Curtin Master of Commerce graduate Daniella Chadinha always had a passion for design but after a short stint working in architecture, she came to realise this may not be her dream career.
Over the last five years, Daniella’s pivot into the world of advertising and marketing has seen her forge a successful career working across a variety of projects for some of Australia’s biggest brands, including RAC, Foodbank WA and Gage Roads.
As Strategy Director at The Brand Agency, Daniella holds a dual role working across brand strategy and user experience.
As the year draws to a close, Daniella shares some of the biggest lessons she has learned in the world of advertising this year and her hopes and vision for 2025.
What were the biggest takeaways you learned in the world of advertising this year?
I’ve realised the power of simplicity. Crafting a great strategy or creative idea isn’t about what you add, it’s what you subtract. A friend and former colleague, who was the absolute master of simplicity, often shared the importance of ‘disciplined sacrifice’ when distilling a creative idea or strategy down to a single phrase. This means getting comfortable with saying no – which is often a lot harder than one may think!
The second is that behind every successful campaign, there will be failed attempts. Be prepared for pushbacks, wins and rejections. Remember, this is all part of the process, not the end of it. There may be many moments when you present a great creative idea, but it may not come to life for various reasons – a lot of them outside of your control. Don’t let that stop you. It’s important to separate yourself from the rejection and keep going as this may be the stepping stone to something even better.
The final lesson is that your greatest competitor is indifference. If you’re aiming to satisfy 100 percent of the market, you’ll end up with something that’s both everything and nothing. If you’re truly courageous and bold, you’ll be noticed. It’s as simple as that.
No one takes note of cookie cutter, boring, bland ads. So, if you want to play it safe and avoid ruffling feathers, go for this approach. If you want to be noticed, stand for something and turn heads, go for option B. But being ‘bold’ is easier said than done. It’s often an uphill battle but, I assure you, it’s one worth climbing.
What are your thoughts on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2025?
What’s mind-blowing about AI is how advanced it already is, even in its infancy.
Although this technology is still in its early days, it’s growing at an incredibly rapid rate. According to Forbes, AI is the fastest growing technology we’ve seen in history. Think about it. ChatGPT was only released two years ago and is now a household name we casually throw around in conversations.
Now, before I’m accused of blindly hoping on the AI hype train, I want to be clear: I don’t believe that humans will be or should be replaced by AI, BUT there is a chance that you may be replaced by someone who knows AI. The more sophisticated AI becomes, the more we need to be aware of what it can offer – so getting familiar with how to use it and being aware of both its strengths and weaknesses is vital.
Think of it like this: AI can get you to base camp. It can carry some of the weight and help navigate the initial terrain, but scaling Mount Everest? That still requires human expertise, judgment, and creativity.
This is especially true in the creative and marketing world, where success hinges on understanding human psychology, cultural nuances, and emotional connections that AI can’t fully grasp. While AI can analyse data and generate options, it’s the human touch that transforms good ideas into breakthrough campaigns that resonate with real people.
At The Brand Agency, we are using an AI-driven operating system called WPP Open, which has allowed us to experiment with chat, voice and image generation. It’s definitely changing the way I work but here’s what I’ve learned: AI is like any powerful tool – its effectiveness comes down to how well you use it. It’s like learning a new language. The more you experiment with different ways of asking questions, the more useful AI becomes.
While AI offers many exciting possibilities and benefits to business and our daily lives, it will be our unique human perspectives and ideas that will shape its future – and the future of our work.
Finally, what advice would you have for a young Daniella walking across the graduation stage ready to embark on your new career?
It’s not about having all the answers, rather it’s about knowing how to ask the right questions. Always stay curious and don’t feel like you have to be an expert in everything, don’t be afraid to reach out for help when you need it!
Secondly, it’s ok to pivot and I encourage it. Take on every new experience wholeheartedly and don’t be afraid to change direction because every experience is another advantage in your toolkit. Collect them, learn from them, and use them to reach the next stepping stone.
Daniella Chadinha, Strategy Director at The Brand Agency
With a background in design and architecture, Daniella’s passion for user experience and consumer psychology led to a career pivot into the world of branding and marketing. Graduating from Curtin with a Master of Commerce majoring in Marketing (2019), Daniella has since forged a successful career working as a UX Strategist, Senior UX Strategist and is now, Strategy Director at The Brand Agency..
