When your one-on-one happens over Rioja and tapas
The challenge
Madrid's tourism board wanted to crack the B2B travel market—business conferences, corporate events, the whole thing. The problem? Madrid had a reputation as a leisure destination, not a business one.
They brought in three agencies to tackle different angles. We got the business traveler segment, partnering with IFEMA Madrid (the city's main convention organization) to create a campaign that said: Madrid isn't just for vacation—it's where business trips actually feel inspired.
The catch? Three agencies, minimal coordination, and a client moving at Spanish bureaucracy speed. We ended up creating primarily print and motion ads, but the concept was strong enough to run with.
What I Did
Designed campaign creative across print, social, programmatic, and email
Developed visual and verbal system around bilingual business puns
Shot original photography during a three-month working stay in Madrid
Worked with our motion team to storyboard and animate motion ads highlighting Madrid's blend of business and culture
Corporate speak meets Spanish flair
The campaign centered on one idea: translate your boring business language into something Madrileño. We identified a dozen features—cuisine, art, shopping, fútbol (obviously)—and paired corporate buzzwords with Madrid's reality.
The creative was built on bilingual puns and visual juxtapositions:
“Our favorite low-hanging fruit” paired with luscious Spanish grapes
“How we run our one-on-ones” set in a Michelin-starred dining room
“We’re always happy to circle back on that” underscored by the drama of flamenco
The tagline: *"Translate your business into something Madrileño."*
Cheesy? Maybe a little. But it worked for what it was: making business travel to Madrid feel less like a conference hotel and more like an experience.
Shooting Madrid
While I was there for an extended work trip, I captured original photography across the city and surrounding region—balancing lifestyle, architecture, and detail shots that reinforced the campaign's blend of tradition and modern energy. Some of these made it into the final campaign, others just live here as proof I actually did the work.
The result
The campaign ran across digital, social, and event placements in Europe and the U.S., helping reframe Madrid as a destination where business doesn't have to feel like business.
Honest assessment: This project was messy. Three agencies, unclear coordination, a client who moved at their own pace. But the creative concept was solid, the photography turned out great, and I got to spend three months in Madrid—which, when you're pitching business travel to Madrid, is pretty good field research.
Sometimes the process is chaos and the work still lands.