24/7 Valencia: Could you describe in detail about the monthly event in Valencia called ‘People Planet Pint’?
MELISSA FRETWELL OF ‘WHITE CAMINO AGENCY’ : It’s a direct import from the UK, only with better beer and people. The idea is dead simple, we gather once a month to meet like-minded folks who care about the planet and want to share knowledge and ideas about how we can do our bit to protect it. It’s a mix of meeting new people and talking about sustainable business in a relaxed environment. I work with an award winner of a regenerative tourism business in the UK and think there’s lots of best in class practices local businesses could benefit from. It’s also about celebrating some of the great things that happen here from cleaning the beaches with Bioagradables, protecting the turtles with Xaloc to how to produce marketing campaigns sustainably. It’s an opportunity to connect in real life, and potentially collaborate on new projects. It’s free and open to everyone.
Please tell us about the concept of ‘White Camino Marketing Agency’… In a quest to find new balance, avoid the four hour daily commute from country to city that I endured for twelve long years, I took a leap. Brexit was a certainty so I packed up my life, hopped with the family, the dog and two van loads of essentials from one island to another. Ibiza was the litmus test, could we adapt to life abroad? Could I build a new business based on the hunch that innovative start-ups and SMEs (PYMEs) perceive marketing as advertising, something they couldn’t afford to do much of.
I set about researching a bunch of hypotheses with the shiny bright minds Ibiza attracts and launched White Camino as a storytelling agency, with Mother Earth at the head of the board table. Stories are in our DNA, they demand attention. They connect, organise and influence clusters of people, sometimes creating fanbases. There is no such thing as a dull product or service, it’s just how you tell the tale.
I learned many moons ago that aligning your personal values with your work is the secret to creating genuine satisfaction. No heavy conscience, no duvet days. Working with brands who are creating positive change either making the world that little bit better or reducing the harm is what motivates me.
Melissa, could you tell readers something about your background and experiences? After graduating with an English and French degree from Liverpool uni, I headed to London to make my fortune. Ad land and publishing were a closed book, as I couldn’t survive on the measly pay, so I got a temp job at a commodities trading house. After a steep learning curve, living predominantly off my wits and fluency in French, I got promoted and worked briefly in the shipping team before realising I wasn’t actually motivated by the dollar. It taught me a valuable lesson about how parts of the world worked and how to handle alpha egos.
I circled back to marketing. Cutting my teeth at trade magazine Broadcast, before getting into television and streaming at UK networks UKTV and Channel 4. The UK has a fantastic reputation for great TV formats and films. I have learnt about the attention game, how to engage and connect people through storytelling across all the genres and all the feels.
How does Valencia compare to Ibiza and London for living and working? Ibiza and London are clearly polar opposites in terms of scale and lifestyle. Ibiza is like a village of misfits and charlatans, rich kids and entrepreneurs where time stands still. Stunning nature and light but rubbish infrastructure. London continues to have so much energy and inspiring history. A great place to visit and a vibrant workaholic scene but expensive to live and don’t get me started on the air quality. Valencia is the best of both worlds. It’s not so large you spend all your time traversing it. There are distinct neighbourhoods with different vibes from Las Arenas beach to the Ruzafa creative scene. And you can produce a Summer photo shoot in April without costing the earth. Valencianos are so welcoming too.
What are your hopes regarding Valencia and sustainability too… As you might remember, Valencia was the Green City of Europe in 2024 and has been delivering some brilliant initiatives in sustainable mobility like the bike lane network which now exceeds 160 km, including 30 km of “bicycle boulevards.” València also aims to electrify 90% of its bus fleet by 2028.
Valencia signed the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative to reduce packaging and promote circularity. It also joined the “Turismo Declara” community to declare a climate emergency and moved toward responsible tourism through the One Planet programme.
There has been loads of great progress, however it’s trailing behind major hubs like Barcelona and Madrid in global smart city rankings and sustainable development goals (SDG) implementation. Its scoring on the Smart City Index places it solidly above average, and its happiness ranking reflects strong community satisfaction.
Sustainable innovation is a competitive advantage. Creating a clear sense of purpose enables meaning which consumers and employees value. There’s clearly lots local businesses can do when it comes to being part of the solution like shifting from linear to circular business models. Us marketing professionals can help create circular propositions for mainstream audiences. AI can be an enabler, a force for good speeding transitions along. We have an urgent window of time, between now and 2030 where meaningful change can happen.
When it comes to talking about sustainability it must be relatable, connecting people to what they are passionate about, what they care about, providing them opportunity to engage and feel that what they are doing is part of the solution. Doomsday messaging just creates inertia.
Come join us on 29 January from 18.30h for People Planet Pint in Valencia at Tyris on Tap.
Interview by 24/7 Valencia team
Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’
Web: https://www.whitecamino.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-fretwell/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitecaminomarketing/
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