Co-President & Chief Creative Officer
Sergio Gordilho is a founder and the creative lead of Africa, one of the most admired and innovative advertising agencies in Brazil. Africa is known for its creativity, as well as its impactful and memorable work. Perhaps an unusual name for advertising agency, but it’s one you don’t forget-- an international name with Brazilian roots-- and an agency that’s doing extraordinary work.
Anyone familiar with the recent World Cup in Rio knows the inspiring Banco Itaú advertising created by Africa. Not only does the spectacular film transform the country into a stadium that unifies a nation and embraces the world, but Brazil’s president praised the spot—perhaps an act only possible in a country where passion about great advertising is the norm. (Incidentally, The Internationalist recently named Fernando Chacon, Itaú’s CMO, as an Internationalist of the Year for his inspirational concepts about bank marketing.)
Under Sergio Gordilho’s leadership, Africa Lab was also created to develop prototypes and products for clients and non-clients alike. However, the Lab’s most important role is to inject energy into Africa itself to insure that a focus on “the idea” remains strong. In order to provoke the agency’s creatives to think differently through new sources of inspiration, the Lab is a hub where creativity, technology, design and innovation come together through a team whose role is simply “ideas.” Then, Africa Lab takes those inspirations and literally materializes them into products and solutions that make sense for any given market. And it’s become a growth area for the agency.
One Africa Lab idea created for Budweiser, called the Buddy Cup, turns two beer drinkers, who click Buddy Cups in a bar, into Facebook friends. The Buddy Cup make news on "The Colbert Report." Other Lab projects include a flying book for Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, an initiative with Google to help the public identify missing children through a plug-in with Chrome, among other ideas for clients like Brahma.
Sergio Gordilho did not begin his career by studying marketing or communications, but instead trained as an architect. He then developed his creative flair as a cartoonist, illustrator and then as a graphic designer, with post graduate studies at the Royal College of Art in London. He also completed an MBA at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.
Under Sergio's leadership Africa has become one of the most respected creative agencies in Brazil, was named twice Agency of the Year at Cabore Awards, the most prestigious award in Brazilian advertising industry, and this year was elected International Agency of the Year by Advertising Age.
With the agency's headquarters based in Sao Paulo, and offices in Rio de Janeiro and New York, Africa is a phenomenon both in terms of its creative work and its fast growth. It quickly became one of the largest advertising agencies in the country.
Gordilho’s earlier career included roles at DM9DDB and Bates (currently Y&R). He was elected Creative Professional of the Year by the Cabore Awards and was named Best Creative Professional by APP (Brazilian Association of Advertising Professionals).