjoyed playing designer on touchscreen tables developed by Ideum using interactive software by Local Projects. The girls had fun sketching lamps, tables, chairs and wallpaper. Museums are always more interesting when technology can provide a hands-on experience.

For me, museum exploration is always a great way to be inspired by creativity and ideas. I believe we stimulate our intellectual curiosity when we actively seek opportunities to look for connections across different disciplines.

GPS vs. WAZE

I've always believed thay my car's GPS was my best way for me to get from point A to B.  However, this evening I had to take my 15-year-old daugther to one of her friend's house, who lives far away in the suburbs.  The GPS system didn't recognize the address I was keying in since we weren't sure about the exact city district.  In large metro areas with more than one street with the same name, it gets a little tricky.  That's when my daughter said:  ''Don't worry, let's use Waze.''   In less than a minute, she was exchanging messages with friends who had already arrived, who pinned the location and we were getting driving instructions from Waze on her smartphone.  For me, it was another great example of the power of community-based apps.

Waze's positioning sums up what they're about:  'outsmarting traffic, together.'

IKEA's beautiful campaign reminding us what is truly important during the Holiday Season

For those concerned about the excessive consumerism that we all see around us during the Holiday Season, IKEA's new advertising campaign in Spain - called 'La Otra Carta / The Other Letter', created by McCann is a wonderful and timely wake-up call.  Even if you may not be fluent in Spanish the message is clear.  Ten families were invited to an 'experiment'.  Kids were asked to write two letters:  one for Santa and one for their parents... the result is emotional, powerful, memorable, a celebration to what is truly important.

Cheers to beautiful creative!

Cooking is cool!

My wife has enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu's Madrid Culinary Institute, starting next January. I'm thrilled that she'll be combining years of passion, reading, catering and experimenting with the discipline of formal training.

As a marketing guy, it's fascinating to see how the business of cooking has developed into a powerful element of pop culture.  From the adictive Food Network programming, to Masterchef-style reality shows, to the farm-to-table movement, to the anticipation of the Michelin Guide release, to the food truck festivals, to the evolution of our local farmer markets...  cooking is cool!

This past weekend, my wife and I watched the wonderful film "The Hundred-foot Journey" directed by Lasse Halstörm and based on the best-selling novel by Richard Morais, a beautifully sensitive story about how food has the power of bringing people together.

Worth watching.

Repositioning peanut brittle

My wife was in the kitchen the other day preparing peanut brittle for a school function.  She asked me to try It out.  I don't like peanut brittle but in the how-to-be-a-good husband manual there's probably a chapter on providing candid feedback to kitchen experiments.  My immediate reaction: "It tates burnt", I said, worried that my comments would trigger a hell's kitchen moment.  She surprised me by going back to work testing other variations without saying a word.  After finishing a batch she thought was promising, she asked me try it.  I really hate peanut brittle, so this time I politely refused saying I was sure she had gotten this recipe right.

The next day, knowing how much I crave ice cream, she told me she had made pralines that I could use as a topping.  I absolutely love pralines!  Her pralines over a dulce de leche scoop was heaven. Once the bowl was empty, I was a little suspicious, so I asked if she hadn't just broken the peanut brittle into small pieces.  Her answer: "Yes Honey, isn't that what you call marketing?".

Innovation harnessing the energy of soccer players

In one of Rio de Janeiro's favelas, called Morro da Mineira, Shell is lighting up the community's soccer field by using both solar panels and kinetic tiles invented by Laurence Kemball-Cook - CEO of Pavegen. The weight of a player's footstep is transformed into energy within the kinetic tiles: innovation harnessing the energy of the beautiful game. I love the concept and it speaks so well about Shell's sustainable energy initiative.

 How cool is that?

The Blindfold - Kevin Durant & James Harden featured in our new BBVA Digital Campaign

After a month working hard, it's finally out: our new BBVA Digital Campaign "The Blindfold" celebrating our renewed NBA partnership.

NBA Star James Harden playing blindfolded against three opponents on the rooftop of our Madrid corporate headquarters 28-stories high, guided by NBA MVP Kevin Durant across the globe at a control center in Oklahoma City.   Storytelling at the service of sports marketing.

I hope you enjoy it...




"At BBVA, we're here to make your life easier, by coaching people to reach their financial goasl, anytime, anywhere.  BBVA - Official Bank of the NBA"

Reminding Virginia to think about her future

Here at BBVA Spain, we just launched a Campaign called "Acuérdate de tu futuro / Remember your future" based on the insight that it's very hard for people to visually imagine themselves at an older age.  And because you don't build that imagine in your mind, you think it's never coming.  Worse, not everyone actually plans for the day it does.

Our ad agency DDB created this campaign that was produced with real people, non-actors, who went through a make-up session not knowing what was going on.  They were asked about what they wanted to do in the future.  Then, they were filmed seeing their reaction in the mirror.  The result builds a compelling case for people to take a second a thought about their pension plans.

This is one of the executions (in Spanish) from a woman called Virgina.



This is another execution with Sergio's story...

LigaBBVA Debit Cards launched in Spain

Here in Spain, we just launded the LigaBBVA  & Liga Adelante Debit Cards with personalized card designs for the 42 professional Spanish fútbol teams.  This is another example of how here at BBVA we're commecialy activating our global sport sponsorships tapping into the passion Spaniards have for their clubs.  As a Real Madrid fan, here's my card that just came in the mail this morning.

BBVA Branding on PES 2015 Videogame

Konami's exciting new PES 2015 Pro Soccer videogame for PS4 & XBox will be releaaed in Nov.'14 with BBVA-branded in-stadium billboards on LigaBBVA matches. Check out the official gameplay trailer. I'm thrilled that with this initiative we're able to reach a whole generation of gamers that are not traditional targets of financial institutions. Game on!

Simplicity - the killer app for any business disruption

I'm convinced that simplicity is the most significant ingredient in any business disruption.

Sound pretentious, maybe?  But think about it.  In Apple's highly anticipated media event this week, Apple Pay was presented as a revolution in payment systems based on a one click mobile solution to the hassle of opening your wallet, selecting a card, swiping... you know the drill.  What makes Apple Pay, special:  simplicity.

Four years ago, Zipcar totally disrupted the car rental category by launching the peer-to-peer car sharing movement.  Why?  Because the business model was based on simplifying the pain and paperwork of renting a car the traditional way.

Easy Taxi and so many other similar apps around the World are redefining the taxi experience because of how simple it is to call, track and pay for a cab.  Another example of a one-click app that is very useful during rush hour or on a rainy day in any urban jungle.

So the next time you complain about how difficult, awkward, cumbersome, complicated, frustrating, annoying, aggravating, painful it is do anything in your day-to-day life.... stop... and think that if you come up with a cool mobile way of simplifying the process, you're at the verge of developing a killer app with the potential of disrupting an entire business category.

Let's make things...

An Electric Car experience through Bluemove

Yesterday, my wife and decided to take our daughters to a water park in the outskirts of Madrid. Since the corporate car we ordered has not arrived, we needed to rent a vehicle.  So, my wife enrolled in one of Madrid's new car sharing services called Bluemove.

Through their app, we found out the car we had reserved was located a block away and, to our surprise, when we got there it was a Peugeot iOn 100% Electric.  My first experience driving an electric car (the golf cart doesn't count).  The park was an hour away so when we got there, I was a little concerned since the vehicle has an 130 km autonomy and I had to calculate the drive back home. The waterpark manager helped to find a place we could charge inside their maintenance facility.  He ended up telling us he would discuss the possibility of installing a charging station for the next year's season, since he recognized this is a growing trend.

Good service, cool electric cars, true digital model, no paperwork... I quickly became a Bluemove fan and will spread the news.  As a marketing guy, I love to see good business models thrive.

This is a Bluemove concept video I found on Youtube...

Travel light, stay fit... at Westin.. with the help of New Balance

Flying back to Madrid after three fantastic days in Lima.  I stayed at the Hotel Westin Lima, a chain that offers a service that is based on a great insight that business travellers want to travel light but also want to work out while on the road. Westin has an agreement with New Balance, which provides travellers to borrow athletic shoes and fitness apparel.  Brilliant.

A great example of a hotel that understands the needs of frequent fliers.  This is a benefit that will certainly keep me loyal to this hotel chain.

Smart packaging for frequent fliers

As a frequent flier, it's not easy travelling with personal care products with the restrictions on liquids, aerosols and gels.  So, since I use contacts, I was happy to see that Bausch+Lomb's Bio True multi-purpose solution launched a flight pack that even comes with the infamous zip bag - a simple idea to pack the essentials.