Rafael “Rafa” Pitanguy embodies the global in his title as the deputy global chief creative officer at VML and the creative lead for the Coca-Cola Company as part of WPP Open X. The trilingual creative has lived in Europe, Latin America and the U.S. In the past year alone, he traveled more than 500,000 miles to 32 markets building relationships in person.
Pitanguy’s ability to understand local cultures and their implications for global campaigns shapes his work. One of his standout initiatives was Thanks for Coke-Creating, a campaign that turned a branding challenge into an opportunity to celebrate grassroots creativity. Instead of enforcing rigid and uniform brand standards, his team embraced local adaptations of the Coca-Cola logo as expressions of community pride. By fostering collaboration across VML’s network, he ensured the campaign resonated universally while remaining culturally relevant.
The strategy of amplifying grassroots creativity not only delivered record-breaking results, it also redefined how Coca-Cola connects with …