Deena Santos is a marketing manager with a journalism degree who recently earned her first Boomerang Award. She hustles as a band manager for a local rock band but rocks more in solo parenting to a wonderful 10-year-old boy. Apart from sharing her typical day, she discloses inspiring insights for both entrepreneurs and employed professionals.

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I am a journalism graduate in the marketing field. I am currently the marketing manager for CLiQQ Wallet, the closed-loop wallet of Philippine Seven Corporation (7-Eleven Philippines). I am proud to share that my work for CLiQQ was recognized with a Bronze Boomerang in Effectiveness in the recently held Boomerang Awards 2018.

My career in 7-Eleven started in 2012 when I decided to go corporate after five years of agency life wherein work usually takes over my weekends. During that time, my son just turned four and was about to start school. I felt the need to be more present in his life given that I am raising him as a single parent.

I can say that my career in 7-Eleven in the last six years was nothing but awesome. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work on innovations like the loyalty program which I launched in 2013 and now, CLiQQ Wallet. 7-Eleven also was able to expose me to music marketing and heighten my interest in OPM. I’m signed as the manager of ViiXi, a rock quartet that consists of present and former colleagues in 7-Eleven.

Here’s a quick preview of what a typical day for me is like.

5:00 A.M. – I usually wake up around this time. My son wakes up at 5:30 A.M. for school, so I need to be up before him to help prepare his breakfast. We live with my mom so I’m mostly just helping.

6:00 A.M. – My son is out for school already. It’s my time to prepare for work.

7:00 A.M. – I leave for work, bracing myself for a 1.5–hour travel time from Marikina to Ortigas.

8:30 A.M. – I arrive in the office. I check my to-do list and schedule for the day.

9:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. – Office work. It’s a crazy mix of onsite and offsite meetings, brainstorming, proposals, and presentations.

8:00 P.M. – Time to go home. It’s shorter this time. It usually just takes 45 minutes max. On Wednesdays, we have ViiXi rehearsals from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

9:00 P.M. – If we don’t have rehearsal, I usually make it home by this time.
If I’m lucky, my son’s still awake and we’ll catch up.

11:00 P.M. – I finally call it a day! If we have ViiXi gigs, I sleep around 2:00 A.M.

What do you like most about your job or business?

When I was given the opportunity to work on the launch of 7-Eleven’s rewards and loyalty program, I knew it will be a challenge. I barely just got in the company, retail and promotions were still new to me. I was still learning. But I also knew that it will be a good opportunity to learn something new so I accepted this as a challenge.

Five years later, the program has evolved from a rewards and loyalty card to a mobile app, to now having a closed-loop wallet—a first in the retail industry. I like that every day is still a challenge. The Philippine market is not much into loyalty programs, much more on closed-loop wallets so this is something that we consistently work on—making the customers interested and wanting to be part of the program.

Name a book or a mentor who changed your perspective at life or career.

I learned this from my former boss, his personal career goals were: to be a product manager by 25; a marketing manager by 30; a marketing director by 40; and, probably, a CEO by 50. He was a communications graduate as well who pursued a career in marketing. He learned well in his over two decades of experience in brand consumer marketing, brand management, communications, and licensing across diverse industries.

I consider him my mentor in career and in life. He is a boss and a friend. He made sure I get the opportunity to shine and work on relevant projects that will highlight my skills and capabilities. He gave me the push during the times I wanted to give up after a major setback. I knew he had my back.

He may no longer be with the company but I know that he will always be my one-call-away mentor in career and in life. I made his personal career goals my personal career goals as well. I wasn’t a product manager when I was 25, but I am a marketing manager in my 30s. I’ll work on being a marketing director by 40 and yes, probably, a CEO by 50. I can say that everything I’m doing in my current job helps me prepare for bigger opportunities.  I’m shaped by life’s greatest teacher—the years I’m spending in the industry I came to love so much.

What is your favorite quote and why?
My current favorite quote is, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” This is basically about being resilient. Whether in career or personal life, no matter how many times you get knocked down or fail, you must get up and try again. It is not the end until you stop trying and give up. Life is about making decisions. It’s a matter of perspective and having the right attitude.  I’ve accepted that life is full of ups and downs, but I know that life is about learning. So, with a game face on, I say, “Life, bring it on!”

 

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