the year award three times, making
him the most awarded art director
in Brazil with an astounding 160
Lions under his belt. He brought not
just AlmapBBDO to the global stage
but has also greatly contributed
in making a name for Havaianas,
a local flip flops brand that placed
Brazil in the map of the world.
In 2015, Serpa and Madeira
stepped down and left the agency
they have painstakingly nursed
back to life. AlmapBBDO was ready
to fly solo. And there’s no better
proof than the Brazilian shop being
hailed as the Cannes Lions 2016
Agency of the Year. “We are very,
very happy for all that we have
reached and for all that we have
marked. Now I want to step back
and enjoy the things I have done.”
In his acceptance speech,
Serpa talked about one of the
most difficult decisions he had to
make about leaving the industry.
Relating a story by Leo Tolstoy
about a peasant who ran endlessly
until he died, failing to see the
sun, Serpa shared, “I decided that
someday in my fifties, I would like
to see where the sun stands I don’t
want to be forced to run like crazy
without even knowing why I was
going so fast. I definitely don’t
want to make things easy for the
devil. So, I decided to go away.”
And away he went, to Hawaii
with his family where he will stay
for a year and then come back. He
didn’t specify where. Who knows?
“I hope we see each other on
the beach. Surf if you can. I’ll be
walking around, seeing all the land
I have marked, with a big smile on
my face, a smile of a peasant and
true enough, as a devil that knows
his afternoon has just begun.”
Marcello Serpa sits down with Lions CEO Philip Thomas for a one-on-one interview.
Philip Thomas and Marcello Serpa with his Lion of St. Mark trophy.
July - August 2016 | adobo magazine
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