The Way I See It: Erica Roberts

I grew up in a very exotic part of the US: Bergen County, New Jersey, about 10 miles from New York City.

Bergen County had more shopping malls per capita than anywhere else in the US at the time, which made it the epicentre of 'mall rat' culture. I like to say that I had a masterclass in consumerism and trends at an early age.

As a young kid, I was definitely a bit of a goofball. I loved to make people laugh. In retrospect, I probably should’ve joined the drama club instead of being disruptive in class and at the dinner table.

As a young kid, I was definitely a bit of a goofball.

My dad was an accountant, a real numbers guy. It wasn’t until I was in college flirting with a career in advertising that he revealed to me that he had actually wanted to be a copywriter.

Before becoming an accountant, he had pounded the pavement to try to find a job in a Madison Avenue agency. He never caught a break and, instead, went back to night school to become a Certified Public Accountant. He’s a beautiful writer though. My brother, too

Above: Roberts staff photo from earlier in her career as a Senior Copywriter at Publicis.

I went to Syracuse University to become a journalist. That was a short-lived plan.

In my freshman year, I interned at a National Public Radio station. My first assignment was to cover a Fire Department charity event for the City of Syracuse. By all accounts, it was a simple assignment, but when I arrived at the event, I could barely bring myself to talk to the fire chief. I just wanted to grab a martini and mingle. I quickly realised that I didn’t have the chops to be a journalist.

I went back to the NPR Station that night and cut my segment; it was mediocre. The next day I went to my adviser and said, ‘How about advertising?’.

I just wanted to grab a martini and mingle. I quickly realised that I didn’t have the chops to be a journalist.

I wasn’t an advertising prodigy from the start; I just loved it. I worked my ass off, and I think that is a theme that’s stayed with me throughout my career. I had the drive and the curiosity. I loved losing myself in different problems, products, industries and cultures. I still do.

As far as the ad industry goes, I’ve had a pretty unconventional career in that I’ve been with one holding company for 20 years. People aren’t always sure how to process this path, but the reason’s simple. Creatives choose to leave agencies for some combination of the following: A) they don’t click with the people they’re working with. B) they don’t like what they’re working on/aren’t making work they’re proud of. C) they aren’t getting the promotion or recognition they feel they deserve. It’s not that things have been perfect for 20 years straight (that’s not possible), but I do feel like I’ve been able to turn almost all of the obstacles and challenges I’ve faced into opportunities.

Above: Roberts on the set of What's Gotten into Lindsay, a Planet Fitness spot from 2022; and with the team who worked on The Merger campaign for Jif.

A few years ago, I told Carla Serrano [Global Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe and CEO of Publicis New York] that when I stop being scared, I get bored. So she continues to find opportunities that scare me, in the best possible way.

Andy Bird [former CCO of Publicis New York] gave me my first big opportunity as a creative leader. I was a creative director at the time, and Andy was my CCO. I was getting antsy for change, so I raised my hand to run a piece of new business. It wasn’t the sexiest opportunity, but it was my chance to show him what I was capable of. He gave me a shot, and we won. So, he gave me another shot on the next pitch, and we won again. He quickly elevated me to an ECD, then to CCO a few years later. Andy continues to be one of my greatest supporters, a mentor and a dear friend to this day. And now I’m focused on doing for others what Andy’s done for me.

The beauty of being creative is that I can tell my kid that checking my social media and watching YouTube is a professional obligation.

The beauty of being a CCO at a boutique agency like BBH USA is that the size enables me to stay closer to the creatives and the work. I jump at any chance to bat around ideas with teams, from juniors to ECDs. I love building deeper relationships with the creatives, so I can help find the right opportunities to help them grow. 

The beauty of being creative is that I can tell my kid that checking my social media and watching YouTube is a professional obligation, not a guilty pleasure.

In my work I like evoking an honest emotional response. I’m usually going for laughter, but not always. In fact, we recently did a piece for Samsung in reply to Apple’s spot about crushing creativity. The work was really hard-hitting. 

Above: BBH New York's work for Samsung, created as a response to Apple's Crush spot, which drew criticism from some quarters. 

I’m incredibly proud of all the work coming out of BBH USA right now. We have such a deep bench of insatiable creatives, and an equally ambitious roster of clients.

We’ve been on a making spree. An epic relaunch for PayPal, starring Will Ferrell, a rom-com trailer for Milk-Bone, a killer content series for Samsung that continues to poke hard at Apple, and a new campaign that repositions Cooper Tires, just to name a few.

All of that work comes on the heels of releasing two of my other favourites of the year: UnCrush, Samsung’s show of support for the creative community in response to Apple’s misstep [above]; and The Merger [below], which positioned Jif’s new Peanut Butter + Chocolate product as the 'flavour merger of the century'.

What does [AI] mean for the ability of a client to use their imagination? 

BBH is on an exploratory mission with AI right now. It’s a new tool, and we’re having a lot of fun with it. It’s amazing to see the giant leaps we’re making in terms of comps and animation. It’s getting to the point that our first-round tissue sessions have the polish of a final presentation (and sometimes a fully produced asset).

But what does that mean for the ability of a client to use their imagination? In some ways, sharing such polished ideas at the start is dangerous. I worry it locks us into early thinking versus giving our ideas room to grow and evolve. 

Above: Roberts and BBH New York recently worked on the award-winning spot for Jif’s new peanut butter and chocolate product, The Merger.

The way I would explain my job is to simply say, "I make ads". If I had the luxury of more than three words, I’d say "I help really creative people channel their talent in a way that helps brands sell more of their products".

If we’re talking about the kind of statues that are designed to celebrate brilliant ideas and impeccably crafted campaigns that have been seen by real consumers and have had a real impact on either a brand’s business or a cause-related issue, then I think awards are incredibly important. If we’re talking about the statues handed out for the fake, navel gaze-y stuff that doesn’t do our industry or clients any favours, that’s not my bag.   

Probably the most inspiring campaign, for me, is the spot that sold me on becoming a copywriter.

Probably the most inspiring campaign, for me, is the spot that sold me on becoming a copywriter, The Funeral for VW. Fifty-five years later and I still think every script should be held to this standard.

I don’t lust after specific products or brands; I lust after shared ambition. Show me a CMO or brand team who wants their work to break through as badly as the creative team and we’ll do incredible things together, no matter what the brand.