Women Who Will: Danielle Hawley

A global, award-winning creative leader and change agent, Danielle has been instrumental in reigniting brand love for Uber through culturally resonant and purpose-driven campaigns. Her work spans continents and has earned international acclaim — including three consecutive Gold Film Lions at Cannes, an Emmy for Best Commercial and Brand of the Year at Spikes Asia.

Danielle has led iconic campaigns such as Football is for Food, Trains — Now on Uber, Delete Uber, Vaccinate the Block, Protect, Tonight I’ll Be Eating, and Uber Don’t Eats. Tasked with rebuilding trust and reputation, she has helped shape Uber’s modern identity and creative resurgence. Her work has transformed reliability — a core brand attribute — into an emotionally resonant brand promise, most notably in the parent brand campaign On Our Way, featured during the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A self-proclaimed Type-A creative, Danielle’s agency experience spans multiple industries and iconic brands including Microsoft, P&G, Audi, Bacardi, Coca-Cola, AT&T, and Tommy Hilfiger. Her Gold Effie-winning campaign 'We Counter Hate' used machine learning to remove over 20 million instances of hate speech from Twitter, demonstrating her belief in the power of creativity paired with technology. At Wunderman Thompson, she led the groundbreaking launch of Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive — the world’s first fashion line designed with and for people living with disabilities. The work earned three Cannes Lions and sparked the creation of the agency’s Inclusivity Experience practice.

Danielle believes the future of creativity lives at the intersection of ideas, data, and technology, and her body of work offers a compelling glimpse into what’s next for the industry. She lives in Lafayette with her husband Steve, two children — Benjamin and Nina — and their black Labrador retriever, Ramona Frances.

LBB> How did you get into the industry?

​Danielle> This story sounds fake — but I lived it.

When I got to college, I knew two things about myself: 1. I was a writer and 2. I was a soccer player. Call it a coincidence, but Nike’s 'If You Let Me Play' campaign ran that year (1995). I was so moved by the writing, the imagery, the craft — but mostly by the message. “....I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me. If you let me play sports.”

I definitely carried a confidence that only sweat, tears, and the occasional drop of blood on a playing field can give — though back then, I only understood it subconsciously. That ad gave language to something I couldn’t yet articulate. I suddenly found myself so grateful to have grown up as an athlete and frankly really loving Nike for reminding me.

And I also thought — holy shit what is this thing? An ad? Who made this? And most importantly, how can I do this? Lucky for me, Dallas was in its advertising heyday.

Agencies like DDB, The Richards Group, TLP, and Pyro weren’t just producing great work — they were teaching. SMU’s comms department brought them in to run classes, so at 18, I was working on real briefs and getting real feedback from industry creatives. My class got beers with our “teacher” Jim Hord, we presented our work to Wade Alger, Jay Russell (SMU Alum!), and the legendary (notorious?) Jim Ferguson. I learned how addictive the agony and elation of coming up with ideas could be and I was hooked. From there, it was internships, mentors, The Creative Circus — and suddenly, I was a real live girl working in advertising, living happily ever after….

LBB> Who are some of the people who helped you most?

Danielle>  Oh dear god, what a question — I’ll forget someone! Just like anyone who’s done anything to a degree of success, I’ve had a long list of people who went before me, pushed behind me, or carried me across milestones. These are only a few! Starting from the beginning: my mom, who let me do all the things even when it was very costly to her own time and energy.

Mr. Cass, my 4th grade reading teacher, who showed me the magic of storytelling through the tragedy of 'Where the Red Fern Grows' (see: Dogs; non-negotiables below).

Jim Haven, who told Padawan me that the force was strong in her and made me write headlines to randomly selected photos with no brief or product attached.

Martha Hiefield and Ray Page, who loved me when I was a less-than-lovable budding leader.

Josh Schemising, who camped out at Marvel until RDJ said yes to being in our campaign — for free — which led to our first Cannes Lion win.

Thomas Ranese, who took a bet that an agency creative could thrive inside a tech company.

My husband, Steve Hawley -- the account guy who wasn’t afraid to marry a creative and embark on the toughest project of all time; birthing, raising, and launching kids. Including my not-so-little-anymore dude Benjamin Hawley -- who gets up with me at the crack of dawn ready to go!

There are about a gazillion more, whom I silently thank at 3am when I can’t sleep, which these days is every night.

LBB> Who have you looked up to throughout your career?

Danielle> Mary Lou Retton was my first real role model. I wore every sweatsuit she inspired and ate my Wheaties religiously. Turns out, even as a youngling, marketing worked on me. I suppose that’s why I was enamoured with the GOAT, Janet Champ — writer of that aforementioned Nike campaign — who I now get to call my friend (swoon). Kara Goodrich, who proved to the world that women could write like plumbers. Susan Hoffman, who reminds us all to let our freak flags fly high.

Gals my generation always say there weren't a lot of women to look up to and that’s 100% true, with the operative words being a lot.

There were a rare few and I made sure to know them and honor them with my own hard work and hustle.

LBB> Who do you look up to now?

Danielle> My daughter, Nina. She’s so proud of having a “badass working mom” (she gets the potty mouth from her father – okay fine, it’s from me). Her wise-beyond-her-years attitude and unconditional love have kept me going and absolved me of most of the mom guilt. Almost. She represents a whole new way of thinking, and I’m so glad I have her as my personal tour guide into a new frontier.

LBB> If you could give your younger self one piece of advice?

Danielle> Fucking relax!

LBB> Tell us about a piece of work that reflects your ambitions.

Danielle> Working on Tommy Hilfiger 'Adaptive' didn’t just change my career — it changed my life. It taught me the difference between being a 'know-it-all' and a 'learn-it-all'. Creating a fashion line of clothes made with and for people living with disabilities made me realise how wrong it was all of those times we sat in a conference room and pretended we knew our target audiences. You don’t forget that kind of experience. Ever since, I’ve tried to bring the “I don’t know diddly” mentality to every new project.

LBB> How has a woman best helped you in your career?

Danielle> I’d be remiss not to thank my soccer teammates throughout the years. They are, without question, the fiercest women around. They taught me everything -- not just how to lose, but how to win with grace. How to be the kind of person others want to be around. How to own your mistakes, and then let them go. But most importantly, how to contribute to something bigger than yourself. In so many ways sports teach you how to practice embracing a shared vision. How to see and know your role in it, and how to have each other’s backs until you realise it. Those truths have carried me from the field straight into every organisation I’ve ever been a part of.

I also found that kind of Wingwoman early in my advertising career: my best friend and OG art director partner, Miranda Gerlock Dean. We met in ad school and decided to be an all-female team for hire before that was appreciated much less desired. The industry was not kind back then, but Miranda’s undying loyalty made it easy for me to be brave. We moved across the country together twice, screamed into pillows when the boys’ club felt unbearable, and high-fived each time one of us cracked a good idea despite it all. To this day, if someone gives me a hard time, Miranda is right there to shut it down -- those poor little dears. Everyone deserves a champion like her in their life and I am very aware of just how hashtag blessed I am.

Having women to count on at every stage of my life and career has pushed me to be someone others can count on, too. Team is my love language, and I believe showing up for one another is the purest form of humanity. What a privilege it is to have sisters-in-arms who let me show up for them and vice versa!

LBB> Where do you hope the industry is in a year?

Danielle> Confident that human creativity has persevered — and celebrating the ridiculously messy, and glorious soulful things that make us not robots: slurping delicious food, singing loudly and off-key, marvelling at art we’ll never understand, sharing secrets and truths, and recognising goodness in strangers.

LBB> And in five years?

Danielle> On Mars with everyone else.

LBB> What’s your non-negotiable(s)?

Danielle> Movement. When my mind gets stuck, only my body can push it loose.

Dogs. Because, dogs.

Oh, and Romantasy novels. I said what I said. You’ll thank me later.

LBB> Nominate the next women you think should be a part of this series:

Danielle> Your turn Xanthe Wells (VP creative at Pinterest), you sexy beast…