Advertising is in Danilo Boer’s blood as his parents met while working at an agency in Brazil. His father was an art director and his mother was a proofreader. At five years old he would be in their office, surrounded by creatives. “I was born into the advertising industry,” he says while laughing. “Having my mum and dad at the two ends of the spectrum, one art and the other writing, showed both sides to me.”
Boer says he finally got into the industry “for real” when he was 18 and got an internship at AlmapBBDO’s São Paulo office in 2003. It's clear that he credits a lot to his parents, who were always supportive, but he jokes that his Dad might have wanted him to become a “real artist” instead.
From the beginning, the creative says that he’s always picked agencies where he felt there were great leaders that he could learn something from. At Almap it was Marcello Serpa who Boer spent seven years with, learning the art of simple, impactful visuals.
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The talent he learned there as an art director, the youngest in the agency, led him to win his first Cannes Grand Prix while in his early twenties. After, he wanted to keep progressing and learn the art of filmmaking, while also working in a different country.
He sent an email to BBDO New York’s David Lubars and ended up landing a job as a senior art director in the city. Alongside another mentor Greg Hahn – who was chief creative officer - Boer learned how to write, film, and, importantly, edit. “It was the best film school anyone could have,” he recalls. “They gave me a lot of space to grow.”
When he became chief creative officer at Ogilvy New York, under Rob Reilly's leadership, Boer expanded his skill set, focusing more on people management. “Rob is a great leader of people,” says Boer. Reflecting on his journey, he notes that he was “designing his career” by learning from these great leaders.
With a career spanning over twenty years, there’s so much work in Boer’s portfolio but he does have a few favorites. Even though, he stresses, it's like “picking a favorite child”. The first is ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ from FCB London, which turned the term on its head, taking it from a negative connotation to a positive thing and enabling people to list it on LinkedIn as a skill. It garnered Boer his first Titanium at Cannes Lions in 2022 and holds a special place in his heart.
Another notable example is the Michelob Ultra “trilogy,” which includes ‘McEnroe vs. McEnroe’, ‘Lap of Legends’ and ‘Dreamcaster’ - the latter being this year’s most-awarded campaign in the World Creative Rankings. Boer notes that the entire body of work has “pushed the industry” forward.
“I love them because it pushes us into entertainment, like doing one-hour TV shows that people want to watch,” he explains. “And coming from the world of advertising, you're fighting for attention.”
‘Dreamcaster’ redefined sports broadcasting by making it more inclusive. During the NBA Playoffs in 2023, MichelobUltra helped Cameron Black become the first blind person to commentate a basketball game on TV. Through a pregame show, live game coverage, and a three-hour livestream, Black broke new ground in sports accessibility, sharing his unique experience with millions.
When the FCB New York team first pitched the idea to Boer, he was uncertain about how they could bring it to life. However, their positivity and determination drove the project forward. Over the next two years, they worked tirelessly to make it a reality for the beer brand. “They dream so big,” he says.
Amid a wave of advertising industry accolades, both ‘Dreamcaster’ and ‘McEnroe vs. McEnroe’ won prestigious Emmys two years in a row. Reflecting on the experience, Boer recalls that, especially in the first year, they had no expectation of winning. “We got there, and they put us on the fourth balcony, behind the screen. It was the worst seat ever,” he laughs. “I thought, ‘We’re not going to win'. Nobody wins sitting up there.”
But then, he noticed one of the winners in another category had been seated just as far back and had to sprint to the stage. Seeing a glimmer of hope, they began making their way down before their name was called, just in case. If they won, they wanted that moment on stage.
He explains that their placement in the back was simply due to the size of the FCB team. “We didn’t know. We’re an advertising agency. We went with a whole crew.”
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Another project that Boer thinks of fondly is Spotify's 'Spreadsheets’ from 2024. “I had promised myself my whole life that I wouldn’t open a spreadsheet,” he jokes. “And then I spent like a year on Excel.” For the campaign, for Spotify a music video was coded into a spreadsheet to capture the attention of media planners - and it worked.
Like many creatives, Boer draws inspiration from a variety of sources and he “catalogs everything” he sees. Now, he’s in charge as global creative partner at FCB, a role he took up in 2021 to work alongside Susan Credle, who he credits as another important mentor. “The job is collaborating with people, you know, it's getting different inputs,” he explains. “We’re all in this weird melting pot. That's my favorite part, working with people.”
He believes that people want to work at an agency that’s inspiring and doing the best work possible. “I want to keep people happy by helping them make great work. Keep pushing for our clients,” he explains joking: “Twenty-five more years, then I’m done.”
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