This marketer’s creative genius bagged him awards from London to Manila. Learn more about him here!

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Hello, everyone! We hope you had a fantastic weekend. Let's start the week with one of “Marvels.” Every Monday, we explore the journeys of outstanding individuals in business and marketing, bringing attention to their experiences, contributions, and industry insights. Today, we'll feature an award-winning marketer renowned for his creative and socially relevant work. Continue reading about this “Marvel” and discover the secrets behind his creative genius and prowess. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

This marketer’s creative genius bagged him awards from London to Manila. Learn more about him here! Few names from the Philippine advertising industry have earned worldwide recognition and success. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that this “Marvel” led a large advertising company at just 34 years old… … and established his own agency a mere three years later! BBDO-Guerrero is one of the most decorated advertising agencies in the Philippines. It owes most of its stellar reputation to its creative genius of a founder. His name? The one and only… David Guerrero! Born in London to the renowned Filipino diplomat and scholar, Leon Ma. Guerrero III, David Guerrero studied International Relations at the University of Sussex. However, he soon realized academic work wasn’t his cup of tea. Advertising wasn’t on the table either. However, Guerrero realized the industry was one of the best ways to spread ideas to as many people as possible. He once said: “Having been to a very liberal university, you think that advertising is the enemy. I came to the view that it is a neutral tool that can be used to communicate ideas for anything or anyone, that it wasn’t inherently bad.” Like his father, Guerrero had a talent for writing; he had won an award for radio advertising as a student copywriter. His skills landed him his first job offer from John Webster who led the advertising agency Boase Massimi Pollitt (BMP) in London, where Guerrero worked for four years. Later on, he relocated to Hong Kong to work for McCann. Guerrero finally put down roots in the Philippines when Neil French, then Ogilvy's Southeast Asia regional boss, made him the executive creative director of Ogilvy Manila at age 34. However, Guerrero's most important work was yet to come. After gaining leadership experience at Ogilvy Manila, Guerrero set out to establish his own agency. In 1998, he and Jos Ortega co-founded BBDO-Guerrero in Manila. Since its founding, the BBDO-Guerrero has become one of the most decorated advertising companies in the Philippines, with 59 Cannes Lions citations. The agency’s clients also include major names such as Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, FedEx, and the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT). It was for the latter client that Guerrero would coin one of his most recognizable works: “It’s More Fun in the Philippines!” Competing against several advertising agencies, Guerrero’s simple yet versatile slogan was chosen by DOT for a national tourism campaign in 2012. Afterwards, the slogan was used and parodied by Filipinos all over social media and helped entice over four million tourists to visit the country. The tourism campaign even earned the Grand Prix at the WARC Prize for Asia Strategy in 2013! What’s more? Even a natural disaster didn’t stop Guerrero’s creative mind. In response to Typhoon Haiyan’s devastating landfall in the Philippines in November 2013, Guerrero used social media to raise relief aid with the “#unselfie” campaign. This urged people to share pictures with their faces obscured by the URL of their chosen charity. The campaign garnered widespread participation, even from local Filipino celebrities and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Because of his creativity and leadership over the years, Guerrero has built a reputation for being one of the best minds in the Philippine advertising industry. In 2007, he became the first Southeast Asian to serve as Cannes Advertising Festival Jury Chair for Radio Lions. Clio, AdFest, Spikes, and other creative festivals also invited him to serve as a jury member., In 2014, he was also named “South East Asia Creative Person of the Year” by Campaign Magazine. In recent years, Guerrero’s creative grind has only picked up steam. In 2022, the advertising maestro compiled his insights and experiences in a book titled “The You-Have-To-Go-Through-A-Lot-Of-Crap-To-Get-To-Good-Ideas Book.” It subsequently won the “Best Book on Humor, Sports, Lifestyle, and Business” in the 2023 Philippine National Book Development Board National Book Awards. As of writing, Guerrero continues to serve as BBDO-Guerrero’s creative chair. With his impactful and creative approach, he remains one of the biggest and most-decorated personalities in the advertising industry… and deservedly so! — David Guerrero credited his advertising approach to two main influences: An abundance of ideas will lead you to the best ones. Guerrero found this inspiration in the sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon, who once wrote that 90% of everything is “crap.” Because of this, Guerrero’s method involves writing countless drafts to come up with the best ideas. He stated: “Ninety percent of everything is crap. If you apply that to ideas, it means you really need to come up with 100 ideas to get to 10 that are not crap. As an approach, you need to be generous with what you write down, and not try to sit there for ages and write down one thing you think is brilliant.” Advertising is a responsibility. Guerrero credited his father for giving him a sense of duty in his work in advertising. Because of this, his campaigns often reference social issues. He shared: “If you work in advertising you have a great opportunity to do good. And you also have a big responsibility to use that power wisely” David Guerrero's journey in advertising isn’t just a narrative of success. His work is proof of the transformative impact creativity can have when it is wielded with responsibility and purpose. Remember: Not every marketing idea that comes to mind will be brilliant. Be generous when drafting ideas to come up with the best and most impactful campaigns.     Hope you’ve found this week’s topic interesting and helpful. What would you do if you had that one cure for what was once an “incurable” disease? Learn more about Ashley Ferguson in next week’s article!