Newsletter
Events
Area 23's Viton Araújo Emphasizes Breakthrough Ideas That Feel Human
'You don't necessarily need to reinvent technology'
With over 22 years in global advertising, Viton is currently a creative partner at Aera 23 New York. He began his career as a copywriter in Brazil and then worked for FCB Lisbon. His notable work includes “Portuguese Reconstitution” with Penguin Books and “Magnetic Stories” for Siemens Healthineers. Beyond advertising, he is also a poet and author whose work explores the intersection of storytelling, creativity and emotion.
We spent two minutes with Viton to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired.
Viton, tell us…
Where you grew up, and where you live now.
I grew up in Porto Alegre, in the very south of Brazil. Then I moved to São Paulo, the biggest city in South America, before spending 12 years in Lisbon. I’ve been living in Brooklyn for the past 3 years.
How you first got interested in health.
I started paying attention to the health advertising industry when Tim Hawkey and Area 23 began bringing to life beautifully-crafted projects and meaningful innovations that genuinely improved patients’ lives. These include “Sick Beats.” I realized health creativity could be just as artistic and emotionally powerful as any other kind of storytelling, while also having the potential to help people.
One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.
“Magnetic Stories.” We created children’s stories specifically adapted to the sounds and rhythms of MRI machines, transforming a frightening and stressful experience into something magical and comforting for pediatric patients. I’m incredibly proud not only of the idea itself, but of seeing it come to life with such a talented team. It allowed me to merge the two things I love most: creativity and art, both working in service of a meaningful cause and a major healthcare brand.
A recent project you’re proud of.
“Autism Rocks.” It gamifies an innovative speech therapy technique called Auditory Motor Mapping Training (AMMT), making it more accessible and enjoyable for non verbal and minimally verbal autistic children. In partnership with Warner Chappell, we adapted famous songs into therapy-driven musical experiences and transformed them into a rhythm-based game kids can play with parents and caregivers. They learn words through play, music and emotional connection.
One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.
Everyone talks about AI. And I do think it is an incredibly useful tool. But what excites me most about the evolution of healthcare is the growing understanding that innovation can also be simple, sensitive and deeply human. You don’t necessarily need to reinvent technology itself. Sometimes you just need to understand patients and their struggles well enough to offer something meaningful in a way nobody had thought of before. That can be stories and music or gaming. I’m very interested in breakthrough ideas that feel human first.
A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.
A book I constantly revisit is called The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. It explores his famous “hero’s journey” and the way myths from different cultures converge around the same fears, desires and transformations. It’s incredibly inspiring if you care about storytelling, whether for books, films or advertising.
A visual artist or band/musician you admire.
I love Gil Scott-Heron. He was one of the first artists to merge spoken word and music in a powerful way. His work feels urgent, poetic, political and emotionally raw. He’s a huge influence on both my poetry and my spoken word performances. I love performing spoken word poetry at places like Bowery Poetry Club and Nuyorican Poets Cafe. I also post short poems on Instagram, many of them written on my typewriter.
Your main strength as a marketer/creative.
The ability to combine my three greatest passions: creating, writing and producing. I care deeply not only about ideas, but about craftsmanship and bringing them to life in the strongest possible way.
2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.
