Rafael Pitanguy currently resides in New York and works as Deputy Global CCO at VML, as well as Creative Lead for the Coca-Cola Company. At the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Coca-Cola was awarded Creative Brand of the Year for the first time in its history. Rafa and his team were directly involved in this accomplishment, with wins for multiple Coca-Cola campaigns, including the “Thanks for Coke-creating” project, the brand's most awarded initiative to date. In the same year, Rafa ranked as the 6th most awarded global CCO at Cannes Lions, and in 2025, he was selected as one of the 3 Creative Persons of the Year by Campaign U.S.
Previously, as CCO of VMLYR São Paulo, Rafael led the agency to unprecedented recognition, earning the title of Track Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions for two consecutive years. Among the award-winning projects responsible for this achievement was Starbucks I AM, which won the first Glass Grand Prix for Latin America.
Before that, he spent seven years at Africa DDB as Creative Vice President. During his tenure, the agency was named International Agency of the Year by Advertising Age.
With both Chilean and Brazilian nationality, Rafa has lived in Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., working for brands such as Coca-Cola, AB InBev, VISA, Mitsubishi, Honda, and Telefônica.
Beyond advertising, he is passionate about scriptwriting and has collaborated with Paramount Pictures on various projects. The feature film “Ponte Aérea”, which he co-wrote with acclaimed director Julia Rezende, was pre-selected for the Sundance Festival. In 2024, he launched “Evidências do Amor”, a romantic comedy starring Brazilian celebrities Fábio Porchat and Sandy Leah. The film became a box office hit and received glowing reviews from Brazil’s top publications.
Rafael has earned over 130 Cannes Lions recognitions, including 2 Grand Prix and 16 Golds, along with awards from D&AD and One Show. He has also spoken at some of the world’s most prestigious advertising festivals, including three major Cannes Lions Talks: “You Belong” with supermodel Valentina Sampaio, “Hear and Be Heard” with Academy and Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste, and a Cannes Curated Private Speaker session alongside SNL comedian Kenan Thompson.
Holding two bachelor's degrees—one in Advertising and one in Literature—Rafael’s biggest aspiration remains to be recognized as the Best Dad in the World by his 3-year-old and 7-year-old kids.
Coca-Cola’s global innovation campaign, "Thanks for Coke-Creating" (also known as "Every Coca-Cola is Welcome"), has given the brand’s logo a fresh, localized interpretation by bodegas, shopkeepers and artists worldwide. Rather than “correcting” these diverse and unconventional renditions of its logo, Coca-Cola embraced them—turning this creative evolution into an opportunity for deeper engagement with local communities and a stronger cultural connection. This initiative is not only a celebration of cultural diversity and creativity but also a testament to the brand’s ever-evolving spirit.
Led by VML, the campaign won three Gold awards at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and helped Coca-Cola achieve a historic milestone—being named Creative Brand of the Year for the first time. As VML’s Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer and Coca-Cola’s creative lead, Rafael played a pivotal role in shaping this groundbreaking marketing initiative. What are his core creative principles when crafting Coca-Cola’s campaigns? And how does he bring them to life?
(Source: VML)