Marco ‘Pernil’ Giannelli Appointed as AlmapBBDO's Newest Partner

Above (image credit: Mariana Valverde): Filipe Bartholomeu and Marco Giannelli

One of Brazil's largest advertising agencies, with 950-plus collaborators and over 30 national and international brands in its portfolio, AlmapBBDO has announced changes to its partnership structure. Marco ‘Pernil’ Giannelli, the agency's CCO since 2022, has been made partner and will now also serve on the BBDO global creative board. As Filipe Bartholomeu, partner, president, and CEO of AlmapBBDO sees it, this promotion comes as the recognition of a 17-year tenure at the firm, including leadership of award-winning, innovative, and popular campaigns, connecting brands and people while delivering depth, relevance, and results.

"This is a natural next step, and one that couldn't be more deserved," said Filipe Bartholomeu. "Pernil is one of the finest representatives of empathetic creative leadership, someone who's deeply committed to the collective. He's a fount of creativity like no other in the industry, but he also holds himself and others to high standards, isn't afraid to take risks, and his generosity is truly inspiring. He has helped Almap achieve historic heights, and now, as a partner, he'll keep on building that legacy with an eye to the future and commitment to the heart of our mission: using the power of ideas to drive our clients' businesses."

‘Pernil’ is one of the most lauded creatives in the advertising industry, with a portfolio full of wildly successful and popular case studies. Most recently, he helmed a series of iconic campaigns including VW's 70th anniversary (featuring Maria Rita and Elis Regina), special dates (Mother's Day and Christmas) for O Boticário, the historic, long-overdue recognition of Alaíde Costa for Johnnie Walker, and the Caramelo campaign for Pedigree, to name just a few.

As a creative, ‘Pernil’ helped craft memorable campaigns for Bradesco Seguros (‘Vai que…’), Visa, (‘Posso te falar uma coisa?’), Pepsi (‘Pode ser?’), and Doritos (‘Quer dividir alguma coisa com os amigos?’), among countless others that have since become part of Brazilian popular culture. It's no coincidence that he's one of the most frequent winners of the Globo network's Professional of the Year, and brought home seven out of 14 editions of the SBT competition for the Best Commercial in Brazil.

On the international stage, ‘Pernil’ has brought home more than a hundred Cannes Lions, including two consecutive Grands Prix (2023 and 2024), and a Titanium, the first in Almap's history. His lifetime total includes 40-plus D&AD Pencils and hundreds of awards from the One Show, the Clio Awards, the London International Awards, El Ojo, Fiap, and the Effie Awards.

“What I've always admired about Almap is its creative consistency over the decades," observed Pernil. “An agency that's been able to reinvent itself without losing its essence: creative, passionate, focused on moving communications, brands, and society forward. It's a tremendous honour to be able to write new chapters of this story alongside Filipe – I've never met a business guy more passionate about creativity."

Known for his people-first leadership and collaborative working style, Pernil helped Almap on the road to being named ‘Agency of the Year’ at Cannes in 2010, 2011, and 2016, as well as the groundbreaking title of ‘Agency of the Decade’ in 2020. Moreover, in 2023, AlmapBBDO was named the ‘World's Most Effective Agency’ by the Global Effie Index.

Pernil began his career as a copywriter at Ogilvy Brasil and subsequently served at agencies including Giovanni/FCB, Euro RSCG, Lew’Lara TBWA, and the international offices of Leo Burnett and Fischer, in Portugal. He has been a juror on some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, such as the Cannes Lions, D&AD, the One Show, LIA, El Ojo, Fiap, The Cup, Wave, and CCSP.