A talk with Eliana Ricci, Business Lead at Ogilvy Brazil

These FAQs are designed for ISP parents and students. They summarise the key insights from the A to Z Speaker Series interview with Eliana Ricci and include additional questions linked to the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025.

1. What is this talk about?

This episode of the A to Z Speaker Series explores what advertising and marketing really involve and why they represent one of the most dynamic and fast-changing career paths available to young people today. Through the experience of Eliana Ricci, ISP parent at Aubrick Escola Bilingue (São Paulo) and Business Lead at Ogilvy Brazil, the conversation examines how advertising has evolved from pure creativity to a strategy-led, data-driven profession. The discussion covers the skills that matter most in the industry, how AI is already reshaping the way agencies work and what the future of global brand building looks like.

2. Who is Eliana Ricci?

Eliana Ricci is a business strategy and marketing leader with over two decades in the advertising industry. She is currently Business Lead at Ogilvy Brazil, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies, where she leads strategic direction for global brands. Her work focuses on diagnosing business performance, translating complexity into clear strategies and aligning cross-functional teams around measurable outcomes. She is an ISP parent at Aubrick Escola Bilingue in São Paulo.

3. What is advertising and what does it actually involve?

In her own words, advertising is about “bringing soul to brands, products and services – and building a bridge between those things and the people who use them.” Eliana defines it simply: creating narratives that are relevant to consumers. In practice, it involves leading multidisciplinary teams, having strategic conversations with senior leaders at the companies she works with, anticipating what they need before they ask for it and connecting those needs to measurable results. It is a profession that sits at the intersection of creativity, data and business strategy – and it is evolving fast.

4. How did Eliana get into advertising?

Eliana was drawn to advertising initially by its creativity and the mindset it requires. Over time, she came to understand that advertising is also an important driver of business results – and that combination is what has kept her in the industry for over 20 years. She notes that her degree gave her the foundations, but day-to-day experience helped her develop her own way of making things happen.

5. What skills are most important in advertising?

Eliana identifies four qualities that shaped her early career and remain transferable across the industry:

• Creativity – the ability to think differently and approach problems from unexpected angles
• Curiosity – the machine, as she puts it, that keeps you interesting and relevant
• Critical sense – the ability to evaluate ideas, challenge assumptions and make sound judgements
• Ownership – taking responsibility for your work and its outcomes, not waiting to be told what to do

Eliana adds that adaptability and curiosity are the life competencies that make the biggest difference: tomorrow will not be the same as yesterday, and the ability to embrace new challenges and tools is what keeps a professional relevant.

6. What does a day in advertising actually look like?

Eliana’s day is built around two things: leading a multidisciplinary team to deliver strategic thinking for clients and having direct strategic conversations with the senior-level executives she works with. Her job is to anticipate what clients need before they ask for it – and to connect conversations, narratives and results. It is fast-paced, varied and demands both creative and analytical thinking in equal measure.

7. How is AI changing advertising?

AI has made Eliana faster at analysing information, understanding consumer behaviour and delivering initiatives. It has freed up time she now uses for deeper conversations and bigger ideas – because she is no longer working on bureaucracy. But she is clear: AI will never replace human skills and talent. It is a tool and we are the ones who drive it. The human being shapes the result to be relevant for other humans. As she puts it, you need to face AI as a tool, not as a substitute. AI can give you fast and serious answers – but it cannot make the thing happen.

8. What is hyper-personalisation and why does it matter?

Hyper-personalisation is what Eliana identifies as the most groundbreaking development in advertising today – and the one that will feel completely normal within five years. As data becomes more accessible to everyone, the ability to deliver deeply personalised experiences to consumers is becoming both possible and expected. The more you know about a person’s behaviour, the more relevant and tailored the experience you can create. Right now it is a challenge; soon it will be the standard. For young people entering advertising, understanding data and how to use it to create personalised brand experiences will be a core skill.

9. What are the routes into advertising?

Eliana identifies three main pathways into the industry: training programmes, building a specialist portfolio and – most importantly – building a network. The people who validate you in the industry are your mentors, professors, teachers and colleagues. Getting close to them is not just useful; it is essential. She also loves hiring young people – not in spite of their inexperience but because of it. They bring fresh thinking and new ways of solving problems that more experienced professionals have stopped questioning.

10. What is Eliana’s advice for young people thinking about advertising?

Eliana looks for ‘bright eyes’ – young people who want to build together, exchange ideas and have the openness to learn from others as much as they contribute. She genuinely learns from the young people she hires. Her advice: study history deeply, travel and experience other cultures first-hand rather than through stereotypes and develop a genuine fascination with human behaviour. Academics are the foundation; day-to-day experience gives you your own way of making things happen. Adaptability and curiosity will carry you further than any single qualification.

Additional FAQs linked to the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025

How is the advertising and marketing sector changing according to the WEF?

Broadening digital access and AI are identified by the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 as the most transformative technology trends shaping labour markets by 2030. Both are directly relevant to advertising: digital access expands the reach and targeting of campaigns, while AI is already automating analysis, personalisation and content production. The report notes that AI and information processing technologies are expected to transform the businesses of 86% of employers globally – the highest of any technology trend. For advertising professionals, this means the ability to work alongside AI tools, interpret what they produce and apply human creativity and judgement to the output will be the defining professional advantage. Professionals in this field are increasingly expected to combine data literacy with creative thinking, human insight and strong communication skills.

What skills will matter most in advertising over the next five years?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies the skills most likely to be critical across all industries by 2030. For advertising and creative careers specifically, the most relevant are analytical thinking, creative thinking, technological literacy, resilience and adaptability and curiosity and lifelong learning – all identified as core today and expected to grow further in importance. The report also highlights AI and big data literacy as one of the fastest-growing skill requirements across industries. Eliana’s own list from this episode – creativity, curiosity, critical sense and ownership – maps directly onto the WEF findings. The skills students need for advertising careers are not narrowly technical – they are human skills that no algorithm can replicate. As Eliana explains in this episode, adaptability and curiosity are the life competencies that keep a professional relevant – and the WEF data confirms it. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, pp. 40-41)

How is AI influencing advertising roles?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that AI and information processing technologies are expected to transform the businesses of 86% of employers globally – by far the most transformative technology trend identified. In advertising, this is already visible: AI is accelerating analysis, enabling hyper-personalisation and automating elements of content production. The report notes that by 2030, employers expect tasks to be split nearly evenly between humans alone, technology alone and a combination of both – compared to 47% human-only tasks today. For advertising professionals, this means the human role shifts towards interpretation, creative direction and strategic judgement. As Eliana puts it in this episode, AI is a tool and we are the ones who drive it. You as a human will shape the result to be relevant for other humans. AI can give you fast answers, but it cannot make the thing happen.

What does the report say about the future of creative and media roles?

The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 notes that Graphic Designers and Legal Secretaries are now appearing – for the first time – in the list of fastest-declining roles, driven by AI and broadening digital access. For creative and media professionals, this underlines the need to move beyond execution skills towards strategic, interpretive and human-centred capabilities. The report finds that 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030. To prepare for advertising careers, the report and this episode both point to the same fundamentals:

• Develop creative and critical thinking – the skills that AI cannot replicate and that will define who adds real value
• Embrace AI tools and learn to use them well – but always apply human judgement to the output
• Build your network – get close to mentors, teachers and colleagues who can validate you in the industry
• Build cultural repertoire – read widely, travel and develop a genuine curiosity about human behaviour

Advertising is a profession that rewards curiosity, cultural awareness and the ability to connect with people. Whether your background is creative, analytical or strategic – there is a role for you. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, pp. 32-34)

What gives Eliana optimism about the next generation entering advertising?

Eliana says the next generation gives her enormous optimism – not despite their inexperience but because of it. They were born into a world shaped by technology. They question the status quo, they see alternatives, they embrace diversity and they are open to change in ways that previous generations were not. The WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 supports this view: the report identifies creative thinking, curiosity and lifelong learning, and resilience and adaptability as skills that are both core today and expected to grow significantly by 2030. The more open-minded, curious and adaptable a young person is, the better placed they are to thrive in advertising. As Eliana puts it: the more diverse, open-minded and collaborative we are, the more brilliant and innovative we can be. (WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025, pp. 40-41)

Source: World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025