Welcome to VML on Creativity, a special series from Breaking and Entering Advertising. Each episode pulls back the curtain on VML and explores how creativity takes shape across categories and global offices. From health to commerce to entertainment, this is how creativity pushes brands forward today.

In this episode, we sit down with Manuel Bordé, Global Chief Creative Officer of Commerce at VML, to explore what creativity looks like at the intersection of storytelling and selling. Manuel shares how modern commerce is about more than driving conversions - it’s about building brand equity and emotional connection in the moments that matter.

We dive into standout examples like The Kleenex® Score, an emotional rating system on IMDb that lets viewers buy tissues mid-tears, and Name This OREO, a gamified mobile experience born from a viral trend that turned OREO’s iconic structure into an entirely new brand language. Manuel breaks down how creativity can transform transactional moments into powerful, playful expressions of brand purpose - and how commerce, when done right, is culture.

Creative Work Mentioned in This Episode:

Kleenex® - The Kleenex® Score: https://www.vml.com/work/the-kleenex-score OREO

Name This OREO: https://www.vml.com/work/name-this-oreo

Hosted by Geno Schellenberger, Founder of Breaking and Entering Media.

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Connect with Manuel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelborde/

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