Embracing Diversity: Words From MullenLowe's José Miguel Sokoloff

 

Jose Miguel Sokoloff
President MullenLowe Group Creative Council & CCO, MullenLowe Group UK
 

Tell us about yourself and what you do.

My name is Jose Miguel Sokoloff and I’m the President of MullenLowe Group Creative Council and Chief Creative Officer of MullenLowe Group UK.  

How has the shift towards more responsible or politically correct advertising impacted your work?

Advertising has always needed to be politically correct, but people are conscious of it now more than ever. Ideas that worked in the past would not work today because the boundaries are constantly shifting, so we must continue keep in touch with people and society and how they are reacting to things.

Can you give some examples of clients that have adopted a responsible approach but remained and how they’ve used creative to help further their message?

Unilever is a champion of purpose-driven brands and within that, they strongly advocate for social and cultural change for a better world. Like most FMCG companies, they understand the power of advertising and how it can change behavior and shift paradigms, and their creative work certainly reflects this.

Do you believe this helps the audience develop a deeper bond with their audience? Might taking a stance on social/political issues also turn away some potential customers?

Yes, as long as what the brand is saying is relevant to the product and to the audience. When all of these factors are connected, brands start to develop a deeper bond with their audience, otherwise it will become a gimmick as social purpose for the sake of social purpose is fundamentally a trap. That being said, brands who take a stance on anything, be it social, political or otherwise, will naturally see customers flock to them or shy away. Not even the most respectable brands can be all things to all people.

Are there any specific causes your agency as a whole or you yourself hold near and dear? If so, tell us about them.

We firmly believe the best work comes from embracing diversity, a cause which is held dear both locally and globally. 

As we move towards more socially conscious advertising, are there any campaigns from the past that you think simply wouldn’t be able to get made today?

Definitely. If you think about the advertising that was done around beer many years ago, that would not work today because of the shifts that have taken place within in society.

Is there a specific campaign for a good cause you worked on that you’re most proud of? Or a favorite campaign from another agency.

There are many campaigns that I am proud to have worked on. The film, ‘The Problem is Not Seeing the Problem’, created in partnership with The Unstereotype Alliance, the UN, IPG and Unilever highlights unconscious bias that plagues our industry, while the NHS recruitment campaign ‘We Are the NHS’ encapsulates the pride so many people in Britain have for the organization. Outside of London, the work I was involved with for the Colombian Ministry of Defense to demobilize the FARC Guerrillas of the Colombian jungle has been a powerful driver towards reaching peace in the country, connecting Colombians in ways previously unimaginable and aiming to steer the nation towards an enhanced quality of life for all.