Summer is in full swing, and we have another new face to introduce. This time we sat down with Santiago, our newest digital marketing hire, to talk campaign strategy, the nightlife event series he's been building since 2019, and a running habit that has gotten a little out of hand.
How long have you been at the agency?
About two months.
You came from five years in B2B tech marketing — what made you want to move into an agency?
I wanted to be somewhere that’s solely focused on marketing. At an agency, you get to learn across multiple clients, see what strategies and tactics are actually working, and just get really good at delivering results.
What drew you to Show and Tell specifically?
Show and Tell is one of the more established, forward-thinking agencies out there, so it was somewhere I'd genuinely been looking forward to joining. The way the agency is applying AI, both internally and with clients, was really exciting to me. And there are a lot of experienced people here to learn from.
You’re a month in – what does you day-to-day actually look like?
It changes a bit, but a lot of it has to do with programming and managing ads across platforms – Meta, LinkedIn, Google, Youtube. Making sure campaigns are delivering the way they should, the placements are right, the comments are good. On some projects I decide the strategy and exactly what we’re going to do. On others I’m more on the execution side, programming someone else’s strategy and managing from there. For one of my current projects, I’m deciding which platforms we’re running and adjusting as we go to get better performance.
What's surprised you most about agency life so far?
There are a lot of details that come with programming ads and executing campaigns that I’m learning a lot about. Getting to work on new platforms like Spotify and Youtube has been really eye-opening. And honestly, how nice everyone is. That one caught me off guard.
What got you interested in marketing in the first place?
So when I entered university I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew one thing: I was definitely not going to do HR or marketing. I wanted harder skills. …But then I took my first intro to marketing class, started following people like Gary Vaynerchuk, and began to realize that there’s much more to marketing than just making a Facebook post. There’s a lot of strategy behind it, and there’s so much to be discovered still of what works and what doesn’t, and how to deliver really high quality campaigns. And it’s such a creative field. The intersection of analytics, creativity, and strategy is what really interested me.
Do you have a favourite platform or medium to work in?
Depends on the project. Meta ads are really powerful for what they can do at a low cost, and their targeting is getting really good. But for a lot of projects, I also love Google search ads. You're capturing the people with the highest intent that are already looking for your stuff. It can be really simple and just really effective.
What's your favourite part of digital marketing if you were trying to sell this career to someone?
If you like analytics, if you're okay with troubleshooting a lot, and you're drawn to the intersection of analytics and creative — it's a really satisfying field. And there's a personal side to it too. I've helped a friend grow his business through it. That's always nice.
What's a recent campaign that really stood out to you, and why?
I've been thinking a lot about the World Cup and the Adidas and Messi partnership. They just do a lot of really good content, and I saw them post some pretty original stuff right after Messi scored a hat-trick. It was so timely and so quick, and especially with how fast things move today, pulling that off at that level is really impressive.
Outside of work, you put on large-scale themed nightlife events — tell us about Always Dale. How did it get started?
Always Dale is a themed event series, primarily in Winnipeg but we've done shows in Toronto and Chicago as well. It started with me and my friend, who is a DJ, doing themed house parties and basement shows. Those got pretty popular. Then COVID hit and we moved to streaming on Twitch. And then our very first ticketed event ever was a boat party in Chicago, which is to this day the most stressful month of my life. COVID regulations were constantly changing, travel was unpredictable, it was our first ticketed event ever, and I didn't know a single person in Chicago. But after that we had a lot of confidence, came back to Winnipeg, and just started growing from there.
What's your favourite theme you've ever done, and how do you choose them?
We try a lot of things and see what sticks. The name is important — we did one called Dancelantis, which just sounds cool and explains itself. But my favourite we've ever done is Alice in Wonderland. We do it at Alloway Hall, which is really cool because they have white ceilings, so we projection map the whole thing to feel like you're falling down a rabbit hole. We build a tunnel at the entrance, set up a full tea party with greenery, have performers. It's the most interactive one we do. It feels like a mini festival, and the ceiling projections are the best part!
You DJ too — how did you get started and what are you playing?
I started because I had to. My partner was the only DJ between us, and we threw a party where no other DJ showed up and he was super sick, so he ended up playing for six hours straight without a break. I felt terrible, so I thought it was about time I learned. My favourite stuff to play is a mix of house music, tech house, melodic techno, and a lot of remixes of popular songs.
You were born in Argentina — what's one thing you wish more Canadians knew about it?
The nightlife. I'm biased, but it's so good. People are going until 6 or 7 AM until the sunrise, everyone brings their sunglasses. The culture around going out and the vibes of the people are just really expressive and really welcoming. I go back every couple of years and it's always amazing.
Barcelona is your favourite city — what is it about that place?
It's just a mix of a bunch of things. It's on the beach, which is already amazing. It's a big city with historic castles that have clubs in them, which is insane. There's a big business scene, a lot of headquarters are there. The soccer culture is amazing. And you're also right by the mountains. It just has a lot of the combination of things I like. It's such a cool city.
Snowboarding, boxing, running — is there one that comes first?
Recently it's been boxing, I've really been enjoying that. But running is always a staple. A couple of years ago I ran 65 kilometres through the Mantario Trail. Just pushing myself and being alone in the woods — it was a really cool experience.
Editor's Note: For reference, a half marathon is 21 kilometres. Santiago did three of those. Back to back. Alone.
Favourite Winnipeg restaurant, bar, or hidden gem?
Naru Sushi, just down the street. Really good sushi, and they have affordable, amazing ramen that comes in a little cauldron. I love that place.
What advice would you give to someone new at the agency?
Dive into your projects and try new things when you can. And don't be afraid to hop on a call with someone, bounce ideas, get feedback. People here are really open to that, and you can learn so much from others that way.
Any last words?
Messi is the best player of all time, and I'm still not over him scoring a hat trick against Algeria in the World Cup opener.
Editor's Note: He said we didn't have to include this. We did.
Welcome to Show and Tell, Santiago. Stay tuned for our next Meet the Team feature!