Jenna Convissar Marlene Venero Casanova McCann
The duo from Casanova//McCann was the winner in the Digital category at the 2022 U.S. Hispanic Young Lions, convened by the Circulo Creativo USA as Hispanic organizer in the United States of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Art director Jenna Convissar and senior copywriter Marlene Venero discussed the challenges overcome by the winning entry and how contests like this energize the careers of young creatives. “I believe that the first challenge, and possibly the greatest, was to understand the metaverse. From the marketing point of view, the opportunities are infinite and it really depends on each brand to take advantage of them in a creative way that reaches the public in a manner that was never before possible. After that, we only had to come up with an attractive, entertaining idea that caught the attention of the Hispanic market and took advantage of what the metaverse is all about,” Convissar said; Venero confessed she has been reading about the metaverse and its capacity to submerge the whole world in this new reality “I’m inspired by what I know about the public and how the metaverse is ideal for selling Latino goods and services. That’s how we came up with El Mercadito. It’s the perfect place for our community to experience the metaverse as something culturally adapted to them, while others try out the goods and services. It’s a win-win situation for both.She advised other young creatives who might wish to take part in the U.S. Hispanic Young Lions competition next year, not to be afraid of competing because all that’s needed is a big idea that really stands out and makes an impression. “Be sure you study and well understand those you’re targeting, because if you’re clear about the wants, tastes, habits and concerns of your audience, you’re much better equipped to create an idea that gets a positive response,” Convissar said. “Even if you don’t win, you get the chance to work with incredible brands and big campaigns. You’ll learn a lot along the way,” Venero added.For Jenna, the winning Digital campaign sought to motivate Hispanic entrepreneurs to get involved with the metaverse and understand its potential. “Hispanics are intrinsically social and live within a community, so we should create a social space within the virtual world for them to explore.” Competitions like this expand the potential of young creatives and allow them to work for the Hispanic market. “The most important aspect of this contest is the presentation,” Marlene said. “I believe that this competition is a great way for young creatives to grow professionally and connect with a wider community, not just in the U.S. but even worldwide. It’s very important to esteem and appreciate Hispanic advertising in the U.S., and this competition has created a platform that does just that,” Jenna said.All the winning campaigns can be seen here: https://www.circulocreativo.org/2022-winners-ush-young-lions-competitions
