The second public event in the Media Lab ORT | UN75 series took place on Wednesday, August 19, at the School of Communication and was streamed on the school’s YouTube channel.
The event featured Pipe Stein, CEO of Notable Publicidad, and Juan Ciapessoni, founder of The Electric Factory, with journalist and professor Gonzalo Sobral serving as moderator.
The Dialogue Between Creativity and the 2030 SDGs
Sobral began by asking how creativity relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the United Nations has set for 2030.
Pipe Stein was emphatic: “Creativity is all about problem-solving.” He argued that the key lies in where the focus is placed and how success is measured. In that regard, he acknowledged that in advertising, success is typically measured in economic terms and in terms of brand recognition.
I believe this new reality is about channeling creativity toward new goals that promote social impact.
Pipe Stein
For his part, Juan Ciapessoni said that when it comes to applying creativity to solve certain problems, what he strives to do—both personally and through his company—is to promote medium- and long-term goals. He lamented that, at the corporate level, immediate results are demanded because “that prevents us from establishing far-reaching strategies and, why not, perhaps strategies that extend beyond our own lifetimes.”
In his view, one should set long-term goals accompanied by short-term “mini-steps” that gradually build toward that objective.
Technology isn't the focal point; rather, in a post-pandemic world, it serves as a driving force for humanity.
Juan Ciapessoni
The thing is, contexts evolve, and as they change, what each person does—for example, in advertising—is either well-received or not. This is how Stein put it: “Let’s think about gender equality. Fifteen years ago, we didn’t talk about this, but if I organize a conference today and 100% of my speakers are men, I’m in the wrong, and society—that is, public opinion—punishes me.”
In terms of social responsibility, communication today is different because, he argued, “it’s basically a reflection of what’s happening.” “In advertising, we’ve always focused on what we say, but that’s shifting toward what we do,” he summarized.
I think the pandemic has finally made it clear that empty rhetoric and old slogans are worthless compared to actual action.
Pipe Stein
The series kicked off with presentations by Mireia Villar—the UN Resident Coordinator in Uruguay—and José Peralta—the UN Communications Advisor in our country—at the conference titled “The Decade of Action.”
Upcoming events in the series
- The Keys to Social Innovation(August 26)
- Technology and Sustainability: The Challenges of 2030 (September 2)
- Agents of Change for a Sustainable World (September 9)