For years, Pablo Batlle hated mathematics. The CEO of Rock The Agency acknowledges that he did not finish his degree in Advertising because he missed one subject: quantitative analysis. However, “in this industry, good ideas are more prevalent than titles,” he says.
Over time, the Argentine reconciled with the numbers. How not to do it, if in the advertising scheme the metrics and the results are also an essential part. Today, before submitting a creative piece to festivals like Cannes Lions, Batlle first does the math.
“Large corporations invest a lot of money and if they win a silver or bronze lion they ‘go out to strut’ for having won those metals, but if you do the math that silver and bronze ended up coming out at $80,000 or $40,000, depending on the number of pieces. who registered”, he comments.
Expansion (E): What do you value when registering a piece or not?
Pablo Batlle (PB): I am very selective. Last year we did not register anything, the previous one or two pieces and this year two. I don’t want to lose the money, I don’t want to give it away and even less throw it away, the registration in Cannes reaches 900 euros and the most ‘normal’ thing is not to win. This year, I read that 25,464 pieces were entered.
But there are years where you know you can play with some pieces. When I was at Del Campo Nazca Saatchi and Saatchi we always won at Cannes. A big part of the secret is that we brought the book that they gave you when you registered your pieces, there were all the shortlists and those that had registered for the festival, so you could see which categories were weaker than others. We targeted customers who fell into those categories.
But if you want to win at Cannes you have to work for it, and that means spending three months stopping the agency’s operation, investing money, putting aside the day-to-day work of clients because you’re thinking about the festival, then returns something that is not logical or normal.
E: As an award winner and former Cannes jury, what is the plus of winning a lion?
PB: Today I only submit pieces because I believe that my creatives deserve the opportunity to win and to feel what I felt at the time. That they show that medal to their family, that they publish it on social networks and that their friends are proud of them, just like their parents. Sometimes creatives need to feel pride and clients also need to be proud of their work. It is an experience that can motivate them to continue working and give their best in each campaign.
E: In addition to the investment, what disadvantages do you perceive of registering pieces in a festival of this magnitude?
PB: I took a bit of a hate for festivals because there’s a lot of pressure and that’s not good for people. In addition, there is a lot of suspicion, when in reality the level of demand is absolute. I was a jury in the category of Television for Argentina and for Mexico, and for a piece to win there are many filters, the pieces are seen about 10 or 12 times and each member of the jury must raise their hands and argue why they should win.
I believe that the key is to see the client more than one’s own ego and pride in having –or not– won. But the truth is that today, if I have 10,000 dollars, I prefer to invest it in the agency than in an advertising festival. Hire more talent, buy new equipment, and so on.
