Communicate in the same way that companies are transforming their businesses. That is the philosophy articulated by SpecialGuestX, the technological innovation arm of the SpecialGuest agency, and whose proposal is defined by the break with traditional communication and the reinvention of innovation stories through the creative approach to artificial intelligence, data, robotics and automation.

The company is a joint venture between the Espadaysantacruz studio, founded in 2011 by Miguel Espada, Juan Santacruz and Nerea Goikoetxea, and the agency SpecialGuest, created in 2014 by Creative Director Aaron Duffy. The connection between the two occurred through the business ecosystem of the production company 1stAveMachine, which represents Espadaysantacruz in the US market.

Hence, in its short history, just five years, SpecialGuestX has worked for some of the most prominent brands worldwide, such as Google, OpenAI, IBM or Meta. For all of them they have developed premium solutions that explore the connections between digital and analog to increase brand value.

We have spoken with Miguel Espada, Co-Founder of Espadaysantacruz and SpecialGuestX, who on April 17 and 18 will participate in the C Days of the Creativity Club with a session titled “Building brands with a vision of the future”, and in which, as he anticipates, attendees will be able to discover “a vision of technology that is not going to be expected, and that does not align with what is boring or hackneyed”.

What is SpecialGuestX?

Our first question focuses on the value proposition and the differentiating element of SpecialGuestX, because a large part of the Spanish sector may not be familiar with the company’s work. “We are the special guests at the work table of brands in the generation of ideas“, he says, explaining that it is a technology agency that works with the internal creative teams of advertisers, and not with other agencies; and whose team is made up of technical profiles.

“This results in a very different value proposition than that of a conventional agency. We are able to communicate what is essentially special about our clients’ technology.“, he assures us. “We always start from the brand’s technology to build the narrative and communication. It is a bottom-up, the opposite of what other agencies do, which start from an idea or a creative vision, and then integrate the clients’ technology”.

Admit, in this sense, that SpecialGuestX is not an agency for all brands. These, although their activity is not developed purely in the technology industry, have to have innovation as part of their essence. However, they are exploring collaborations with more conventional brands that, due to the reality of the market, are integrating artificial intelligence into content production.

The recent collaboration with the musical group OKGo in the video clip for the song “Love” is one of the examples of the way in which SpecialGuestX’s technological creativity proposal can fit with those brands that embrace innovation. The band, known for its experimental videos, enlisted the agency for a new exploration of the connections between art and technology.

The production involved coordinating 29 robotic arms and 60 mirrors synchronized with music and movements, and developing a unique robotic programming system, to create a kaleidoscopic spectacle that was recorded in one shot. The video has been recognized in 2026 with two great awards at the Clio Music Awards, in the Design Craft and Music Film & Video categories; and also received a nomination for this year’s Grammy Awards in the Best Video Clip section.

Storytelling as content, technology as form

Miguel Espada cites it as an example of the agency’s work process. He assures that, although they do not have a methodology as such, there are some aspects that define their way of working. Their process is based on a direct and deep understanding of the client’s technology, rapid ideation, prototyping and iteration. Once the solution is established, add production values.

“I think this video clip talks about how to use technology in a relatable way. The fact that everything is a single take, that you see behind the scenes… There is no smoke, it is all there“Holds Sword.”Even if you use technology, there is a craft, a digital craft that manifests itself throughout the video. There is humanity, people in control and it reflects values. That’s what connects with people”.

This is what SpecialGuestX seeks to convey in its work with brands, both in message and form. And this is what Espada believes the agency achieved with the video created to celebrate the first anniversary of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s conversational assistant, in November 2023. The experimental piece integrated artificial intelligence, robotics and creative narrative to highlight the way in which the tool can help in users’ daily lives.
Espada also considers this work as representative of the agency’s proposal, due to the relationship between the digital and the analog, the intangible with the material, articulated around brand storytelling.

What unites both cases, as well as the rest of SpecialGuestX’s work, is the vision of technology as a lever to expand the creative and communication universe of brands. At this point in the conversation, Miguel Espada focuses on artificial intelligence, as it is the tool that right now monopolizes the efforts and ambitions of advertisers around the world, and conveys the agency’s philosophy, pointing out that “Making a traditional ad with artificial intelligence is not the same as using artificial intelligence to create something you would not have created otherwise.”.

Again, illustrate the thought with an example. That of Carvana, the second-hand car marketplace, and the celebration of a commercial milestone in 2023. Instead of creating a video to signal that it had reached one million cars sold, it created more than a million videos to celebrate each individual car. A solution that also aligned with the technological nature of the company.

“Producing those million and a half videos is impossible without artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data analysis“, the creative tells us. “To me, that is the essence of what we do. We are using artificial intelligence like never before to communicate in a way that is not possible any other way. The essence of brand automation is what we transmit with this communication”.

Technology to expand brand universes

The application of technology must elevate the brand and defend its values. Miguel Espada links this thought with a specific case. This is the visual identity created for the 2022 edition of Think, IBM’s annual conference. A unique wooden sculpture was generated from the name of the event, and an audiovisual piece was recorded using lights and cameras choreographed by industrial robots.

“We could have created it entirely by computer, but IBM doesn’t sell that“, comments Miguel Espada. “If IBM sells automation, let’s do something with automation. This means that the end result can be a video, an installation or anything. But above all, it is about expressing the values ​​of the technology or services offered by each brand.”.

He is aware that the agency’s premium service may not suit those brands looking for immediate results. Your job, as you have pointed out, is not efficiency first, but rather building brands because, in the long term, that will generate benefits for the business. “Anything that has to do with productivity or effectiveness is a discourse that, for us, is not a priority right now. Obviously we want our clients to sell more, but those who are contacting us are the ones who want to boost their perception”, he explains to us.

And this, in turn, is considered to be one of the mistakes that brands are making regarding technology. Espada once again focuses on artificial intelligence to express his opinion. He believes that companies make a mistake when it comes to turning to AI as a way to reduce costs or work on efficiency, because if what they are looking for are good results, it is a technology that requires investment. Therefore, brands should focus on the tool for the possibilities it offers to expand the creative, visual and communication universe.

“Hyperpersonalized, interactive campaigns can be created that transcend traditional advertising. What artificial intelligence allows you to do is generate an entire visual universe around an idea, which then manifests itself in many ways.“, he explains. “Instead of thinking about saving 100,000 or a million euros in running a campaign, let them think that they are going to invest the same but they are going to have a visual universe that can be expanded in many directions.”.

We ended the conversation with him by requesting, based on the agency’s experience and track record, some advice for advertisers regarding the application and integration of technology. He assures that the fundamental thing is to find one’s own language, believe in ideas and identify the best tool to carry them out. And he invites us to stop associating technology with productivity: “It’s very good for business, but we have to think about the opposite“, concludes Miguel Espada. “Our mission is to create things that connect with the audience and allow values ​​to be conveyed, regardless of whether we are talking about AI or other media. Be honest with who you are and what you have, and communicate that”.