by Anna Gamboa
Reeled into the world of advertising by a summer job at Y&R, Executive Creative Director Gigi Lee talks about empowerment, mentorship, and why change is always part of the industry.
Starting out as a designer, Gigi Lee has worked with some of the most awarded agencies in Malaysia. Her oeuvre has garnered a fair share of metals from regional and international bodies, and has often been cited as one of the top winning art directors of the region. Lee’s much-valued opinion has seen her grace the juries of Cannes, Clio, AdFest, LIA, AdStars, D&AD, Kidlat and so on.
“I’ve loved art since I was young, thanks to the influence of my art teachers,” she shares. “And I’ve always wanted to be an artist when I grow up. But somehow, instead of doing fine arts, I ended up majoring in communication arts in college. It wasn’t too bad, so I eventually went to San Francisco to continue my studies in graphic design.”
The Break
Her start in advertising happened fortuitously, during a college break when she returned to Malaysia and tried her luck applying for a summer job. Gigi recalls: “On a whim, I wrote in to different companies to try my luck… I eventually found a job in Y&R’s design department. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed that I actually got a job offer from an international advertising agency.”
How did she metamorphose from designer to advertising art director? “After two years as a designer, I made the ‘conversion’ to art director. But eight years into art directing, I decided to go back to my design roots. I had the amazing opportunity to lead the design departments of Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, and Leo Burnett. Soon, I decided to return to my first home, Y&R, to take on the creative director role.”
Keeping the Flame
Having won a lot of major pitches, which one did Gigi consider the most memorable or most challenging? “My most memorable pitch win was Tiger Beer, back when I was in Saatchi & Saatchi. We pitched for the local business, followed by the regional business. We haven’t pitched for a long time, but everyone came together like we were a well-oiled pitch machine.”
She continues: “It goes to show that winning needs major team work from all roles in the agency. What also helps is to have a solid strategy, because real insight is key to winning any pitch. And sometimes, if that means changing the client’s current course, then you need to be bold enough to make these changes. After all, what the clients are really looking for is an agency with a unique point of view.”
While she thinks Malaysia’s advertising industry is very male-dominated, Lee is encouraged by the rising number of women joining –and rising—among the ranks of advertising professionals. “Regardless of gender, I think that we have a lot of talent in the industry. You can see some of our best talents leading offices in Singapore, China, and even as far as New York.”
What does she look for in colleagues? Her reply: “My teammates and co-workers must be passionate in what they do, always hungry to learn no matter how much experience they have, great team players, and most importantly, they must not be selfish. They must ultimately be daring enough to try to make things happen, rather than expect the world around them to make things happen for them.” With those words, Lee could also be describing herself.
So far, she and her team have won Yellow Pencils, Gold Lions, Agency of the Year recognitions and Best of Show honors. But Gigi isn’t the type to rest on her laurels. The win she’s most proud of though, would have to be winning the D&AD Yellow Pencil for Colgate’s ‘Turning Packaging into Education’. The ingenious campaign which used specially-printed Colgate boxes as recyclable classroom educational materials was the result of–in Lee’s own words– “a beautiful collaboration between three country offices (Hong Kong , Malaysia and Myanmar) from within the network.”
Challenge, change—and getting up every morning
How does she balance the demands of her career with the responsibilities and pleasure of having a family? Her reply: “My daughter (whom I call my “mini-me”) gives me her permission to go abroad, and in fact encourages me to do so. You get to explore a lot of new things, new sights and new cultures you don’t experience at home when you go abroad. And creatives feed on new experiences to stimulate new inspiration for our work.” She reflects: “I give work my 110% on weekdays, but weekends I dedicate all of my time to my family. And once a year, I try to go on a family trip to bond with the family. My preferred choice is a romantic winter holiday.”
Asked about what is it about the industry that compels her to still be a part of it, Lee answers: “I fell in love with the job. Agency life was (and still is) full of exciting surprises. It’s the exciting, challenging surprises at every corner that gets me up every morning.”
Ruminating on the changes she’s undergone through the years, Lee reflects: “To be honest, after taking on design, art director and creative director roles, I’ve never felt that it was a big, difficult adjustment. Undoubtedly, they are different roles, and yes, the creative world is always evolving. Change is the DNA of our business. But if you really think about it, there are constants, regardless of whether you’re an art director or designer, and regardless of the medium you use. First of all, you need a great creative concept or idea to start with, and then use art, design and craft to make it come alive. All these different elements need to work together.”
This article was first published in the January-February 2016 issue of adobo magazine.
