Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Arianna Santiago
Arianna Santiago is the 2024-2026 TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Representative of the California Region based in Laguna Niguel, California. She is an alumnus of the Daiwa House 2016 Student Leadership Conference in Dallas, where she graduated from the Southern Methodist University (SMU). She has a passion for understanding people and cultures and currently works as a Strategy & Storytelling Director for Omnicom Commerce. Differences in American and Japanese marketing fascinate her, and much of Arianna’s career has been split between the U.S. and Japan. She even undertook a Japanese language and culture degree to keep up! She loves volunteering with kids and recently had the opportunity to teach an arts and science camp to expat students in Nagoya. Her goal is to connect TOMODACHI alumni across the very wide region of California.
Can you tell me about your experience at the Daiwa House Student Leadership Conference?
I was a Junior at SMU when I participated in the program. What’s cool is that as someone who’s born and raised in the U.S., it was the first time I got to interact with international Japanese students who had come for the program. We did a lot of leadership building exercises together, such as building bridges out of spaghetti.
What are your primary responsibilities as a TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Representative?
I serve as a bridge in the region to help people get connected to different programming, other alumni, and the U.S.-Japan Council. Usually I’m getting in touch with people and providing resources if they’re new in the area and inviting them to events.
You mentioned that you undertook a Japanese language and culture degree. Can you tell me about that experience?
As I got more involved with the U.S.-Japan Council and the TOMODACHI program, I realized I didn’t know as much about Japan and Japanese culture. So I took a Japanese language program at a local community college in addition to my Bachelor’s degree. It’s opened a lot of doors that my traditional degree wouldn’t have been able to. For example, I recently helped put on a summer camp for expat students in Nagoya. I got to go out with a team and put together an arts and science program for them.
When did you first become interested in Japanese culture and marketing?
I first became interested in Japanese marketing when I saw two ads for SoftBank and C.C. Lemon, a refreshing lemonade soda. The SoftBank ad had a cute little dog with a grandpa voice, which was such a disconnect to the fluffy dog that was portrayed in the ad! I fell in love with that commercial and thought it was an interesting approach to banking advertising. For C.C. Lemon, their promotional ad was a girl parkouring across a school campus. I remember looking at these ads and questioning why the companies chose that direction and those campaigns. Because they are so different from American versions of marketing programs, it led me to delve deeper into the “why” behind how both countries developed their marketing campaigns and approaches.
I noticed you received your Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. How did you transition from engineering to strategy and marketing?
I ended up transitioning because of internships, something I encourage everyone to try! My first internship was an engineering role, but I met someone who worked in the marketing department and fell in love with marketing after hearing about what kind of work they do. So for my second internship, I worked a job that was half engineering and half marketing and found that I enjoyed it a lot more. By my third summer internship, I focused only on marketing and worked for a similar company after graduation.
Can you tell me a bit about what you do as a Strategy Director at Omnicom Commerce? Is there anything you’re super excited about recently or what you’ve done recently?
I’m not sure how well people know about this field, but there’s a lot of thought put into the planning of marketing campaigns for brands at retail: grocery stores, convenience stores, and even Costco. Essentially, I help brands with programming and executing those campaigns that consumers can shop. We do a lot of fun campaigns, but some of my favorites are limited time flavor launches. One that you can find in the wild right now is Pringles’ summer flavor, Beer Can Chicken! It was a grilling campaign, and we had a lot of fun with it.
What are some challenges working in strategy and marketing?
You don’t always get to choose the clients you work with! So, I think you need a good balance of what are the benefits of the products and what are the good things you can pull out and help consumers understand. It’s helped me develop a better sense and understanding of what I personally purchase. Learning more about the behind-the-scenes and thoughts going on behind these products has made me more aware as a shopper.
What do you hope to accomplish as a returning TOMODACHI Alumni Regional Representative and what’s one of your favorite memories?
Last year at the annual conference, we put together the first launchpad workshop, an event that allowed young professionals across USJC to practice various skills, such as networking. At some point, we had everyone stand up and give out business cards and practice everything we’d learned in a mini game. This year at the Hawaii Annual Conference, I’m excited that we’re going to be putting together another launchpad workshop on leadership and conflict resolution. Getting to do wider-reach programs are one of the best parts about being a representative.
Do you have any advice for anyone applying to be a regional representative?
One of the most useful things, if you do decide to be a regional representative, is you have to be fearless towards meeting different groups in the community. TOMODACHI is only one group, and depending on who’s coming in and out of your region, you might not have the numbers or connections you’d like to gather enough people together. So start getting to know your local community’s groups. For example, here in Los Angeles, we have JAPAN HOUSE, the Japan American National Museum, and various art galleries. There are all these amazing organizations doing their own programming with their own resources and who are wonderful to partner with. Overall, don’t be scared to make those connections in your region.
This alumni highlight interview was conducted by Camille Nikaido on June 7, 2025. Camille is currently an alumni intern with the TOMODACHI Alumni Leadership Program.
