FRANCISCO ENRIQUE MENA

Creative Director | Culture-Driven Storytelling | AI-Driven Creative Leadership

Award-Winning Brand Strategist | Social-First & Earned-First Thinker

Creative Director and Brand Strategist with 20+ years of experience developing culturally resonant campaigns across social, digital, experiential, and integrated platforms.

Known for building award-winning bilingual (English/Spanish) creative that connects brands with audiences through authentic storytelling, strategic insight, and culturally intelligent ideas.

Combines hands-on creative leadership with modern AI-assisted workflows to accelerate ideation, adaptation, and production without sacrificing craft or human nuance.

Creative Director — PACO Collective

Chicago, IL | August 2014 – Present

Led culturally resonant, social-first campaigns across digital, experiential, and integrated platforms for brands including Amazon, BMO, BLEE, BioLife/Takeda, NIPSCO, ComEd, UFM, and The Messi Experience.
Directed multicultural storytelling initiatives optimized for TikTok, Instagram, short-form video, and real-time digital ecosystems.
Built and integrated AI-assisted creative workflows to improve ideation, production speed, adaptability, and creative consistency across platforms.
Partnered closely with strategy, account, production, and cross-functional creative teams to align storytelling with audience behavior, brand purpose, and KPIs.
Led concept development, art direction, visual storytelling, and bilingual creative execution across integrated campaign systems.
Helped shape a more agile and innovation-driven creative process through culturally fluent and technology-enabled storytelling.

Consulting Creative Director — Multiple Agencies (AXIS, Accentmarketing, SMG-ROI)

Los Angeles, CA | August 2012 – August 2014

Led multicultural creative and communication initiatives for the U.S. Hispanic market across print, digital, broadcast, and brand identity systems.
Developed culturally relevant campaigns for Kaiser Permanente, Farmers Insurance, Telefónica, Covered California, Diageo (Don Julio, Cuervo Tradicional, Buchanan’s), Ocean Spray, Gallo Wines, and HealthNet.
Collaborated with agency partners including AXIS Agency, Accentmarketing, and SMG-ROI to deliver culturally intelligent campaign systems and bilingual messaging strategies.
Helped develop Telefónica’s first U.S. campaign, creating messaging tailored for bilingual and multicultural audiences.
Co-created Swissli, a multicultural cereal brand designed for markets across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Creative Director — IPG Accentmarketing

Los Angeles, CA | September 2010 – August 2012

Developed Addy Award-winning campaigns for Farmers Insurance and Kaiser Permanente, including Best of Show recognition.
Led multicultural campaign development across print, web, broadcast, and integrated platforms targeting the U.S. Hispanic market.
Helped establish Farmers Insurance’s multicultural strategic platform, elevating audience connection within highly competitive budget constraints.
Collaborated with senior strategy and account leadership on campaign development, creative briefs, and integrated communication systems.
Presented concepts directly to executive leadership and clients while maintaining high standards of craft, speed, and execution.

Creative Director — Ethnic Marketing Group (EMG)

Los Angeles, CA | December 2007 – September 2010

Led the agency’s creative and interactive department, overseeing integrated storytelling initiatives, visual systems, and multicultural campaign development.
Established a strategic partnership with The Mars Agency, serving as their multicultural and Spanish-language creative partner.
Directed shopper marketing and consumer engagement campaigns for Blue Cross, Ocean Spray, Bulova, and ConAgra across retail, in-store, and experiential environments.
Helped expand the agency’s multicultural capabilities through integrated creative leadership and culturally informed communication strategies.

Creative Director — The San Jose Group

Chicago, IL | June 2000 – December 2007

Developed integrated multicultural campaigns across print, broadcast, retail, and experiential platforms for major national brands targeting U.S. Hispanic audiences.
Led concept development, art direction, and bilingual campaign execution across integrated communication systems.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams across strategy, account management, production, and creative development.
Built foundational expertise in culturally driven storytelling, integrated marketing, and brand communication within one of the country’s leading multicultural agencies.

Major clients included: Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, ComEd, Domino Sugar, Exelon, GE, GlaxoSmithKline, Herdez, Hormel, Pepsi, Sam’s Club, Sears, Spam, U.S. Cellular, Walmart, and Sensodyne.