Every Sunday, during my morning cafecito (or yerba mate), I’ll share three powerful ideas transforming culture. Some ideas will be ads or about advertising. Some may be about design or fashion. Others will be about art, illustration, animation, motion, audio, cinema, books, or any other big idea worth sharing and discussing. You get the idea.
IDEA 1: Affinity is Free
Adobe built a fortress. Affinity just opened the gates.
Canva & Serif just made Affinity Designer, Photo, and Publisher completely free—professional-grade creative software with no subscription, no catch, no strings. This isn't a freemium play or a student discount. It's the full suite. Forever.
In an industry where software costs have become a barrier to entry for emerging creatives, Canva’s move is both generous and strategic. They're betting that accessibility builds loyalty, and that the next generation of designers will remember who gave them the tools when they needed them most. Sometimes the smartest business move is just doing the right thing.
IDEA 2: DoorDash Fights (& Gives) Back
When 40 million Americans faced a SNAP funding cliff, DoorDash didn't wait for permission.
They launched an Emergency Food Response: 1 million free meals delivered through 300+ food banks, waived fees for 300,000 grocery orders for SNAP recipients, and food donations from DashMart stores to local communities. All in November.
This is purpose-driven marketing done right—no celebrity partnership, no glossy campaign film, just infrastructure turned toward impact. DoorDash already had the logistics network. They just pointed it at the problem. The best advertising as service doesn't look like advertising at all.
IDEA 3: Find Your Summer
Sell ice cream in a UK winter? Lola MullenLowe said yes.
This WARC Awards 2025 Global Grand Prix winner flipped ice cream seasonality on its head. Black-and-white film paired with real-time sunlight data encouraged indulgence during the coldest, darkest months. The insight? People don't crave ice cream because it's hot outside—they crave pleasure when they need it most.
Result: 38.9% sales uplift. Magnum's best winter season ever. Proof that constraint doesn't limit creativity—it sharpens it. When everyone goes in one direction, you find your own.
Seen work worth sharing?
Send it my way: [email protected]
From Antes de que llegue el Brief (ADQLEB) Podcast
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Conversations with inspirational creatives on how and where their best ideas come from.
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