Looking outside of the advertising toolbox

Advertising executive Jorge Heymann had a very clear brief: Generate awareness and drive people to the newly-developed Puerto Madero district on a river bank in Buenos Aires.

Houda Boulahbel
Vujà Dé Magazine

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The obvious solution would have been an advertising campaign that would entice people to visit the new district.

However, Jorge did not create an ad campaign. He looked at the new district as a ‘product’ and looked into how he could add something to the product that encourages people to ‘use it’. After a lot of research into what would drive people to the previously forgotten district, he realised that the real problem was lack of access rather than lack of awareness. This is why, instead of running an ad campaign, Jorge Heymann built a bridge.

He did not build any bridge though! He commissioned an internationally renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, to build a beautiful bridge that would become a city landmark. The bridge, Puente de la Mujer, generated much excitement and received more press coverage than any ad campaign could have afforded.

Puente de la Mujer ©Wikimedia Commons

I love this story, because it shows the importance of analysing the root of the problem first in order to come up with an impactful solution. More importantly, I love that Heymann looked outside of his usual advertiser’s toolbox and did not stick to what he was comfortable with. Something we can all learn from.

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Houda Boulahbel
Vujà Dé Magazine

Systems thinking consultant. Ex-cancer research scientist. Curious about the world. Love science and design.