Visionary Marcelo Salup Leads Performist's New Era

Marcelo Salup, performist, performance marketing, innovation, strategic prowess, global brands, sophistication, advertising, media, International media director, international, copywriter, ad agencies, dentsu, dentsu advertising, top management, LATAM, Formula 1, Iberia Airlines, Colgate total, Visa & Mastercard, cable industry, TV commercials, sports, music, ESPN, MTV, A&E, constellations, equity, media, targeting, publication, website, emerging tech, Listen Campaign, campaign, bots, AI-generated, AI generated content, PPC, sales, attribution models, customer research, creative strategies,

Meet Marcelo Salup, the dynamic CEO at Performist, redefining performance marketing with unparalleled expertise. With over four decades of industry prowess, Marcelo’s leadership fosters innovation and strategic vision. From launching global brands to orchestrating high-stakes negotiations, his journey epitomizes excellence. Amidst his myriad accomplishments, his passion for uplifting others and advocating for the voiceless shines through in initiatives like the Listen Campaign, a testament to his profound impact beyond the boardroom.

Join us on a journey through the corridors of innovation and inspiration with Marcelo, where every word resonates with wisdom, warmth, and a touch of timeless sophistication.

As an industry veteran with more than four decades of experience in the advertising and media industry, can you share some highlights from your extensive journey?

Through the years, I’ve amassed numerous memorable experiences, but one stands out above all: realizing my dream of becoming truly international. For five years, my password was “InternationalMediaDirector”. In 2000, I achieved that dream, transitioning from a humble copywriter in Madrid to EVP and International Media Director of one of the world’s largest ad agencies, an experience I cherished every moment of.

Another source of immense pride for me, one I value even more than any career milestone, is the opportunity to help others. Despite being advised by many older individuals to be less generous with my assistance, I remained committed to supporting as many people as possible. Consequently, numerous members of my teams went on to reach top management positions in other companies, launched their own ventures, and more. Among them, the individual I am most proud of is the woman I hired as my personal assistant upon returning to FCB from McCann, who was recently appointed CEO of Dentsu Advertising in Mexico and graciously sent me a heartfelt thank-you note.

Those two things are truly fulfilling.

You’ve worked with some of the most reputable brands in LATAM and North America, including Visa & Mastercard, Iberia Airlines, Colgate Total, and Formula 1, World Cup. When formulating strategies, did you consider regional nuances?

Absolutely. Nuances was why I fell in love with the cable industry in Latam: you could have TV commercials focused on sports (ESPN), music (MTV), art (A&E) and much more.

Of course, we always had to work with the data available. So, when we only had demographic data, the nuances were more general, but as we became more sophisticated, the nuances became richer. I collaborated directly with the NY team on Constellations. Constellations marked the first instance of any agency creating a mathematically-segmented audience database. We integrated it with TGI and implemented it in Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

These nuances are what distinguish a brand as “ours” rather than “yours”.

Conversely, what happens when you DON’T take cultural nuances and differences into account is awful. One instance we intercepted just in time: when launching Camel cigarettes in Mexico, the US proposed the Jungle campaign. We pushed back, stating, “We don’t need to be reminded there’s a jungle out there,” and instead ran the Formula 1 campaign, leveraging the World Cup as our platform. The result? A 4% market share in the first year.

How have you seen the advertising and media landscape evolve over the course of your career, especially with the advent of digital media in the past decade?

The true evolution has been towards targeting.

With broadcast television, targeting was virtually non-existent. Constructs like “Adults 18+” or “Women 19-49” were merely mathematical abstractions. Cable introduced some additional targeting options (e.g., sports vs. music vs. soap operas). However, digital has revolutionized
targeting, allowing us to pinpoint specific demographics with precision, such as “homeowners who have lived in the same home for over 10 years, with at least 70% equity, in a home valued at $500,000 or more, and who have traveled in the past 2 years.”

In comparison, everything else seems insignificant.

With your wealth of experience, how do you stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies to remain competitive ever-changing media landscape?

Firstly, I read a lot. I’ve built a “library” of websites and publications I regularly consult.

Second, I’ve surrounded myself with people much smarter than I am, so I listen to them and learn from them.

It is essential that we address the current issues in whatever way we can. Could you share a brief overview of the Listen Campaign that you are involved with?

The Listen Campaign is a beautiful project, a global, continuous campaign advocating for a billion vulnerable and disadvantaged children worldwide who lack a voice. Leveraging the talents of a diverse range of creative artists, the campaign aims to be that voice and advocate for them. Ultimately, Listen will serve as the catalyst, raising awareness of these children globally, encouraging contributions, and urging increased involvement from both governments and private enterprises. Importantly, Listen is deeply rooted in facts, aiming not to reinvent the wheel but to support projects that have been proven effective, scalable, and transportable.

Can you share your future outlook with respect to your recent venture with Performist?

I want to reframe “performance” marketing. Currently, performance primarily refers to “PPC,” but with the proliferation of AI-generated content and bots, this model is flawed. You can generate numerous clicks and still fail to make sales. The situation is exacerbated in SEO,
where AI-generated content is clicked on by bots, resulting in bots communicating with each other.

We aim to assist our clients in approaching results from a comprehensive performance perspective. This entails significantly improving targeting, conducting thorough customer research, implementing agile creative strategies, and adopting attribution models.

Author Profile

Netra: Netra is a Dual Masters graduate in International Business and Marketing. She is a content-writing enthusiast and a social media addict. In her downtime, you will find her headbanging to Pop songs from around the world. She is also a sports fanatic and especially loves F1, Volleyball, and Cricket. Her hobbies are baking and watching Anime.