Euinterview 5-06.Qxd09.10.200612:12Uhrseite1

EUInterview 5-06.qxd09.10.200612:12UhrSeite1

–––––¢–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LÜRZER'S INT'L ARCHIVE – ADS, TV AND POSTERS WORLDWIDE – [email protected] — PHONE: 0043 662 64 85 85-0 — FAX: 0043 662 64 85 85-60 mention Pinochet’snamebutthey did to everyoneexceptone.”They didn’t Christm remember onenewspaperheadlineat they coulddoitsmartly.Iverywell nity hadtoreallythinkabouthow they wereafraid.Thecreativecommu- so inthefaceofpeople,because people startedtodostuffthatwasn’t Chile inparticular,alotofcreative the mediaarecontrolled.Ithink,in prison. Everyoneiswatchingyou,all message outwithoutendingupin need tobeverycreativeputthe gimes areveryoppressive,andyou end, dictatorshipsandtotalitarianre- is whatit’sallaboutbecause,inthe Cristian Jofre: kill ideas? L.A.: litical andwithadeepsocialimpact. proach tocreativitywassomewhatpo- station. Youcouldsaymyfirstap- rethink thepositionofnationalTV hired withateamofyoungpeopleto the perceptionofchannel,soIwas power, theyreallywantedtochange the democraticgovernmentcameto ated withthePinochetregime.When years, ithadbeenverycloselyassoci- television station(TVN).Foralmost19 age therebrandofChile’snational projects Igotatthattimewastoman- paper. Oneofthebiggestcreative nalism, andmyfirstjobwasatanews- ity wasthroughwriting.Istudiedjour- youth. Myfirstencounterwithcreativ- er throughoutprettymuchmywhole rial regime,andPinochetwasinpow- ticularly becauseChilewasadictato- Cristian Jofre: ing withideas? industry? Howdidyougetintowork- L.A.: Jofre foundtimeforaninterview. ence. Inbetweenspeeches,Vaskeand on stageattheEyes&Earsconfer- and Vaskemadeajointappearance AIDS organizedbyMTV.In2006,Jofre ing thefirstglobalconferenceon at theUnitedNationsinNewYorkdur- Vaske todeliveraspeechoncreativity ness. In2004,MTVinvitedHermann other leadingfigureinthemediabusi- social advertisingasvirtuallyany network, andisaspassionateabout fighter forcreativitywithintheMTV London. Heisauniquemotivatorand tive DirectorofMTVInternationalin Chilean-born CristianJofreistheCrea- create thefuture The bestwaytopredictthefutureis How didyougetintothecreative Do youthinktotalitarianregimes as thatread,“HappyChristmas I thinkprettymuchthis It wasverytough,par- never realizedIwasLatinAmerican. fore, forallofmylife,IwasChilean. I also realizedIwasa that wasthebigchallengeforme.I countries andtospreadthemessage, and tohavethepossibilityreach22 work fortheLatinAmericanmarket, the chancetomoveUSA creative directorpositiononMTVand in Chile,andwhentheyofferedmethe doing advertisingandbrandingwork what I’mpassionateabout.Iwasonly Cristian Jofre: the US?Whatwasyourmotivation? ideas takeyoufromLatinAmericato L.A.: actual idea. it ismoreintheexecutionthan very wellexecuted.Forme,thefunof badly executed,andverybadideas tion. Ihaveseenverygoodideas bad ideasuntiltheyendupinexecu- the end,ideasarenotgoodor Cristian Jofre: therefore notagoodidea? up inadrawerisnon-idea,and L.A.: ents, andtoproduceexecutethem. ideas fromabrief,presentthemtocli- train mycreativity,tocomeupwith very goodwayformetopractiseand the oppositeendtothat,itwasstilla chose themostconservativeideas.On drawer. Intheend,clientsalways cuted. Alltheideasendedupin think anyofmyideaswereeverexe- I wasworkinginadvertising,don’t they wanttohear.Inthefouryearsthat tain waytopleasethembysayingwhat and intheendyouhavetoactacer- much alwaystryingtopleasetheclient, I wasveryyoung,andyou’repretty very painful.Ididn’tenjoyitmuch. me, advertisingwas Cristian Jofre: vertising? did yougetintoad- their money?How rating peoplefrom italistic artofsepa- cap- and democratic you getintothe L.A.: ment. dictatorial environ- vironment thanina in ademocraticen- prefer tobecreative the timebutIthink ronment inChileat a verycreativeenvi- was Pinochet.It obvious the“one” not haveto.Itwas Do youthinkanideathatends And howdidyourstreamof So howdid Social communicationis I reallybelievethat,in For 1 Latin person. Be- Cristian Jofre, Creative Director of MTV International MTV of Director Creative Jofre, Cristian ideas. Theyarenottryingtocome up tors aretheretohelpexecutethe site toMTVintheend.Creativedirec- ing, Igeteverythingthat’stheoppo- Cristian Jofre: shopping withotherpeople’sideas. way wedo,knowthattheygo cause knowingagenciesinsideoutthe L.A.: ple whoarecomingupwiththeideas. around theworld.Itisyoungpeo- our creativedirectorsworkthatway are theonesbeingexecuted.Mostof to feelthattheideasintheirheads ownership oftheirideasandforthem site way.WewantMTVpeopletohave ing theirideas.Weworkintheoppo- rectors withateamofpeopleexecut- don’t havebigegocentriccreativedi- ones whocomeupwiththeideas.We pretty muchsothatourteamarethe with creativitythanagenciesdo.It’s very differentapproachtoworking creative teamis20to22.MTVhasa their firstjob.Theaverageageofour ativity. Foralotofpeople,MTVis ence isalsoakeyfactorinMTV’scre- and whereit’sgoingtoend.Inexperi- never knowwhereit’scomingfrom, Cristian Jofre: L.A.: brands, MTV. for oneoftheworld’smostcreative reach abiggeraudience,andtowork was mymotivation.IleftChileto America wasimportanttome.That move andhaveabiggerviewofLatin lean anymore.IwasaLatinperson.To was abigthingforme.InotChi- vians, Mexicans,Venezuelans,etc.It ween ChileansandArgentinians,Peru- started torealizethedifferencesbet- Working forMTVinLatinAmerica,I What issocreativeaboutMTV? It’s averyfair,validpointbe- It’s unpredictable.You Coming fromadvertis- Interview EUInterview 5-06.qxd 04.10.2006 15:36 Uhr Seite 2

Interview

promo will last just one week on air ––––––––––– and then it disappears. The other thing is that we don’t need to buy the air- time, so we can produce spots of dif- fering lengths – unlike traditional advertisers, who have to produce spots of either 15, 30 or 45 seconds. We can make spots of 28 seconds or two min- 2 64 85 85-60 utes, and I think the viewers notice that difference in formatting. We want to make that distinction because the MTV ads sit within the same ad time as, say, a Levi’s commercial. We want our viewers to know they are watching an MTV promo. Video clips and advertising look very similar. They take ideas from each other. In the case of MTV, our big exploration is art. We do not watch what advertisers are doing. We look more to the art scene, and what is going on in that environment, rather than trying to copy videos or Stills from various MTV trailers produced as part of the 2004 MTV Art Break. This one is from “Bun- advertisers. nies” made by Studio Soi/Germany. L.A.: What do you think of Miami as a place for media and advertising? Is there a bit of an awakening in creativ- with the ideas. And execution is where dreds of thousands attached to a spot. ity going on down there? experience is needed. You can help We have a very high volume of execu- Cristian Jofre: I think Miami has in young people come up with the right tions. We make so many spots per some way turned into the capital of plan to execute the idea, show them year. It’s not like an agency that has an Latin America. I think there was a melt- how to come up with a budget, how output of, say, 25 commercials a year. ing pot of every Latin American coun- to shape their ideas in a more realistic L.A.: How many spots do you do per try there, and MTV started at the right way. MTV creative directors from year? time (1994). I still think it is an amaz- around the world work like that more Cristian Jofre: Every channel does ing time for creativity in Miami. than anywhere else. And we also don’t more than 300 or 400 spots per year – L.A.: What agency did you work at take ourselves too seriously. We know from 10 seconds to 90 seconds, from when you were in Miami? that we are a music channel, and that graphics to live action. I don’t think Cristian Jofre: La Comunidad was an nothing is going to happen if we put there are any agencies that match the agency in Argentina that opened an of- a mistake on air. We don’t have hun- same output as MTV. Sometimes, a fice in Miami some time ago. I worked with them in the past, and they are making a big change there. L.A.: Do you think it is a primary goal of Miami agencies to satisfy the need of the US Hispanic market? Cristian Jofre: I don’t really believe there is a US Hispanic market per se. I believe there is good advertising and bad advertising. I think that, for many years, Latin people living in the US were underestimated. We’re not all about big families, salsa dancing and chili sauce. L.A.: How did it happen that you got the call to go to London? Cristian Jofre: Brent Hansen was ap- pointed President of Creative Interna- tional, and I’d always wanted to work with him, so it was a personal deci- sion to move to London in order to do so. MTV had never had a Creative Di- rector for International, so it was a LÜRZER'S INT'L ARCHIVE – ADS, TV AND POSTERS WORLDWIDE [email protected] — PHONE: 0043 662 64 85 85-0 FAX: 66 challenge to build something from scratch. It was very exciting for me to Still from “Animen Planet” made by Han Hoogerbrugge (Eat My Video)/Netherlands. work with Brent, the founder of MTV ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 2 ¢ ––––– EUInterview 5-06.qxd 04.10.2006 15:36 Uhr Seite 3

Interview

were the first TV station to put some- ––––––––––– body that was HIV positive in a TV show. And, almost 7 years ago, we created the Staying Alive Foundation to com- municate the message of raising aware- ness about HIV and Aids and to fight the epidemic. We’re 100% committed 2 64 85 85-60 to the cause because, as a brand, we believe we have to be responsible and have a point of view about social is- sues. At the same time, it’s an epidemic that can be stopped if you use preventatives such as condoms, and MTV knows it has a big part to play in communicating this message. L.A.: What does the future hold for MTV? Where are you going with your ideas? Cristian Jofre: There is a saying: “The best way to predict the future is to create the future.” I think that is what MTV is doing. We are creating the fu- Still from “Le Regulateur” made by Philippe Grammaticopoulos (Haidouk! Films)/France. ture as we speak. We are not so pre- tentious as to say, “This is what’s going to happen in a few years.” Our biggest challenge right now is digital, Europe, and to work on something Music Awards in the US, the Europe and trying to come up with a platform, that had never existed before. Music Awards, the Asia Awards. We a message that we can deliver to dif- L.A.: What are the difficulties, and work very closely with the artists, both ferent media – not only through TV what are the rewards, for someone creatively and also through the promo- but through the internet and mobile. bearing creative responsibility for one tion of their music videos and live We are putting a lot of energy into of the most known global brands such events. We support each other. that – the transition from being a pas- as MTV? It must be tough. L.A.: I remember meeting you in New sive viewer to an active user. This is Cristian Jofre: The good thing is the York to do an Aids charity event with why we recently acquired big internet time I’ve spent with the MTV creative the UN, and Bono and Richard Gere companies such as ifilms and Atom- directors around the world. I think were there, and very supportive of Films. We have just done some amaz- there are around 50 MTV offices, each what MTV was doing. ing work with Overdrive, our first with their own creative director and Cristian Jofre: Yes, the artists are very broadband channel for MTV. We also team. I really like to spend time with supportive of MTV. Most of them could have Vspot for VH1 and TurboNick. So them, which is why I’m travelling so not exist without MTV. In 1981, when we are aspiring to effect the transition much of the time. One of the down- MTV was created, there weren’t many from TV to the computer, and from the sides is jetlag. I’m pretty much in a dif- videos out there, so the whole music TV to mobile, etc. In Europe, we have ferent time zone from one week to the industry has been very attached to just launched our first MTV mobile TV, next, and so my brain functions in a MTV in the growth of all these artists. which is in all the 3G handsets. So we very strange way. But, for me, it’s the You cannot exist as an artist today are exploring the future and trying to people, a more humanistic approach without having video as a medium to create it rather than predict it. to creativity. I really like the MTV peo- promote your work. L.A.: And, as usual, MTV is trying to ple from around the world. They are L.A.: Can you elaborate on the impor- be ahead of the game. good friends of mine, so I like to tance of MTV’s pro bono Aids engage- Cristian Jofre: For sure! That’s very im- spend time with them and their teams. ment? portant. Digital is currently where it’s L.A.: Artists are the content of MTV. Cristian Jofre: It’s about the point of at. Kids spend so much time on their What kind of relationship do you have view. We believe it’s the right thing to computers. The cool kid is the one with the musicians? do to do pro-social work. We don’t do who can tell friends about the inter- Cristian Jofre: We have more of a work- it because our audience is asking us net search engine that nobody knows ing relationship with the artists. MTV to. We do it because we believe we are about, or the website that nobody’s employees are not starstruck. There is a responsible brand. And, in the end, seen before. It’s very cool to have the an unspoken policy that we do not ask in this particular case of HIV and Aids, latest mobile phone. It’s very cool to artists for autographs. We go and do I think we have something historically have the newest computer. So, in the our jobs with the artists in a profes- related to it. In 1981, when MTV was end, “cool” means digital for us. We sional way. In the 11 years I’ve been at created, it was the same year that the want to be ahead of the game. Maybe MTV, I’ve shot promos with Coldplay, HIV and Aids virus were discovered. we are going to make a lot of mis- LÜRZER'S INT'L ARCHIVE – ADS, TV AND POSTERS WORLDWIDE [email protected] — PHONE: 0043 662 64 85 85-0 FAX: 66 Shakira, Bono, Franz Ferdinand, Ma- MTV was the first to introduce the con- takes as part of the process. We will donna, etc. – lots of big stars. There cept of reality TV with The Real World, learn from it and then move on. That are also the award shows – the Video long before Big Brother existed. We is the important thing. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 3 ¢ –––––