CINZIA PALLAORO: OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE REAL CONNECTION BETWEEN BRANDS AND PEOPLE
White Square International Festival of Creativity, globally recognized in the professional community, continues its call for entries. Annually, more than a thousand cases from all over the world are submitted by representatives of creative industries to participate in the contest, which is evaluated at the highest global level by international jury. To inspire representatives of creative industries around the world to submit their best entries for White Square Festival 2025, we are glad to present a series of interviews with members of the White Square Festival jury.
Today with us is Cinzia Pallaoro, Executive Creative Director of Leagas Delaney Italia. Her portfolio includes work for Porsche, Burger King, Tim, Keglevich, Somatoline, as well as ongoing collaborations with ING Bank, Bauli, Clementoni, Open Fiber, Bonduelle Italia, Bonduelle Global, Baglietto and Yoga. Winner of many prestigious awards at international creativity festivals, experienced jury member of festivals such as NYFestival, ADCI Festival, White Square Festival, Wina festival and others.
Today with us is Cinzia Pallaoro, Executive Creative Director of Leagas Delaney Italia. Her portfolio includes work for Porsche, Burger King, Tim, Keglevich, Somatoline, as well as ongoing collaborations with ING Bank, Bauli, Clementoni, Open Fiber, Bonduelle Italia, Bonduelle Global, Baglietto and Yoga. Winner of many prestigious awards at international creativity festivals, experienced jury member of festivals such as NYFestival, ADCI Festival, White Square Festival, Wina festival and others.
When did your journey in the creative industry begin? What inspired you to choose this career? Are there any stories or moments in your career that have had the greatest impact on your professional growth?
When I was in high school, I used to say that I wanted to become an astrophysicist or a vulcanologist. Truth is, I am terrible with math. I studied communication and started my career as graphic designer as an intern in Berlin. I found it interesting, but to me it was not enough. I had a mentor in the small studio where I used to work, that told me straight in the face "you should do advertising, graphic design is too small for all the things you want to say". And here I am, after almost 20 years in the industry abroad and in Italy, still loving this job. I am also passionate about astrophysics and quantum science, but this is another story.
Your projects have been highly appreciated at prestigious international festivals of creativity. Which of your projects do you consider to be the most successful and why?
In 20 years I loved many projects and clients. I worked for Porsche, Burger King, Danone, and for many famous Italian brands. The work we did and still do with ING bank, the recent work of redesigning and repositioning the communication of Bauli...there are many examples of my attitude towards communication: do it differently, do it boldly. Otherwise you will be invisible.
In your opinion, how do the participation and winning of creativity festivals influence agencies and representatives of the creative industry? What additional aspects, such as reputation enhancement, professional networking and inspiration for new ideas, can be crucial in this process?
I think that participating in festivals - and winning them - can be very enriching, unless winning awards becomes the only goal of an agency, no matter what. Truth is that marketers like to win prizes, but for many of them there is still the misbelief that what wins prizes is just a nice creativity exercise for the few in the industry, and not something that they can use to reach their business goals. An award can surely give more reputation to an agency, but it should be with case-studies that meet both the creative excellence and real results on the target audience, otherwise is just masterpieces worth thousands or millions of euros, that you hang in your bathroom. It's a pity, and the proof of the disturbing egocentric personality of some creatives, that only feed their narcissistic need and aren't faithful to our mission to create real connection between brands and people.
You have a high professional expertise in the field of creativity and experience of being a jury member of many international festivals, and this year you will be evaluating the entries of White Square Festival. What evaluation criteria are the most important for you? What new ideas would you like to see in the entries of White Square Festival?
I always apply one main criteria: would I have loved to sign this project? Does it make me jealous or inspire me to do something in a different way? I evaluate first of all the impact and the differentiation of the project, the innovation rate (both for language or visual), the freshness and the clarity, and last but not least, if it is meaningful for the target audience: does it give something to the people? entertain, inform, amuse? Does it solve some marketing or social problem?
How do you approach the creation of new ideas and projects? Do you have any certain methodologies, techniques, or lifehacks that you use while working with your team? Can you highlight the key factors that help you create effective projects and build long-term relationships with the brands' target audience?
First of all: have fun. This is the key. Good ideas can appear everywhere, but to grow, they need a positive and well nurtured soil. It is important to be brave and seek for the differentiation, so we tend to approach every project trying to give a unique strategic point of view. Strategy helps creativity way more than a lot of close-minded creatives think. A good strategy create a highway where creativity can run free, sure to get to the destination. It helps you to focus on the target, to understand their needs and find the most effective insights. Then the fun, the knowledge of the business, letting the gut feelings have its moments - and of course the experience - makes the rest.
What new trends and tendencies do you think will be actively seen in the field of marketing and communications in 2025? In your opinion, what innovative approaches and strategies will be able to attract consumers' attention and create a sustainable connection with brands? Are there any examples of companies in your country that are already implementing such tools and can be a reference point for others?
The answer to the second question is worth the golden medal, and the correct answer probably doesn't exist. The communication and media landscape is more fragmented than ever. The attention span of the audience is at his lowest, and so is the trust of consumers towards brands and advertising itself. The thinking outside of the box is not enough anymore, because there isn't a box anymore, but thousands of them. Plus, I say nothing disruptive by forecasting a huge invasion of Ai generated contents also in the front-raw of communication, but this is just a formal revolution (and let's see how it will settle and how legislation will reshape it all in the upcoming future). In italy there are a lot of brands that struggles due to old-school marketing and media models, and many other that really are embracing all the new landscapes of communication and media. I think the key will be to communicate consistently on very different media and with impactful messages and differentiating visual identities. And experiment new supports and new ways to enter consumers' everyday life. However, we will have to be ready to revolution models as quick ad technology and society evolve. That means VERY QUICKLY.
What are your hobbies and passions that fill your life with inspiration? Do you have any special books, movies, music or travels that form your creativity and influence your approach to work? How do you integrate these hobbies and inspiration into your daily practice to create something unique and memorable?
I inherited from my father the best quality ever: curiosity. That makes me fond of a lot of things beside work. As a former art director, everything what's visual attracts me: art, cinema, photography, but I am also a heavy reader and podcast user. I am also a heavy book listener, since I love audiobooks. I can "read" while doing the laundry or going to work, it's very practical. I have a daughter and a stepdaughter, this is actually something that quite fills my life, and also enriches me a lot because I am in touch with kids and parents and get to know their needs and opinions. Through kids and parents you can really see society reshaping itself under your eyes everyday. But the most important thing is that our job is about culture: we have to know and understand the world around us, in order to communicate with it. It means we should constantly widen our perspectives, also listening to opinions far away from ours and trying to understand them. There is always an explanation to a social fenomena, or a trend, or a belief. If you let go from personal opinions, everything becomes understandable, and can give you powerful insights. Ah, I also meditate. It's fundamental to survive the everyday craziness of this job and to keep some kind of balance.
What would you like to wish to your colleagues, participants of White Square Festival 2025?
I wish them to be proud of their job. To shine and to bring positive impact on the world. I wish them to learn something new everyday, to never stop questioning, to nurture their minds with new ideas and languages. To be opened to the world. To be brave.
When I was in high school, I used to say that I wanted to become an astrophysicist or a vulcanologist. Truth is, I am terrible with math. I studied communication and started my career as graphic designer as an intern in Berlin. I found it interesting, but to me it was not enough. I had a mentor in the small studio where I used to work, that told me straight in the face "you should do advertising, graphic design is too small for all the things you want to say". And here I am, after almost 20 years in the industry abroad and in Italy, still loving this job. I am also passionate about astrophysics and quantum science, but this is another story.
Your projects have been highly appreciated at prestigious international festivals of creativity. Which of your projects do you consider to be the most successful and why?
In 20 years I loved many projects and clients. I worked for Porsche, Burger King, Danone, and for many famous Italian brands. The work we did and still do with ING bank, the recent work of redesigning and repositioning the communication of Bauli...there are many examples of my attitude towards communication: do it differently, do it boldly. Otherwise you will be invisible.
In your opinion, how do the participation and winning of creativity festivals influence agencies and representatives of the creative industry? What additional aspects, such as reputation enhancement, professional networking and inspiration for new ideas, can be crucial in this process?
I think that participating in festivals - and winning them - can be very enriching, unless winning awards becomes the only goal of an agency, no matter what. Truth is that marketers like to win prizes, but for many of them there is still the misbelief that what wins prizes is just a nice creativity exercise for the few in the industry, and not something that they can use to reach their business goals. An award can surely give more reputation to an agency, but it should be with case-studies that meet both the creative excellence and real results on the target audience, otherwise is just masterpieces worth thousands or millions of euros, that you hang in your bathroom. It's a pity, and the proof of the disturbing egocentric personality of some creatives, that only feed their narcissistic need and aren't faithful to our mission to create real connection between brands and people.
You have a high professional expertise in the field of creativity and experience of being a jury member of many international festivals, and this year you will be evaluating the entries of White Square Festival. What evaluation criteria are the most important for you? What new ideas would you like to see in the entries of White Square Festival?
I always apply one main criteria: would I have loved to sign this project? Does it make me jealous or inspire me to do something in a different way? I evaluate first of all the impact and the differentiation of the project, the innovation rate (both for language or visual), the freshness and the clarity, and last but not least, if it is meaningful for the target audience: does it give something to the people? entertain, inform, amuse? Does it solve some marketing or social problem?
How do you approach the creation of new ideas and projects? Do you have any certain methodologies, techniques, or lifehacks that you use while working with your team? Can you highlight the key factors that help you create effective projects and build long-term relationships with the brands' target audience?
First of all: have fun. This is the key. Good ideas can appear everywhere, but to grow, they need a positive and well nurtured soil. It is important to be brave and seek for the differentiation, so we tend to approach every project trying to give a unique strategic point of view. Strategy helps creativity way more than a lot of close-minded creatives think. A good strategy create a highway where creativity can run free, sure to get to the destination. It helps you to focus on the target, to understand their needs and find the most effective insights. Then the fun, the knowledge of the business, letting the gut feelings have its moments - and of course the experience - makes the rest.
What new trends and tendencies do you think will be actively seen in the field of marketing and communications in 2025? In your opinion, what innovative approaches and strategies will be able to attract consumers' attention and create a sustainable connection with brands? Are there any examples of companies in your country that are already implementing such tools and can be a reference point for others?
The answer to the second question is worth the golden medal, and the correct answer probably doesn't exist. The communication and media landscape is more fragmented than ever. The attention span of the audience is at his lowest, and so is the trust of consumers towards brands and advertising itself. The thinking outside of the box is not enough anymore, because there isn't a box anymore, but thousands of them. Plus, I say nothing disruptive by forecasting a huge invasion of Ai generated contents also in the front-raw of communication, but this is just a formal revolution (and let's see how it will settle and how legislation will reshape it all in the upcoming future). In italy there are a lot of brands that struggles due to old-school marketing and media models, and many other that really are embracing all the new landscapes of communication and media. I think the key will be to communicate consistently on very different media and with impactful messages and differentiating visual identities. And experiment new supports and new ways to enter consumers' everyday life. However, we will have to be ready to revolution models as quick ad technology and society evolve. That means VERY QUICKLY.
What are your hobbies and passions that fill your life with inspiration? Do you have any special books, movies, music or travels that form your creativity and influence your approach to work? How do you integrate these hobbies and inspiration into your daily practice to create something unique and memorable?
I inherited from my father the best quality ever: curiosity. That makes me fond of a lot of things beside work. As a former art director, everything what's visual attracts me: art, cinema, photography, but I am also a heavy reader and podcast user. I am also a heavy book listener, since I love audiobooks. I can "read" while doing the laundry or going to work, it's very practical. I have a daughter and a stepdaughter, this is actually something that quite fills my life, and also enriches me a lot because I am in touch with kids and parents and get to know their needs and opinions. Through kids and parents you can really see society reshaping itself under your eyes everyday. But the most important thing is that our job is about culture: we have to know and understand the world around us, in order to communicate with it. It means we should constantly widen our perspectives, also listening to opinions far away from ours and trying to understand them. There is always an explanation to a social fenomena, or a trend, or a belief. If you let go from personal opinions, everything becomes understandable, and can give you powerful insights. Ah, I also meditate. It's fundamental to survive the everyday craziness of this job and to keep some kind of balance.
What would you like to wish to your colleagues, participants of White Square Festival 2025?
I wish them to be proud of their job. To shine and to bring positive impact on the world. I wish them to learn something new everyday, to never stop questioning, to nurture their minds with new ideas and languages. To be opened to the world. To be brave.
The Jury of White Square Festival Jury is being actively formed and will be announced in March, but their participation has already been confirmed by the brightest people with invaluable experience in judging prestigious international creativity festivals and numerous awards around the world, representatives from more than 35 countries.
To submit your entries, go to the White Square Festival's official website and choose from 247 nominations covering the entire spectrum of the communications industry. Discounted entry fees are available until March 3, 2025. The final deadline for entries is April 28, 2025.