The Making Of T&P's Andre Moreira

Andre Moreira believes that the best work comes out of conversations. Sharing ideas and breaking them down with trusted colleagues (in or outside the office) is the best way to crack a brief. Creativity is not an individual exercise.

It's been six months since Moreira was promoted from executive creative director (ECD) to global chief creative officer (CCO) at T&P - an agency he’s provided creative ammunition for the last eight years. 

His career has seen him work for the likes of BBDO Portugal in his native Lisbon, Portugal; Havas; and WPP’s Studio X, where acclaimed work for the likes of Lay’s, Coca-Cola and Peugeot, don his name. 

After joining T&P in 2017 as the ECD on its Toyota account, Moreira has since worked across the board for a range of clients - most recently Airwaves’ ‘Ride the Airwaves’, British Gas’ ‘Taking care of things’, and Snickers’ latest installment of ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ featuring José Mourinho. 

Moreira discusses his route into advertising, what inspires his creativity, and the challenges of being a creative leader.

Creative Salon: What does creativity mean to you?

Andre Moreira: That question really does make you stop and think about who you are, why you’re here, and what drew you to this industry in the first place.

There are probably two sides to it for me. The first is the more familiar one - the imagination part. The belief that any problem can be solved if you apply a fresh, unexpected perspective. I think a lot of people in our world still believe in that. I saw that in Karen Martin’s IPA Presidency speech - it was good to see that spirit still being championed. I’m still a big believer in the power of imaginative thinking.

But there's also a more personal side to it. When I look back, I think creativity was how I connected with other people. I was an only child and probably a bit more introspective by nature. But I found that when I created something - whether it was a drawing or something built out of Lego, it sparked a reaction in others. A positive reaction. It got attention, it made people smile, and it created a connection.

That was a powerful realisation: that a creative act could bridge a social gap. When maybe you’re not the most naturally outgoing person that kind of connection feels magical. I think that stayed with me. That's what creativity became for me. A way to connect and there’s something really beautiful in that.

CS: Did you have a creative childhood? Did you come from a creative family?

AM: Not especially, no. My parents had pretty normal jobs - nothing overtly creative. But later on, especially after she stopped working, my mum began painting and writing. She showed a lot of creative potential, and it made me think that maybe it was always there, just never had the chance to come out.

But being an only child I did spend a lot of time alone, which naturally led to making all sorts of things. That definitely shaped a pretty creative childhood. Once you start down that path it snowballs. You look at comic books and then get curious about the people who made them. Then you discover a director who was inspired by that comic book. It becomes this journey of discovery and the more I explored, the more excited I got about what creativity could be.

CS: Was there a particular person or moment that made you think, ‘this is what I want to do with my life’?

AM: I used to read these comic books back in Lisbon where I’m from. There were certain days when new issues came out and I’d go to the shop religiously to get them. In the middle pages there were these little ads - almost like job ads. One of them was always for something like ‘advertising illustrator and creator’, and I’d find myself staring at that ad wondering what that job actually meant.

When I got to that point of choosing a path - university, career - I remembered that curiosity. I didn’t go straight into advertising or art, though. I ended up doing media studies, which leaned more towards sociology, psychology and culture, but after that I did an internship at an advertising agency, and that’s where things really clicked.

There, I met a creative director who was incredibly influential. He made me realise just how powerful creativity could be. Interestingly, he’d also studied psychology, and I think that’s partly why he was drawn to me - I wasn’t coming from a traditional design or advertising background, but from a place of understanding people and behaviour.

I’d also started taking side courses in design, art direction - all that stuff. That’s how I eventually got into the agency world. I started by supporting creative teams, helping bring their ideas to life. And I think he saw that I not only had the technical skills but maybe something more.

CS: Did you have any sense then - or do you now - of what you want to bring to the industry?

AM: I think maybe I’m romanticising it a bit in hindsight, but there was definitely a type of work I was drawn to early on.

Coming from a smaller country, we saw a lot of adaptation work - campaigns that originated somewhere else and were then dubbed or re-edited for our market. But occasionally, you’d come across something that felt completely original - rooted in our culture, our voice, our place in the world. And I remember really appreciating that. It stood out. It felt personal. It felt like it was speaking directly to me.

I’m not sure it was a fully conscious thought at the time, but I do think that desire to help tell those stories - the ones that feel grounded and specific - was a big motivator at the start of my career.

When it comes to branding, figuring out how to make brands feel genuinely relevant wherever in the world they show up is something I want to keep building on - and was a big part of the work I did on Coca-Cola. 

I think there’s always a danger, when you’re in a global or central role, to start seeing the world from the top down. But because of where I come from, I’ve experienced what it feels like to be on the other side of that. And that gives me a real drive to make sure it’s not just a one-way perspective.

That intersection - where you can both appreciate local culture deeply and still have a broader, global point of view - is something I find really exciting. Because sometimes in a local market, people can overemphasise their uniqueness. And while those differences are important and worth celebrating, there are also shared, universal themes that matter too.

CS: What work are you most proud of in your career?

There’s ‘Lay’s Light’ - the idea that kickstarted my creative career, a long, long time ago.

‘Move Ahead’ for Toyota – the idea that proved our integrated&models could smash it creatively… still love it.

'Sing to Remember' – the 5 billion views, Cannes-lions awarded idea that showed how an iconic global brand can become, not just culturally relevant, but culturally moulding, locally (credit the Studio X team in India and Mukund Olety).

CS: What excites you about working in commercial creativity right now?

AM: This is a complex industry now. Whether we like it or not, there are so many different layers to it, and it's changing all the time. It’s easy to get distracted or blindsided by that complexity. And I think if you're too dogmatic - if it's tech versus creativity, or data versus emotion, then neither side really solves the problem.

Even if you’ve got an incredible idea, the world it has to travel through is so complex that it might not land the way it should. But I love the idea that, if we're smart about how we use technology - and more importantly, if we keep people at the centre, we can cut through that noise.

That’s what excites me: being able to help reframe the focus. To look beyond the tools, beyond the buzzwords, and just remember that, at the end of the day, we're trying to connect with people. That’s where real impact happens.

And I don’t mean that in a big, ‘purpose-led’ way. I just mean being thoughtful -making sure that whatever you put out into the world, you’re thinking first and foremost about the human being on the other end. In a time of constant change and distraction, that kind of clarity can be incredibly powerful.

CS: Do you have any set conditions that help you get into a creative zone?

AM: The biggest one for me is being in a room with someone else - just talking. Getting away from the noise and really bouncing ideas around. Honestly 90 per cent of the best work I’ve ever been part of came out of those conversations. Often not even in the office - maybe in a café somewhere, just chatting, having fun, being open.

And it’s not just about talking. It’s who you’re talking to. Having someone you trust, someone you can be totally honest and free with - that’s a big part of it. If I need to get to an idea, or crack a brief, I’ll always try to block out some time, grab someone I click with, and just go have a conversation. It works more often than not.

The other thing I’ve noticed more recently is something quieter. There’s this window of time - usually very early in the morning - just before I get out of bed. I always fall asleep easily, but more and more I’ve been waking up early, and in that hour or so of lying in the dark, something interesting happens.

There are no distractions. No demands. Nothing pulling your attention. And in that space, my mind can actually settle and solve things. It’s funny, because I used to resist it. I’d wake up and just want to fall back asleep. But now, I’ve started leaning into it. I’ll think through the things I couldn’t quite crack the day before, and almost without trying, I find clarity.

By the time I’m actually up and starting the day, there are two or three things that I suddenly know how to approach. It’s become one of the most productive creative moments of my day - even though it doesn’t look like ‘working’ at all.

CS: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing someone doing your kind of job today?

AM: The one that stands out to me is overthinking.

Of course, the pace of the industry is intense. But honestly, I don’t mind that so much. In fact, I often find that momentum helps ideas gather energy. The pace can create a snowball effect - one thing sparks another and it builds in a really positive way. Sometimes, when there’s too much time and too many checkpoints, the idea loses its spark.

The real challenge is that tendency to overanalyse. I get it - we’re working in a complex environment and people naturally want to make the right call. But when you’re constantly overthinking, seeking endless alignment, running every possible scenario... it can take the freshness out of the work. And people feel that.

It’s interesting, because despite the fast pace, I speak to a lot of younger creatives who say they go long stretches without putting anything out into the world. Especially on big jobs for big brands. And it’s not a lack of effort or ideas - it’s the decision-making process, the fear of getting it wrong, the constant push for more data, more consensus.

I think that strips away some of the magic. When things take too long, the work often feels compromised - less bold, less clear, less timely. That’s a big challenge right now: keeping the work sharp, while still navigating all that complexity.

CS: As a creative leader, how do you help your team find that balance - not rushing, but also not getting stuck in endless rounds of testing or decision-making?

AM: That’s the tension, isn’t it? You want to move fast but not lose the time to reflect. You want rigour but not paralysis.

We had a leadership session a while back, and something one of the speakers said really stuck with me: ‘You are the weather’. The idea being your presence as a leader - how you show up in a room, in a meeting - sets the tone just like the weather outside does. That really landed with me. So I try to bring good weather.

There’s so much we can’t control, but if I can bring a bit of energy, positivity, and belief into the room then people are more likely to feel they can take on the challenge in front of them. Whether that’s moving fast, dealing with ambiguity, or going another round of research.

That’s something I try to stay really conscious of as a leader: making sure the team has that atmosphere of positivity, because when people feel good, when they believe in what they’re doing, they’re more likely to do their best work - regardless of the constraints.

CS: Do you think there’s anything we should be doing as an industry to raise creative standards?

AM: From the moment I arrived, I felt the strength of the advertising culture here - it’s genuinely impressive. There’s a real pride in doing things properly in the craft, the finish, the process. There’s a long history of people who’ve done brilliant, iconic work, and I totally respect that.

But I also think that, sometimes, it creates a kind of constraint.

There’s such a strong idea of what ‘great’ looks like that it can limit your sense of freedom to try something different or to approach things in a more unconventional way. It’s almost like the weight of tradition can make experimentation feel a bit uncomfortable.

Take scriptwriting, for example. I’ve never been anywhere with such a high standard of writing. It’s genuinely inspiring. But working through Studio X with creative directors in places like Turkey or Pakistan has been a really interesting contrast. There’s a different kind of energy  - sometimes it’s a bit more naïve, but in a good way. There’s not always the same access to huge resources, and that constraint can actually be quite freeing. You see people creating really fresh, unexpected things because they’re not trying to hit a traditional benchmark - they’re just doing what feels right for the context.

So I guess what I’m saying is: we should absolutely honour the legacy and the level of craft that’s come before us. But at the same time, we need to give ourselves the freedom to break the mould a little. To try something that feels a bit weird. To write something that’s not polished, but has something raw and new in it.

Because that’s how new paths get carved. And there are people doing that and doing it really well. But as an industry, we could definitely give ourselves more permission to get it wrong sometimes - or at least to feel uncomfortable while trying something new. Out of that discomfort, some really interesting things can emerge.

CS: You mentioned how doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable can unleash potential. Is there a moment in your career where you had to do something that felt uncomfortable at the time but worked out overall? 

AM: I’ve learned to appreciate those uncomfortable moments. The first big one for me was probably deciding to get into advertising without actually having studied it. Saying ‘yes’ to that and then figuring things out as I went along. Another huge step was moving countries - it was uncomfortable, but also super exciting.

More recently, though, I’d say the Studio X experience stands out. Being in a situation where you’re trying to get such massive organisations like WPP and Coca-Cola to rethink how they operate, how they create. The tension around that was palpable. But I think that’s a good sign. If something feels uncomfortable, it usually means you're pushing boundaries and doing something different. And even if it doesn’t work out perfectly, you learn so much from it.

I’m also thinking of one specific moment, though. I used to work with a creative partner who was an amazing presenter - he could literally sell anything. And I got used to letting him take on that role because he was so good at it. But when he went on holiday, I had to step up and present at a big meeting with important clients. I remember feeling extremely uncomfortable about it. I tried everything to avoid doing it, came up with all kinds of excuses, but in the end I had no choice but to do it.

It didn’t go perfectly, but it also wasn’t a disaster. And that was an important moment for me because I realised that just because you don’t get everything right straight away doesn’t mean you're bad at something. You just have to get through it, learn, and move on. That moment definitely stands out.

CS: You have to imagine Keir Starmer bans advertising next year. What would you do with the rest of your life?

AM: I actually have quite a few ideas! There are the obvious ones, but something I’d really love to do is help other people unlock their own creativity. That probably sounds a bit clichéd but it’s something I’ve done here and there, and it’s really rewarding.

Sometimes it’s a friend asking if I can give a talk at their company to help people think more creatively. Or I’ve gone into my kids’ school and done something similar. And I’m not necessarily talking about advertising creativity more just about thinking differently, solving problems in more open-minded ways. I love seeing that moment when people realise they can be creative. It’s like you’re giving them permission to say something silly or unexpected and you actually see them relax into it. Their shoulders literally drop. Suddenly they’re being asked for an idea, and not judged for it. That shift in confidence is really nice to watch.

The other thing I’d love to do - a bit of a random one - is open a café. But something incredibly focused like the Japanese approach to food where they take one thing and do it better than anyone else. I’ve thought a lot about this, usually in the early morning when you wake up before the world kicks in.

My idea is a tiny place that just serves one dessert: a pudim, which is the Portuguese word for crème caramel. It’s a small custard pudding that comes in a tin mould. You flip it out onto a plate and it has this perfect wobble, a little pool of caramel on top. That’s all the café would serve. Just that. Maybe with a tiny coffee on the side.