THIAGO
CRUZ



Hello! My name is Thiago, and I’m a creative leader currently based in Europe.

I love my job. It allowed me to tell the story of a transgender nun, co-create and launch a new Coke globaly with a major artist, turn a business-killing consumer behavior into a business driver, create a wearable device that helps people chill, make a global fashion collection that empowers people against online hate, help the colorblind see color for the first time, reimagine what a Super Bowl spot can be, among many other things. It also allowed me to spend the last decade building high-performing creative cultures in seven different cities, in five different countries, in three different continents. All this while collaborating, leading, and learning from people that are way smarter and more talented than me.

Below you’ll find a small sample of the kind of stuff I like to do: work that aims at positioning brands somewhere in the intersection of culture and commerce. If you’d like to know more, feel free to reach out, or visit my LinkedIn profile.




The Dream Lab



Brand:    On
Product:  Zendaya Collection - Global Launch SS26
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction / Art Direction
   
Zendaya and On launched a defining new chapter in their partnership: their first co-created collection of footwear and apparel. The centerpiece of the campaign is Shape of Dreams, a film directed by Spike Jonze, set inside Zendaya’s imagined design world, “The Dream Lab”. Still life imagery by acclaimed photographer Sean Thomas accompanies the film and brings the viewer behind the scenes, spotlighting the new styles through the lens of the creative process.






Enjoy Before Returning



Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Global Platform - Fall/Winter 19
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction / Art Direction
   
Wardrobing - the act of buying an item with the intention of returning it after wearing it- is a huge consumer phenomenon. People buy stuff, keep the price tag tucked in, look instagramable for a day and then move on to the next thing, and it’s quickly becoming the fashion industry’s latest nightmare. Diesel’s take on it is, if you’re going to do it anyway, why not fully enjoy it in the process?




Check out some of the content we produced to promote this idea below. The track in the film was made using parts of Diesel’s return policy as lyrics.




And we also pasted Diesel’s real return policy, in full, directly onto our print campaign and static digital/social assets.











Taste The Transformation



Brand:    Coca-Cola
Product:  Coke Creations
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction

Gen Z thrives in constant change and evolution, reimagining and reshaping everything from culture to themselves. Basically the opposite of Coca-Cola, a product and brand that has thrived on consistency for over a century. So we partnered with one of this generation’s icons, the multi-faceted and genre-defying Rosalía, to create its newest flavour that celebrates transformation and the many versions of ourselves. Everything was developed in direct partnership with the artist, from the concept to craft, from a flavor that transforms in your mouth to a new hit single. A co-creation to show the world the transformative power of music.

Case study:



This is the music video that announced the partnership:





For Successful Living



Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Global Platform 2020
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction / Art Direction

We started 2020 with a big shift back to Diesel’s heritage in denim and storytelling. It was time to give some love to the line that guided almost 30 years of Diesel communication: For Successful Living.

To reignite the conversation around it and connect with new audiences while staying true to the brand’s DNA, we dropped this short story, Francesca, during Pride Month 2020, featuring the model and activist Harlow Monroe.




And the one below was launched during Superbowl LIV weekend.






Potty-tunities



Brand:    Angel Soft
Product:  Creative Platform
Role:     Creative Direction

When was the last time you actually thought about your toilet paper brand? We set out on a multi-year project to completely reposition Angel Soft, a brand that not only is part of the least sexy, most commoditized category of household products, but it’s also outspent by category leaders 7:1. After a full brand overhaul, we needed our new main character Angel to break into culture. Turns out, live cultural events these days are getting longer and longer, but people’s bladders aren’t getting any bigger. And did you know that the average person needs 22 seconds to pee? 



To launch this new creative platform, we created the first Super Bowl spot that was designed to be missed:





Doubt Delivered



Brand:    WhatsApp
Product:  US Launch - Privacy campaign
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction

How would you feel if all your mail was delivered unsealed? In WhatsApp’s first campaign in the US market, we decided to challenge the audience’s mindset about messaging privacy and raise awareness about end-to-end encryption.






Haute Couture



Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Global Platform - Fall/Winter 18
Role:     Creative Direction
   
Just like any other brand out there, Diesel gets a lot of hate online. And just like any other brand out there, we could hide it, or simply ignore it. Instead, we decided to not only embrace it, but turn it into our entire F/W collection. Because the more hate you wear, the less you care.

Full case study here:




Check out below some of the content we created to promote it, as well as some images of the collection itself:











The  Inactivity Tracker



Brand:    Kmart
Product:  Joe Boxer Pajamas
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction / Art Direction

We created the world’s first Inactivity Tracker, for Joe Boxer Pajamas. Like the FitBit, the Inactivity Tracker is a wearable device that connects to an app. Unlike the FitBit, it rewards users for doing nothing, allowing them to reach levels like "Couch Commander", "Cryogenic" and "You Rock!" The Inactivity Tracker was launched with an event at a Kmart store in NYC and it was also available for purchase online.



       

To promote it, we launched an hour-long film with some pretty epic inactivity.






Be a Follower



Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Global Platform - Spring/Summer 2019
Role:     Concept / Creative Direction

Our Instagram feeds make us think that an influencer’s life is a dream life. But is it? The Be a Follower campaign is about taking back what rightfully belongs to all the followers out there: The effortless art of successful living.












We also created a lot of stills and other social content, in collaboration with Toilet Paper. Here’s a small selection:




And, because it’s 2019, we decided to walk the walk. Diesel’s instagram followers now have the power to become virtual shops, and reap the benefits that were once exclusive to influencers:






Free Range Humans



Brand:    AB Inbev / Corona
Product:  Global Branded Entertainment Platform
Role:     Creative Direction / Art Direction

Corona found out that most people spend 90% of their time indoors. So at a time when the whole planet is forced to rethink how we live, we set out to tell inspiring stories of people who decided to flip that number and pursue a life outside the cage. The first season of Free Range Humans premiered globally with eight episodes about eight different people from all corners of the planet, marking the launch of our new branded content platform Corona Studios. Check out the trailer below:




Below is a small sample of some of the episodes. Feel free to watch all eight of them on Corona’s YouTube channel.








And just like any show, a lot of content was created to tease and promote each episode, as well as extra content for those that wanted to do a deeper dive into the free range life. My favorite pieces from the promotional materials were the episode posters below, featuring architecture inspired by each subject’s home country:





The Ultimate Collaboration


Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Bread&&Butter Activation
Role:     Creative Direction / Art Direction

Ah, fashion collaborations! When cool brands want to partner up with cooler brands, who only want to partner up with even cooler brands. When Diesel went to Bread&&Butter in Berlin - one of the world’s most important street-style festivals in the world - we decided to create the ultimate collab. We partnered up with a true icon of Berlin’s street culture. The guy who attracts the biggest crowds in town.





Below a few images of the capsule collection designed with Diesel’s style department.






No BS Allowed



Brand:    New York Festivals
Product:  Call for Entries 2025
Role:     Creative Direction

We turned classic awards show bullshit into real bullshit and grew something good out of it: NY Festivals’ reputation and entry numbers.





Don’t Sweat It, Just Send It


Brand:    WhatsApp 
Product:  View Once
Role:     Creative Direction

When a new Terms of Service update jeopardized WhatsApp’s credibility in private messaging, we zeroed in on our most skeptical audience, Gen Z. But instead of explaining how private messaging worked in technical terms, we launched a new feature that contextualized how it fit it within the unpolished nuances that make them who they are: View Once. Authenticity is at the heart of this feature, and this film aims to capture how these people would have spontaneous View Once exchanges in their life.








The (Re)Collection


Brand:    Diesel
Product:  Coke x Diesel
Role:     Creative Direction

Diesel, known for provoking its audience with irony, and Coca-Cola, known for celebrating inclusivity, teamed up to create The (Re)Collection: a uniquely crafted capsule collection, made out of recycled PET from plastic bottles. We launched the collection during Paris Fashion Week, where most fashion brands tend to present their collections in the most-exclusive pop-up stores. However, we of course did the opposite. We invited our audience to get it where it came from, transforming an exclusive experience into the most inclusive of all. And from there, made it available at any recycling logo in the world. Yes, even on Pepsi bottles.









Color For The Colorblind



Brand:    Valspar
Product:  Valspar Paint
Role:     Creative Direction / Art Direction

Valspar is one the world’s largest paint companies. But we found out that more than 300 million people in the world are colorblind. So we started asking ourselves, what if there was a way we could make colorblind people experience color for the first time? At first, it seemed impossible. Until we partnered with EnChroma.


Case Study:


Documentary:




Contact



     thi.cruz@gmail.com
     www.linkedin.com/thiago-cruz




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