Brazilian Creative Washington Olivetto Passes Away

Brazilian creative Washington Olivetto passed away on Oct. 13 at the age of 73. He died due to pulmonary complications while hospitalized at Copa Star Hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Olivetto was a Brazilian advertising icon, credited for putting the market on the map as a creative powerhouse. He began his career as a copywriter at Brazilian agency Harding-Jiménez and worked at various shops before launching his own agency, W/Brazil, which joined McCann Worldgroup in 2010 to form W/McCann. Prior to that, Olivetto became the first Brazilian to win a Gold Lion in Cannes while working at Publicis agency DPZ for “The Man Over Forty,” alongside creative director Francesc Petit. One of the most-awarded advertising creatives of all time, he won 50 Lions in the film category alone throughout his career. In 2014, he won a lifetime achievement award from the Clios. "Washington Olivetto was not only a game changer in the market—there is advertising before and after him—but he also transcended advertising itself and became an idol to our idols,” Hugo Rodrigues, chairman of W/McCann Olivetto's successor, shared with ADWEEK. “He entered Brazilian popular culture, becoming the subject of songs and samba school themes, and has published countless books. We, at W/McCann, will stand in solidarity in every way we can, with the reverence he deserves." Olivetto racked up advertising awards Olivetto has won countless recognitions for his career in advertising and is often vaulted alongside legends like Lee Clow and Jay Chiat for his extensive influence and body of work. “All Brazilian creatives have been saying something—we are all grieving, even those who never met him in person. For one way or another, every Brazilian in advertising today was heavily influenced by Washington’s Genius,” said PJ Pereira, cofounder and creative chairman at Pereira O’Dell. “Any one of us—especially the ones who dared to build an international career—owe our ambitions to him.” “His tonal range of storytelling was incredible,” added Bianca Guimareas, partner and executive creative director at Mischief @ No Fixed Address. “He always found ways to hero the product benefit as part of the core of the idea. It wasn't . Usually the entire idea was about the product or its benefits, but in a creative way that made people care about it.” Olivetto was not just an influential figure in advertising, but in Brazilian culture writ large. In 2011, the Brazilian post office made a stamp with Olivetto’s name printed alongside an image, which he designed, of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro merged with the Roman Colosseum, a recognition of his Italian heritage. His work has inspired two songs by Brazilian singer Jorge Ben Jor. “No one outside the country would ever be able to grasp how big he was in our pop culture,” Pereira added. Putting Brazil on the ad industry map Olivetto's celebrity extended beyond the advertising world. Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer at McCann and McCann Worldgroup, said "he became an icon in his own right, embedding himself in the popular culture of a nation of giants like Brazil." "He achieved all this by creating work that resonated with everyday people first, and only then with award juries," he added. Olivetto was so influential on Brazilian culture that in 2002, he was kidnapped by a group of armed insurgents dressed as police and held in captivity for two months at a ransom of $10 million. He was rescued in a police raid. “He had his finger on the pulse of Brazilian pop culture. No one else has ever made so many brands a part of pop culture like Washington did,” said Anselmo Ramos, cofounder and creative chairman at GUT. “And that remains our industry’s eternal goal: to make brands part of the conversation at the bar, at the dinner table, at the school cafeteria—everywhere.” Many creatives credit the international success of Brazilians in advertising to Olivetto. “People always ask me why there are so many Brazilian creatives doing well around the world. My answer is simple: because in Brazil, advertising is not just a profession or a job. It’s a way of life, a calling. Dare to say, a passion. Because my generation grew up watching the brilliance of Washington Olivetto on a daily basis,” said Rafael Rizuto, chief creative officer of Ogilvy North America. “I believe that legacy is not about what you have accomplished—it is how people talk about you,” Rizuto continued. “Seeing the outpouring messages of love and how he touched the lives of so many of my peers, it’s a testament of the man he was. Descanse em Paz, legend.”

Creative Thinkers

Creatives Remember Washington Olivetto, the “Godfather of Brazilian Creativity”

Olivetto, who put Brazil on the map as an advertising powerhouse, passed away on Sunday at 73

Alison Weissbrot

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Alison Weissbrot