GRAND JURY CONFIDENTIAL JIMMY LANDABURU, SENIOR ART DIRECTOR / CREACIONAL AAG

New York Festivals Grand Jury is a brain trust of creative minds from 75 countries, worldwide ensuring diversity and unequaled fairness. NYF’s award-winning jury is comprised of Chief Creative Officers, Executive Creative Directors, Creative Directors, Art Directors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Marketing/PR professionals plays a pivotal role in selecting The World’s Best Advertising℠.

2017 Grand Jury member, Jimmy Landaburu has had the opportunity of working in some of Ecuador's top agencies such as Maruri Grey, Norlop JWT and Y&R. Jimmy's creative portfolio includes recognitions and awards from both national and international festivals, such as El Ojo de Iberoamérica, Condor de Oro, Festival del Caribe, among others.

Keep reading to find out more about Jimmy including the single best piece of career advice he received, the hallmarks of an award winning campaign, what brands took big steps this year and much more.

New York Festivals: What’s the most important thing you learned from your first job in advertising?

Jimmy Landaburu: The most important thing would definitely be not settling for the first idea, always keep playing with the idea, keep searching, investigating and looking up for more. Bust my head, in the good way.

New York Festivals: Tell us about your evolution in the advertising industry.

Jimmy Landaburu: The industry has evolved and a lot, but recently I also sense that it has started to get stuck and sort of rely on the way it has evolved so far, like there is nothing new to be done. Also If you look at it closely you can see that the ideas are being left as something secondary to the technology been used to produce it. I would say in some way there is a creative settling, we've become to comfortable with things the way they are.

New York Festivals: Is the work more creative today than before? Or is it simply driven more via technology?

Jimmy Landaburu: The agencies are disguising the ideas with some really good technological resources, which can have good results, but it just seems that know they are just been showcase on advertisement festivals, instead of the public who have never seen those commercials on the media. So I wonder how good can it be when it just doesn't achieve its purpose, someone has to change this.

New York Festivals: It’s a huge responsibility to judge all the entries submitted into a competition, what do you like best about selecting the shortlist and what is most challenging?

Jimmy Landaburu: What I like the most is seeing the number of campaigns that actually stand out, showing the new trends that will inspire the world of advertising. The challenge is being a fair judge, taking into consideration all the requirements that makes a publicitary piece work.

New York Festivals: What are the hallmarks of an award-winning campaign?

Jimmy Landaburu: The idea is the priority, without a good idea, or concept, there is nothing. If the idea is great any means you use to communicate it will work, and will come into a full circle. It has to be something memorable.

New York Festivals: What big brands took bold steps this year?

Jimmy Landaburu: I like Burger King, BMW and Samsung's campaigns this year, this brands despite they are already recognize by the public, they are doing whatever it takes to innovate and reinvent themselves, and I have not only seen them on festivals, you turn your tv on, and there they are, which sets them apart from other brands, I really like that.

New York Festivals: What’s the single best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

Jimmy Landaburu: Carlos Baccetti once told me: You just need one good idea, then everything will come into place.

New York Festivals: Who is your creative icon?

Jimmy Landaburu: Ramiro Agulla & Carlos Baccetti. Sebastian Wilhelm. Erik Vervroegen

New York Festivals: If you could work in advertising alongside any one person past or present, who would it be?

Jimmy Landaburu: David Ogilvy, Bob Greenberg, Anselmo Ramos.

New York Festivals: Favorite music album of all time?

Jimmy Landaburu: Albums: Toxicity - System of a Down. In Utero - Nirvana. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins

Songs: Ava adore - Smashing Pumpkins. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins. Serve the servants - Nirvana. Tourniquet - Marilyn Manson.

New York Festivals: What you’d be doing if you weren’t working in advertising?

Jimmy Landaburu: I like sports, and business management, I think I would combine both, but surely I would somehow make them meet with advertising.