Hasta La Creative!

The Clio Awards announced today that WMcCann Brazil Chairman & McCann Worldgroup, Latin America & Caribbean CCO Washington Olivetto will receive the 2014 Clio Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th annual awards show on October 1 at Cipriani in New York.

Olivetto is known around the world as an influential figure in the advertising industry, and in Brazil as an important cultural figure. His best known work includes iconic campaigns for Salvation Army, Nestle and Brazilian household staple BomBril, “which boasts the longest-running campaign with the same lead character,” with poster boy Carlos Moreno serving continuously from 1978 to 2004. Olivetto’s W/Brasil merged with McCann Erickson Worldwide’s Brazilian operations to form WMcCann in 2010, with operations based in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. WMcCann currently owns the two most popular campaigns airing in Brazil, for Bradesco, the biggest bank in Brazil, and Brazilian food company Seara. In 20o1, Olivetto won the Clio Awards’ Grand-Prix film award with a TV spot for Época Magazine. In addition to advertising, Olivetto is known in Brazil as a soccer mega-fan and expert, the creator of an ideological movement in the history of Brazilian soccer called “Democracia Corintiana.”

“Washington Olivetto is a name synonymous with innovation in the advertising industry,” explained Nicole Purcell, executive vice president, Clio Awards. “For decades, Washington’s work has been bringing Brazilian creative to the world and the most sophisticated thinking in global advertising to the Brazilian market. Defying contradiction, he’s at once a classic adman and a radical pioneer.”

“I’m exceptionally honored to receive the Clio Lifetime Achievement Award, in no small part on account of distinguished names of those who received the award before me,” said Olivetto. “I hope this award shines a light on the exemplary work being done around Latin America, and particularly in Brazil, which has been a source of inspiration and the greatest, most rewarding challenge I could have asked for.”

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While we’re on the McCann tip, forget about February 14. In Brazil, Ex-Valentine’s Day is April 18th. That means all those weepy single people will have another day to think about their lack of relationship success. For the recently broken-up, Ex-Valentine’s Day (a make-believe day concocted by the parties involved with this effort; Brazilian Valentine’s Day is actually June 12) is also a chance for catharsis (and presumably bad Portuguese chick flicks). The Salvation Army and Sao Paulo/Rio-based WMcCann want to jump in on the romantic purging, asking those who have mountains of useless junk from their exes still sitting around to donate.

With the tagline “Too bad it’s over. But since it’s over, donate,” you can practically feel the lack of sympathy in your bones. But, giving back after a breakup might turn the love karma in your favor. Probably not the most altruistic motives for donating to charity, but a resourceful (and potentially spiteful) way to recycle for those who are less fortunate. If your girlfriend left her favorite jeans in your apartment, you can give them away, and when she comes to reclaim her possessions, you can laugh in her face. Okay, I take back the love karma remark. This campaign will help reuse old goods, but it might actually be brilliantly sadistic. If love gods do exist, they might dislike you. Let’s hope Cupid has a good sense of humor.

Credits after the jump.

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