My mother had to label all our clothing. As the youngest boy, all my tags read Droga5.
— David Droga
I love traditional advertising and have built my career on it. However, I think that is one option, not the only option. If some of it ends up in that space, fine, so long as it does so because it's relevant to the desired outcome.
The greater the pressure and expectation, the more I relish the opportunity.
We don't like offending anyone.
Creativity is a game changer. That's true of society, in advertising and in life.
If you don't have reservations, you're a fool. You can't go blind into something.
Australians are gypsies by nature. I've been fortunate enough to experience different regions of the world.
Online is amazing, but it, in itself, is not a solution.
There are unwritten rules to Facebook: People are using it to build their personas, and when they share something, they usually do so because they think it will in some way benefit others. So when we speak as brands on Facebook, we try to operate within those same parameters.
If you're advertising on Facebook, the work you're doing should be made better by being on Facebook. You can't just be repurposing old TV commercials and hoping to get traction; that's very primitive. The question, always, is, 'How is this idea made better by this medium?'
Under Armour is not about the Left or the Right. It's about moving forward together.
I was in a bank meeting in London once that was so torturous, I had a flash of inspiration for another client.
We're in the business of influence. And if we're going to be in partnership with anybody, I want it to be with people who have amazing access and influence.
The agency is who it is because of many, many, many chapters that needed to happen.
I'm proud to say that I'm in advertising.
My first job in advertising was actually in the mailroom of Grey Advertising in Sydney.
I would put down everything in my career to the fact that I cared - about what I do, who I work with, what I make.
There are certain people throughout my career I've earmarked as smart people I would like to work with. And I'm not just talking about advertising people.
I strive every day to do things that make a difference.
The creative people I admire seem to share many characteristics: A fierce restlessness. Healthy cynicism. A real world perspective. An ability to simplify. Restraint. Patience. A genuine balance of confidence and insecurity. And most importantly, humanity.
Creativity has got to have some edge to it, doesn't it?
The ingredients for great advertising haven't changed since the 'Mad Men' era: Brands win if their advertising is relevant and people like it.
The chaos of two cultures merging is the best time to forge a new identity to unify people, because everyone is looking for answers and everybody's looking for leadership. That's when there's an opportunity to say, 'OK, this is what we stand for.' People aren't set in their ways because everything is up for grabs.
You hire well and just make sure you have enough runway for everyone to grow in the company's success. It creates loyalty and opportunity, really.
Your campaign shouldn't just die the day you spend your last cent.
A lot of people think technology is a solution, but it's really just a canvas for your work. It can make good things amazing and bad things terrible. Facebook allows you to have access to mass audience really quickly if you do creative really well.
If we turn on our best, where do we go from there?
If we can find our storytelling in more complimentary ways with the technology, I think it's just going to get better and better.
Sometimes the best ideas will come in the least inspiring places.
The thing I believe is we are good if our peers think we're great. But we are great if the real world thinks we're good. And there's a huge difference.
Our work can always get better, and we are constantly striving for that.
I just loved the idea of writing for different personalities all the time.
People can't pay you to care. People can't teach you to care. But when you find something that you care about, you give it everything you've got. You never settle. And you are always pushing to learn and be better and support those around you. All I've tried to do in my career is care.
Wanting something - wanting a career or wanting to make something - doesn't really mean much. It's about finding something you care about. Because caring is the only thing that really matters.
The majority of advertising agency creatives are creative people, but we've disciplined ourselves to think within traditional formats. I want to change that.
A lot of people ask what it takes to move from being a creative to a leader: Take everyone's career personally. People will work hard for you if you work hard for them. Any idiot can be a boss; all you need is a title. But to be a leader, you need to earn respect and have an opinion you stand by.
We strive to do stuff that connects with people.
The first brand that can purpose-build great stories for mobile, that can target in a relevant but noncreepy way and understand that it's the individual that matters, not the algorithm, is the first brand to win mobile and, possibly, the future.
It's not rocket science: The best ads tell great stories. They look and feel like the content you're already consuming. They invite you in. They make you laugh. They teach you something. They also sell.
I don't want to spread myself so thin that I achieve nothing.
I've worked around the world.
I secretly wish I had experienced advertising in the 'Mad Men' period.
Before we start anything creatively, we have a firm understanding of our objective and our frame of mind for the campaign. Who's our audience, and what's their day-to-day behavior? How can we complement those behaviors? How is our message more than an interruption? Why would people care about what we're saying?
I can say firsthand Under Armour is a values-based people company, and this hasn't deviated for any administration.
We're an industry obsessed with the storytelling side of things, the content. And then we got obsessed with the canvas. Is it going to be on television? Is it print? And now the canvas is mobile. But what we really need to think about is the context. The context is where and when the person is consuming it - location, time of day.
Do something great that you really believe is great.
I haven't lost that quest and that thirst to do something great.
We win more business, not because of pitching but because clients say, 'We like the work you're doing.'
I was always obsessed with being a writer of some sort.
Caring makes you want to work harder.
