Spain: SantaMarta
The second in a series of four mini profiles on new independent Spanish shops
SantaMarta co-founders Fernando Codina and Pablo Zea first crossed paths when Zea was Codina’s client at Nike, but it was later at Villarrosas that the pair experienced a genuine creative meeting of minds. Then, after leaving the agency in 2009, they cemented their partnership and took the plunge by launching their own start-up in Barcelona.
“We were both turning 40 years old and reaching our mid-life crisis, so we thought we either had to get Harley Davidsons or start an agency,” jokes Zea, general director, “so we decided to start an agency. And at our ages now, we feel with have that balance between energy and experience.”
With a wealth of experience across the board – from clients to multinational networks to independent agencies – after saying goodbye to Villarrosas, the duo spent several months debating, discussing and constructing the DNA of their new company.
“That time was very important,” says creative director Codina, “as like everyone I had been working, working, working for years, but suddenly I was able to stop and think, and it let us start from scratch. At an agency you are used to a lot of things and you feel that things have to be like that, but then it was just me, Pablo and no accounts. It was like pressing reset in our minds and starting again.”
What the pair came up with was a manifesto for their new shop, focusing on the power of ideas. Dedicated to solving business problems, at Santa Marta they believe in having relevant conversations with consumers, combining strategy with creativity, and working across different media to create integrated messages.
“We don’t think the consumer is conscious of consuming offline and online media,” says Zea, “but agencies are always trying to put a label on it. What we want is to build emotional connections between brands and consumers. How we do that will depend on the problem, the budget etc, but we don’t want to put the media up front.”
One recent project that perfectly flaunts SantaMarta’s ability to mix media is a campaign for Nike Run. Starting with a guerrilla art attack, the agency plastered 30,000 tongue-in-cheek stickers across Barcelona, directing people online to the brand’s social media. Next they launched an online film featuring Spanish band Love of Lesbian inviting viewers to an event, and the project culminated with a 3km night-time running experience in an abandoned warehouse, complete with local artists, product exhibitions and, finally, a performance from the band. Other, smaller campaigns for the likes of Spanish fashion brand TCN and gay hotel chain Axel are also imbued with the same combination of strong visual design and consumer engagement.
“We want to do good work for our clients,” concludes Zea. “We always say there aren’t just good agencies, instead there are good combinations of agencies and clients, and the thing is just to find those clients and create that communication and chemistry between people, because behind good executions are always good people.”
SANTAMARTA
Founded: December 2009
Location: Barcelona
Founders: Fernando Codina (Villarrosàs, Atletico International, Tandem DDB), Pablo Zea (Villarrosàs, Nike, W+K, BBDO Paris)
Clients/Projects: Nike Running, NikeSportswear, TCN, AxelHotels, Universitat deBarcelona
Connections
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- Creative Director Fernando Codina
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