Josep Jover’s Creative LIAisons Diary #2: Creative Breakthroughs, Voodoo Dolls and Vegas Madness
DDB Group Aotearoa senior art director Josep Jover is representing New Zealand at the 2024 LIA Creative LIAisons program in Las Vegas, featuring some of the world’s most respected creative directors as speakers. Here Jover reports exclusively for CB.
Day 2 and 3 at LIA
One key takeaway from day one, shared by Suzanne Powers was that “a no from a client is a request for more information.” This ties in perfectly with one of my favourite speakers from day two, Bianca Guimaraes, Partner and Executive Creative Director at Mischief New York, and her session on how to sell the best work. She emphasized that the best creatives are those who have resilience—creatives who can persist and advocate for their ideas, even after setbacks. One key takeaway from the session was to always try to focus on the right problem. For example, Tinder wanted to stop being seen as a hook-up app, but they knew that changing this perception in the short term was an impossible task. Instead, they aimed to shift the perception of hookups from negative to positive, recognizing that they can lead to longer relationships. They focused on the right problem. Bianca also highlighted Coors’ “Flashlight” campaign to emphasize that craft can make or break an idea. Initially, Patrick Mahomes’ performance was a bit flat—he’s an awesome American football player, but not an actor. However, by adjusting the execution—reducing his screen time and enhancing product visuals—they significantly improved the message and highlighted the product even more.
Day three was even better, featuring a full-day workshop that took us from brief to brainstorming to campaign execution in the form of a TikTok video. At the end, a judging panel, including Superplastic’s clients (a character-based product and animated entertainment company) and TikTok’s Anthony Dever, chose our team’s idea, “Doom Dolls,” as the winning idea—a satirical voodoo doll line for Gen Z to reclaim their power from the wealthy 1%. We were shocked given the high calibre of the other teams’ ideas. One of the most interesting ones was the also satirical and dark idea of a streaming service and toy line called Cancel+, which focused on highlighting those who have been “cancelled.” The winners received a surprise experience for the day after, with little information other than to wear comfy clothes. Being in Las Vegas, who knows what that’s going to be
Las Vegas Highlights
The Vegas extravaganza continues! After an intense second day at LIA, a group of attendees ventured to Downtown Las Vegas, specifically the infamous Fremont Street Experience. Picture a long venue surrounded by casinos, including some of the oldest Vegas hotels: the Golden Nugget and the Plaza. A massive curved LED screen wraps around the area, while zip-liners soar overhead.
The venue buzzes with energy, filled with people and various happenings: guys in giant gorilla costumes, strippers walking by as if it were Amsterdam’s red-light district, street bars, and three stages featuring random bands. There are even performers with real snakes around their necks, inviting you to take a picture with them.
And in the middle of all this craziness lies the Heart Attack Grill, where a giant scale greets visitors. If you weigh over 200 kg, you eat for free. You can also tackle their enormous burger, likely with 20 beef patties; if you finish it, your meal is free, but if not, you get spanked by the waiters. This is truly some strange American culture!
