Industry Vet Erika Gilbrech Joins Propac as ACD

Brand activation agency Propac has hired Erika Gilbrech as associate creative director. A 16-year industry pro with digital, social, experiential, traditional, broadcast, print, shopper and pretty much every other kind of marketing experience you can name, Gilbrech has worked at agencies in Austin, Dallas and Chicago markets.

“Erika rounds out our CPG expertise while adding more experience and capabilities to our team,” said Kelly Farquhar, group creative director. “She will be instrumental in leading and elevating our creative thinking.”

Most recently, she served as creative director at Ampersand Agency in Austin where she was the creative team lead on clients such as Stripes/Laredo Taco Company, Celis Brewery, Brookshire Brothers, Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Five Star ER. Before that, she was ACD at Saatchi & Saatchi X where she led a team on retail marketing efforts for P&G’s Beauty and Health lines - such as Pantene, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Gillette and Crest - in Walmart stores.

Earlier in her career, she was digital associate creative director for Frito-Lay and handled real-time strategies and creative branding work for Tostitos, Funyuns and other brands. Now everything has come full circle as PepsiCo - hence, Frito-Lay - is a Propac client.

“My favourite thing about the creative process is the strategic thinking that leads to big ideas,” says Gilbrech, who got her BA in journalism before receiving an MA in advertising. “Getting inside a shopper’s mind to figure out what their driving need state is putting myself in their shoes to connect emotionally with them at their point of decision.”

Career highlights include serving as team leader on a Super Bowl XLIX activation on location in Phoenix for the Tostitos Party BLVD and a Funyuns activation at Voodoo Fest, also creating a national promotional campaign for 7-Eleven that won a Best Use of Shopper Marketing in a Promotional Campaign award at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.