When there’s work, let them perform. When it’s not busy, a bit of chaos, stupidity and laziness is fantastic. The most unforgettable experience for me was when he disapproved all the ideas I presented for a complicated juice drink. Given the tight deadlines and my early morning flight home, he came up with the fastest brainstorming session ever. He called Ted Royer (then a CD working on Pampers) and a senior writer and got a beer bottle. He asked us to sit around a table and made it spin, a la Russian roulette. His rule was simple. When the bottle points to you, you’d better have an idea to share. And, that was the most stressful, competitive and fun afternoon I’ve ever had in my entire advertising life. 4. I don’t have favorites. I’d like to believe that everyone has at least one opportunity on his or her desk. If you share the glory briefs around, everyone is happier to share the painful ones as well.
In the world of advertising, David Droga is loved, adored, envied and emulated.
Photography by Bob Guerrero
DROGA IN MY MIND by Merlee Cruz-Jayme “You have a very big responsibility.” These were the first words I heard from David Droga when I first introduced myself to him in 1997. I was a creative director in Ace Saatchi & Saatchi and David was Saatchi’s regional creative director for Asia. His line seemed strange to me at that time, thinking that the responsibility for the department mostly falls on the ECD. Soon enough, I understood that statement. Having David as my boss taught me the most important lesson in being a creative leader. Never take this role lightly. It’s been more than 10 years since I worked with him. To this day, I’ve never forgotten the insights into creative leadership that I learned from David Droga. 1. I never planned to or wanted to be anyone’s boss. I just love great ideas. And if being a leader means I get to enjoy more ideas, then perfect. He doesn’t mind excluding his name from the credits of the group’s work. He used to say that when he was a writer, he was always obsessed with his own ideas. That he had to crack it himself—write it himself. But this stopped when he discovered that he got more enjoyment out of building the agency and not just a single ad. 2. I don’t think you can push people to work hard, unless you work hard yourself. As the head of the Singapore office, he comes in at 9 am and shuns tardiness. He always made it a point to be first in the office every
morning and the last to leave. He knew that creativity wasn’t about the hours you put in, but to motivate his people he needed to set a good example to them. During his Manila visit, I was embarrassed to see him relaxing on my couch so early in the morning. He had a very positive attitude towards difficult clients and never lost his cool. I witnessed him enthusiastically present an idea to the local P&G client and got rejected. Well, he moved on, worked on a new idea and simply went back. No tantrums, no diva moments.
He doesn’t mind working on a small brand, or even with a crappy brief. “Every brief is an opportunity to show great work” was his everyday mantra. His team then was Ted Royer and Andy Clark. Both popular, award-winning big names in the industry. What amazed me was the fact that these two would simply attend long Olay and Pampers meetings, without complaints. They would not make demands to be given “special briefs”. Well, not on David’s watch.
In Singapore, I saw him go through a teleconference with a client who was demanding for the impossible: a change of costume and props after the shoot. David was sweetly explaining to her why this couldn’t be done at this stage; then he would make funny faces to me while the client talks. That scene was hilarious.
5. When it comes to awards, I don’t judge myself on the number of awards the agency has won. I judge myself on the number of different teams that have won. When he was in Singapore or in London, every team won a Cannes Lion. I’m sure it’s pretty much the same in Droga5. He believed that this made the creative department bigger than any individual. When I saw him in Cannes last year, I proudly told him that DM9-JS won a Bronze Lion. Moreover, I reported that all my creative teams had at least one shortlisted work in the competition. It felt really great (almost like winning another Lion) when he said, “Well done.” So much has been said about David and his work. For me, however, there’s one thing that puts him on top my list of the most respected creative leaders in the world. He is unbelievably humble! It amazes me how someone nicknamed “King David” by Campaign Brief Asia and dubbed as the “Best Creative Director in the World” can be so down-to-earth and simple. In the world of advertising, David Droga is loved, adored, envied and emulated. But when you ask him what makes a great creative leader, his answer is simple: “It’s all about respect, and nothing to do with fear and intimidation.
3. Have a fun environment. That doesn’t mean turning the office into an amusement park. But rather giving people the freedom to be themselves.
Merlee Cruz-Jayme is the chairman and chief creative officer of DM9 JaymeSyfu.
David Droga and the author
november-december '09
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