SUZANA APELBAUM
SÃO PAULO
Living in NYC but forever Brazilian, Suzana has been working as a Creative Director for almost twenty years. She worked at Africa, JWT and Anomaly developing digital campaigns and content and innovation projects for brands such as Converse, Coca-Cola, Google, Fiat, Red Bull, among others.
On top of being Head of Creative at Google, Suzana also finds time to work as an actress in TV and theatre. Starting a conversation about her drama work is a surefire to get her attention.
Actress/tap dancer/marketer, Suzana Apelbaum is also part of ASAS collective. There are so many slashes that Suzana herself lists as such: "First, the fun part: I'm a mom." For the last seven years, she has been working in the US with advertising, brand entertainment and arts and culture, and she found in our International Collective of Creative Intelligence a space to reconnect with her creative excellence.
"ASAS gave me the chance to explore my ideas in their full creative potential, and then see them grow. I feel as if I'm showing my ideas in fertile soil and watching them bloom in a much more intense way than in advertising."
Suzana joined ASAS as one of the leading directors in Costanza & Marilu, a YouTube talk-show in which she was responsible for transmedia strategy. The goal was to reveal how magic it is to put two women over 70 working together. This talk-show starred Costanza Maria Teresa Ida Clotilde Giuseppina Pallavicini Pascolato, entrepreneur and consultant, recognized as a renowned fashion expert in Brazil, and Marilu Beer, renowned plastic artist, designer, landscaper, decorator and inventor. "We were convinced to make content in tune with what the public would find interesting, but respecting their intelligence and without compromising quality, which turned out to be our non-negotiable feature. And we didn't allow brands to interfere with the program's spontaneity", says Suzana. She also believes that brands are beginning to learn that with content, authenticity translates into efficiency.
Another project Humanidade [em Mim], sponsored by Nestlé Molico, was a turning point for Suzana. During the creation process she understood that it is possible to create branded content being absolutely authentic and faithful to the audience, placing the brand in a smart way that didn't require blasting out slogans or marketing messages.
"It was a leap of faith. I was used to start a campaign with what the brand wants to tell and not with what the society wants to hear. I saw myself having a type of creative freedom that I had not had for many years, something hard to find in an advertising agency".
Suzana believes that the access to other sources of inspiration brought by ASAS actually helps her thinking process and helps her build the legacy she wants to leave for the world. "What I want to leave for ASAS is my joy and passion to work with what we think is relevant and interesting", she says. "I want people to never lose sight of our larger mission, which is not about money or brands. What are we doing to touch people's hearts and minds? What are we accomplishing through our stories to make people's lives better, to make it more fun, to make them think, make them change?"
"What are we doing to touch people's hearts and minds? What are we accomplishing through our stories to make people's lives better, to make it more fun, to make them think, make them change?"
"It is amazing to be able to make a difference in someone's life through storytelling. My message is to always remember that this is about making the world a better place or improving someone's circumstances, even if it's just for two minutes. This is about making someone who has not laughed for a long time roar with laughter, expanding the horizons of a person trapped in their own prejudices, offering something completely new. What we create is human experiences."