PR / News

Donna Dimayuga

24 August 2020
 

Donna Dimayuga

In 2012, Donna was an associate creative director at DDB Philippines. She is currently working with Dentsu Mcgarrybowen in San Francisco
 
 
I walked along The Strip, my eyes never fully adjusting to the bright lights around me. I had been here before, but not like this. I puffed my chest out in a moment of pride before oohing and aahing at grand facades well into the evening. I was never one to take photos. Instead, I did this neat little trick I learned from Pam and Jim (or as The Office fans would call them, PB&J) where you take a mental picture by miming a camera and saying ‘Click!’. Not a bad way to spend the night.
 
At first, I was just excited about the free trip. I mean you’re staying at the Encore at Wynn, and you walk into your room like a high roller, hearing a badass track in your head as you’re doing so. It feels like a holiday and for a moment you forget that this is only the tip of the awesome iceberg. As I settled in on the first night, I reminded myself why I’m actually there–not simply because I’m representing the Philippines as a Creative LIAison, but I was there to learn.
 
That was 2012. Cut to 8 years later, I’m working in the States. I’m currently based in San Francisco, a 9-hour drive from Las Vegas. By now I’ve had more than a decade’s experience in advertising, and it has been good to say the least. And I’d like to think my LIA stint made a significant contribution to my success because, well, it did.
 
The talks I had attended were of course all excellent and enriching. But it was the live judging sessions that truly stayed with me. It was the first time I’d ever experienced anything like it. In the same room were the people who made the ads I used as references and pegs and inspiration; ads I had shared and raved about on social media, and I got to hear their commentary and critique on hundreds of entries. It felt as if I had gotten a glimpse of what it was like to work with each of the esteemed jury members.
I remember hanging on to every word, determined to absorb their high standards so I can level up my game. This experience shaped the standards I subscribed to as a leader and used to guide the teams I worked with. I believe it helped me evaluate work better and taught me how to push an idea to the next level. It made me braver. I became more ambitious. And because I was constantly aiming higher, even when I failed, I failed better.
 
My most celebrated piece of work, Labels Against Women, is celebrated because it started a global conversation about gender bias. At that time, brands weren’t in the habit of addressing gender issues. But because we knew we had something important to say, we didn’t stop pushing until we felt we had effectively brought the message to life, to shine a light on double standards in the workplace.
 
 
When I moved to Singapore a couple of years ago, I was able to produce work for different markets–APAC, South Africa, and the US. My favorite was the one that didn’t look like an ad. It’s a true story with a simply powerful message, shot beautifully in South Africa. This was especially memorable to me because of the cinematic quality we achieved in the film. Both these examples go back to the standards I have learned to set for myself, and the work I want to stand for.
 
Being a Creative LIAison gave me the confidence to work in a bigger playing field. This may sound like a surprise to you (or not), but creatives are insecure. Okay scratch that. This creative is insecure: me. Representing the Philippines in LIA made me feel like I belonged to a circle of talented creatives. And sometimes, we do need that confidence boost to bring out the best in us. Full disclosure, I had gotten double the boost because I won the LIA Young Creative competition for the second time the following year so yes, I was a back-to-back Creative LIAison. I thought I could act more nonchalant the second time around but why do that when it’s so much more rewarding to approach it with wide-eyed wonder and a hunger for learning.
 
I could go on about how my LIA experience helped propel my career to where it is today. But simply put, it prepared me for bigger things. How to dream it, how to achieve it, how to keep doing it.
 
And yes, I still have those mental pictures I took. Click!
 
Donna has 10+ years of experience as a copywriter, 5+ as creative director. She was actually supposed to go a third time as Creative LIAison in 2014 because she won another creative competition, but rules were then set in place against repeats. Totally fair and makes absolute sense. She is currently working with Dentsu Mcgarrybowen in San Francisco and has lost count on the number of times she’s rewatched The Office. That’s what she said.
Learn more at donnadimayuga.com