Empresas Creativas de Chile is launched with a new mission and a broader range of stakeholders, bringing the ACHAP to a close

Empresas Creativas de Chile is launched with a new mission and a broader range of stakeholders, bringing the ACHAP to a close

Column originally published in ANDA

It’s now official and public. The Chilean Advertising Association (ACHAP) has ceased to exist as such and is transforming into a new chamber to be known as Empresas Creativas de Chile, encompassing a broader creative landscape than that of advertising agencies and thus aspiring to a greater purpose and impact on society.

This was announced by Andrea Matte, president of the (now former) ACHAP, during the Chilean Creativity Festival, an annual event organized by that association, where creativity, innovation, and good ideas are discussed and recognized.

His opening remarks emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts that include various stakeholders in the creative industry: “Good things are the result of collective work, and who better than us—those of us who truly love this industry— are called upon to believe that we are capable of creating a new reality for the industry and the people who work in it—a reality where creative capacity is the driving force that opens up spaces in society, creating value, quality of life, and the common good… Today I announce the end of ACHAP, as we move toward something much greater.”

This is how the new Chilean Chamber of Creative Enterprises is opening its doors to organizations that want to join—beyond just advertising agencies—and there are already some production companies interested. Ultimately, the goal is to create a major collective movement that drives creativity in the country.

“We’ve moved from advertising to a cross-cutting dialogue among creative companies, with a strong sense of cohesion, to ensure that our creative rights are respected—a dialogue validated by society and one in which we achieve the long-sought horizontal structure needed to build the sustainable businesses of the future,” he said.

“Much of the conviction to make this change stemmed from a process carried out in collaboration with the consulting firm Almabrands,” added Andrea Matte, referring to the consulting process conducted with the firm during 2022, which was carried out with a strong sense of collective purpose, drawing on the perspectives and collaboration not only of the partners but also of other stakeholders, in order to redefine the institution’s role and purpose.

During the event, Carolina Altschwager, partner and founder of Almabrands, highlighted the openness shown by the executives and agencies, their ability to listen to one another, and their courage to change:

“It took courage to defend principles and the value of what this industry does, and to open up to others in a chamber that will now be much, much larger. This change will be absolutely beneficial for the creative economies and for businesses. And I hope this will have a domino effect that involves other sectors,” he said.

Carolina concluded that successful examples of creativity in organizations are those that never stop listening to their audiences or innovating on an ongoing basis, continually transforming themselves—including the way they engage with their various audiences. “Creativity isn’t confined to a single place or area. Now, creativity cuts across the entire organization.”