Madrid, September 22nd, 2021

Based in Madrid, doscerebros is a digital agency focused on design, branding and web development to improve the lives of companies and people.

It was founded in 2004 and has grown ever since, offering a wide array of services such as content management systems, digital strategy, web-apps and interface design.

In an interview with TIA, Miguel Cristóbal Alonso, one of the founders of doscerebros, described the beginning of the agency in Spain, which he describes as a country with limited creative culture.

Alonso, also the CEO and Project Manager, highlighted the agency’s creative culture and the challenges of attracting and developing talent.

To kick things off, can you tell us what’s one must-do experience in Madrid and what makes it an attractive place to do business?

A must in Madrid is the after-work meetings with colleagues and partners and nightlife. In Madrid, people go out every evening, and there are a lot of opportunities of meeting interesting people and doing networking during these evenings. Madrid is a good city for business as major national and international companies have there their headquarters for Spain, and many of them even for Portugal.

Back in 2004, you founded Doscerebros, tell us about how the idea was born.

Back then my ex-business partner and I had very clear that the future was going to be digital and web-based, but the places we worked for considered the Internet and web as a small and poor brother of the big ones: TV and Press. So we decided to start our own business idea.

Could you explain to us briefly what’s your role as CEO?

A normal day is a mix between firefighting, talking, email writing and projects and budgets juggling. 

How would you describe the creative culture of doscerebros?

We have our high times and our valley months, but generally is open, live and effervescent.

Attracting and developing talent is one of the constant pursuits that every great agency faces. What is your approach to motivating and developing talent?

Letting people do their job. If you hire an expert in some matter, don´t tell him or her how to do their job. Tell them your global goal, and let them reach it using their expertise. Bosses, clients and brand managers who insist on doing micromanagement of their projects only kill creativity and the pleasure of a good job.

Tell us about a recent project you’ve worked on that you’re proud of. What particularly brought out the best in you?

Our web app https://mipequetienecancer.org/ which is a simple and direct tool to help families whose kids have been diagnosed Leukemia.

Or https://semanaingenieriacaminosmadrid.com/ which shows the best big engineering roadworks of Madrid of the last 13 years in a context of a week of celebration of the engineering in Madrid. 

COVID-19 is a first-of-its-kind disruption, one that leaves no community, government or business untouched. What do you think are the biggest challenges faced by the Spanish creative industry today?

There is a little culture of creativity in Spain. There are a lot of incredible creatives and idea, but the main culture (governments and big companies) consider creativity as a “hobby” or something that must be at service of bosses (or politicians) occurrences (silly campaigns, silly product development, silly public infrastructures, silly public policies…)

How has Covid-19 affected the pitching process?

Can´t say yet, I have no clear idea as we are in this process right now.

How do you plan to remain relevant with the changing nature of consumers?

Trying to hear them and their needs directly, more than advertisers brand managers ideas for their customers.

What impact do you believe machine learning and big data will have on the world of creativity?

There will be less need of workers making final arts, banners, planning digital campaigns, and developing landing pages. IAS and robots will do that repetitive job.

What activities do you enjoy in your free time?

Horse riding, scuba diving, kayaking, and going camper with my family. Video games when the weather doesn’t allow me to do outdoor activities. Thanks to my remote job I work most of the time from the coast of Spain.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and from who?

Whatever happens in your business: always pay the bank first. If the bank it´s happy it can give you credit to pay the rest of the creditors, but not the other way round. My father, businessman and entrepreneur.

Can you name a fun-fact people would be surprised to learn about you?

I studied Philosophy at the University… which has little to do with my actual job.

Thanks Miguel!

Learn more about doscerebros

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