MEET GES DELEGATE: Gonzalo Alipaz
Country of Origin: Argentina
Organization Name: Waleco
Organization Website: www.waleco.com.ar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gonxalipaz/
https://www.instagram.com/walecoestudio/
Contact: gonzalo@waleco.com.ar
Brief Description of Organization
Waleco is a Advertising Agency commited on Human Rights, Diversity and Gender Equality. We design and produce campaigns, Brand Content and Brand Identity for NGOs, Corporate Social Responsability departments, that want to comunicate in a social responsible and attractive way.
The secret: ingenuity and diversity. We put those values at the top of our strategy and aesthetics. We don’t do projects that only sell, we help brands that want to break old stereotypes and help grow a Human Rights conscience in social media.
What inspired you to start this organization?
A lot of women suffer because they don’t match the beauty models that brands sell to them. A lot of people blame victims of rape because patriarcal-advertising stereotypes show women as a disposable and home-belonging object. People are told they have “disabilities”, but they are not told that everyone has a weak point, and what it values the most is what you CAN do, not what you CAN’T.
Those who recognize it, are tired of micro-signs of hate. Those who don’t realize… are being brainwashed. Why don’t we do responsible campaigns? The world needs that, brands need that, and, on the other hand, we’ve met a lot of people at our University that are super talented, but don’t know how to negotiate with clients. That day Waleco was born. From that day my partners Nacho Diaz, Pablo Acosta and I decided to make campaigns with one rule: CLEVER and RESPECTFUL.
What is the next big step you hope to help your organization reach?
I think our next big step is making a worldwide campaign so all the world sees it. I want to help Waleco to be visible enough so that could happens. Open-minded brands let us show them how we could make them visible and transmit a nice and more human message. But as my partner Pablo says… “Gonzalo, don’t get anxious — step by step”.
What has been your biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur?
“Emprender” for us is to “aprender” (To “start-up” for us is to “learn”) In spanish is just two letters changing.
As we come from design planet, we don’t come with the same “advertising world” knowledge and practices. So at first we thought it was an obstacle. At first we tought it was bad, that it was a reason of “inexperience”.
We learnt therefore that our clients (Accenture, for example) were chosing us just because of that. It was something that made us special too, because we do things in alternative ways that are ok. It’s all about knowing and accepting who you are. MENTAL NOTE: Like in life itself…
What advice would you give other emerging entrepreneurs?
Two things: Being an entrepreneur is like riding a bike. You learn how to do it while you do it. There’s no other way. So you have to keep your fear out.
And other thing: Don’t just do what your clients want, because that’s the fallacy of “it’s what the market asks”. Ask yourself what add to the world you want. When society grows, you grow!
This is me, Pablo, and Nacho.
At work
This are us on our first day in IncuBA, (1 year ago) a government’s incubator in Buenos Aires. Our office empty.
This are us 1 month ago with our friends from CASS Bussines School London that came to our office to make us a consulting service.
Pablo and I working on a new pitch:
