The greatest contradiction of the document is that it has no advertising, despite the fact that its protagonists gravitate or have gravitated for many years around advertising. Regarding the document, Suárez says that “we don’t care much about the visual, this magazine is not to be seen, it is to be read. Therefore it is very plain“.
C has no numbered pages, it is paginated with springs, the photos are of poor quality, the printing seems digital, it has no index, it is full of typos and errors, it lacks commas and periods, it has no style correction whatsoever. Is the idea clear? It is as raw and sincere as only a person like Carlos Suárez could make it, because from what I have met him in Cannes, that is what he is. What you see is what he is, and that’s how things are, C contains interviews like never before, open and uncovered opinions, because it seems that people like to talk to Suárez… and we let loose.
The topics are all over the place, although he reiterates on awards, Cannes, the departure of the Garniers from ASCAP, the change from Tribu to DDB, the truants, the JWT lions, whether 360º is stupid or not, a lot of the main players and more. One of the interviewees refers several times to prostitution, (?), and almost all refer to the truchos, commissions and contests. Several agencies claim to be the most creative, and it seems that among advertisers size doesn’t matter (of course it does!).
The roll however is over here. Carlos Suarez has come up with the idea of publishing C without advertising, and therefore, the only source of income to cover his costs is through subscriptions. This is what he indicates on the only page where he writes, entitled “What you have to do to get an interview”. So, I see its going public as complicated because there is no concrete proposal either.
Carlos: how much does your magazine cost? is it per issue, per month or per year? do you plan to repeat it or is this a single swallow? what waves? Personally, I think the paper has great value and could be an effective trigger in the national advertising landscape, especially if done periodically. However, with C in my hands and Alberto Quirós’ for now, it seems to me that it will have little reach. If you want to contact Suárez, here is his e-mail: usted@codetel.net.do
With my comments I hope I have not gone too far in revealing more than I should have. However, I do so because I believe that together we should decide whether to put pressure on Suarez to publish it, or whether to decide together to simply ignore it. Carlos: I recommend you consider a digital version and, if possible, an early distribution.
In my opinion, the slumbering Costa Rica needs more competitive, committed, courageous, and frontline players. We need them in soccer as well as in politics, in government as well as in advertising. An effort like C can help to energize or at least wake up, as we are few in the glocal(global+local) competition.
Greetings!