Director of Marketing & Creative
Led the evolution of Aqua Lily Pad across branding, ecommerce, packaging, retail, and experiential marketing.
MAKING AN IMPACT
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Repositioned the brand toward a stronger lifestyle focus
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Unified visual communication across web, packaging, and events
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Supported retail and DTC growth through cohesive creative systems
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Led photography, campaign, and trade show creative direction
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Helped modernize customer facing brand perception
Brand Development
Photography Direction
Brand Positioning
Website Recreation
Trade Shows
Packaging
Monthly Projects
Store Walks
Marketing, Ecommerce & Brand Growth
Helped lead the transformation of Aqua Lily Pad from a niche water product company into a modern lifestyle-driven consumer brand through ecommerce strategy, digital marketing, automation, content development, and cross-channel campaign execution.
January-February 2025
Click to see all of the projects I oversaw for the first two months of the 2025 calendar year. Please note that some aspects of my position cannot be shared. To discuss the work further, please reach out and ask. I am more than happy to discuss any and all work with the proper NDA signed.
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Managed Shopify Plus ecommerce initiatives, landing pages, merchandising, and conversion-focused customer experiences
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Oversaw digital marketing campaigns across Google, Meta, email, and social platforms with a focus on ROAS and customer acquisition
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Built automated email marketing systems including welcome flows, abandoned cart campaigns, segmentation strategies, and promotional automations
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Collaborated with leadership and external agencies on campaign planning, analytics, performance optimization, and seasonal marketing initiatives
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Directed customer-facing storytelling, product positioning, and launch campaigns across DTC, dealer, retail, and trade show channels
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Led photography, video direction, branded content, and creative production supporting ecommerce and advertising growth
AQUA LILY PAD AS A BRAND
Aqua Lily Pad was an established product with strong recognition. My role focused on refining the logo to support consistent use across packaging, digital, and retail environments.
WE NEEDED A LOOK
My role included leading the search for a photography partner who could support a cohesive and recognizable brand aesthetic across channels.
Following a trial shoot, we partnered with Sunshyne Pix. Sarah’s work supports the brand through photography that emphasizes clarity, warmth, and lifestyle-driven storytelling, helping communicate the Aqua Lily Pad experience in a natural and approachable way.
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BRAND BOOK - RESEARCH BASED, BRAND POSITIONING
Over the years, Aqua Lily Pad became synonymous with one core product. To evolve beyond that identity, we launched a full-scale brand redevelopment initiative, rebuilding Aqua Lily Pad from the ground up.
This transformation was made possible through strategic collaboration with:
Charlie Politi of Aqua Lily Pad
Marianne McBean of SoulBrand Inc.
Graham Matthews of Vivid Connections.
WEBSITE - RECREATION
As part of our larger rebrand, I helped lead the full recreation of the Aqua Lily Pad website. We moved from an outdated, broken WordPress setup to a fully redesigned Shopify experience that gave us the flexibility we needed.
The old theme made even small updates difficult and held us back visually. Now, we can build faster, update easier, and fully control how our products show up online.
This transformation was made possible through strategic collaboration with:
Li-Yang Huang of Aqua Lily Pad | Worldwide Foam
J2 Marketing of South Bend, IN.
We combined the Aqua Lily Pad and Wateraft brands into one unified storefront, giving customers a better experience and simplifying our own operations. Bundles, product cross-sells, and updates are easier to manage with everything under one roof.
I handled the front-end design and built the initial site myself, then partnered with J2 Marketing to create custom-coded sections tailored to our brand. This was the final piece in modernizing our full visual system and bringing the brand into a new chapter.
TRADE SHOWS AND EVENTS
I joined ALP in April of 2023 and in June of that year I was at the Outdoor Retailer Show working the ALP booth. Being a CD in that environment is so critical to business development. I documented every companies booths and set-ups and spoke to so many creative professionals. Navigating that environment just felt natural...after all, it's just meeting new people with goals similar to mine.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Shows Exhibited/Attended:
2023 Outdoor Retailer | Salt Lake City, Utah
2023 Surf Expo | Orlando, Florida
2024 Big Gear Show | Denver, Colorado
2024 Foam Expo | Niles, Michigan
2025 Chicago Boat Show | Chicago, Illinois
2025 Licensing Expo | Las Vegas, Nevada
2025 Outdoor Retailer | Salt Lake City, Utah
2025 Aquapalooza | Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
2025 MRAA Dealer Week | Tampa, Florida
2026 Chicago Boat Show | Chicago, Illinois
2026 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show | Miami, Florida
New Branding, New Trade Show booth design
I was able to source and construct a bright fun playful environment for the Big Gear Show in Denver. The set-up used at that show is now our go-to.
Owning the Packaging Process
One of my key roles at Aqua Lily Pad is leading all packaging efforts. With support from Stacey McKee, we’ve created retail-ready packaging that not only stands out on shelf but also improves warehouse efficiency and streamlines how we operate. The packaging system works across retailers and channels without getting in the way of fulfillment or logistics.
It wasn’t always this way. ALP has come a long way in just two years. When I started, I jumped in right away, creating design-focused decks to help the team understand the fundamentals of large-scale retail packaging.
I introduced the concept of a modular Visual Design Language and showed how it could be applied consistently across product lines, retailers, and formats.
This is me with the Costco-exclusive 3ALP featuring Duracore Technology, shot in-store in Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2025.
Beyond design, I make sure we’re getting the best value from our packaging vendors. I source locally when possible, working with trusted manufacturers across the Midwest. I visit their facilities, meet their teams, and build partnerships that can handle scale. We move tens of thousands of units each season, so every detail matters, from price to performance to how it shows up on shelf.
I have visited and toured:
Pratt Industries in Valparaiso, IN.
Welch Packaging in Elkhart IN.
French Paper Company in Niles MI.
See the work | coming soon
de@danielellrich.com
317.847.1108
Michigan USA
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© 2025 by Daniel Ellrich - Made with LOVE