a sampling of our work

Projects at a Glance

DERMSTORE

Target Corporation Subsidiary

Skincare & Beauty eCommerce (B2C)

Brand Strategy, Brand ID, Mission, Values, Character, Tagline,
Audience Profiles, Messaging

GREENFORM

Landscape Architecture Supplier (B2B)

Mission, Values, Positioning, Messaging, Email Marketing, 
Social Strategy

codEspark 

an idealab company      

Educational Software & Games (B2C)

Brand Promise, Mission, Values, Character, Positioning, Messaging

VIRGIN UNITE

Social entrepreneur community (B2C)

Brand Positioning, Audience Archetypes, Messaging, Tagline, Brand ID

HOLLAND AMERICA LINES 

Carnival Corporation Subsidiary 

Premium Cruise Line (B2C)

Brand Purpose, Strategy, Positioning, Messaging, Internal Communications

EMERGENT BIOSOLUTIONS

Global Specialty Life Sciences (B2G)

Brand Positioning, Brand Promise, Tagline, Naming

 

The Process

Our engagement framework is designed to be nimble. Your goals guide the process. HERE'S A SNAPSHOT OF our approach. 

We have successfully applied this process to a wide variety of projects, ranging in scope from brand strategy, social media, and PR campaigns, to brand video creation, building company culture and product launch events.

ISOLATE

We tease apart the nuanced elements of the project. What are the make it or break it priorities? What are the acute pain points?  Is there a topic getting a lot of buzz, but perhaps distracting from the crux of the issue? What aspects are simply table-stakes vs. true differentiation? During discovery, we interview stakeholders, vet source materials and assess the landscape. This is the intelligence gathering phase.

CULTIVATE

Time to workshop. Whether through 1:1 or group sessions, the collaboration begins. We’ll navigate, you sit back and give candid responses. The blunter, the better. This where the real talk happens, which is essential as we work to reveal your brand DNA. Sometimes there are Q&A forms, often there are interactive exercises or mood boards. There are always tangible test concepts to react to, serving as guideposts in the process.

ARTICULATE

We’ve drawn out the collective input from your team. Now, we’ll filter that information and solidify it into actionable content. This may include brand architecture, key messaging, tactical copywriting, team training, partner management or design direction, depending on project scope. If the deck format works best, we are happy to accommodate. We also find stakeholder presentations and executive summaries to be useful compliments.  

 

Testimonials

What Brands Are Saying

Client Testimonials

“Melissa is hands down one of the best branding professionals I've worked with in the last 15 years! She did an amazing job of shepherding our fast growing start-up through a series of brand architecture and messaging exercises that contributed mightily to the successful launch of our kids subscription product. I would work with her again in a heartbeat!”

Grant Hosford
Co-founder & CEO, codeSpark

“Melissa is a wonderful strategist and adds enormous value to any team. Her deep experience enables her to provide critical insights while her comfort with clients of all levels ensures that goals are achieved. A true professional, great collaborator and versatile strategist, Melissa is a great asset to any project.”

Simon Mainwaring
CEO, We First

“Amazing brand marketer with keen insights into the process for building a brand. More importantly, Melissa is a strong communicator and highly perceptive, enabling her to be effective in small or large organizations. She was instrumental in our brand refresh, driving the entire project from brand definition to communication strategies.” 

Cathy Beaupain
CMO, Dermstore Beauty Group (Target Corp.)

“Melissa has consistently impressed me with both the breadth and depth of her skills.  She is a great writer and storyteller. She’s tenacious and has an amazing intuition for company culture. If you have the chance to work with Melissa, take it!”

Gregg Spiridellis
CEO & Co-Founder
JibJab Bros. Studios

“We've had the good fortune to work with Melissa, who worked strategically to first get clear insight into our company, followed with a comprehensive, detailed marketing plan. She has been part of executing the plan, reminding us to stay on schedule and working with third parties on our behalf. The communication has been a pleasure. We intend to continue using Narrative in the future to reach our goals.”

Felix Schneider
Owner, Greenform

“Razor-sharp marketer and great brand builder. Not a common combination. I have been lucky enough to work alongside Melissa to conceive of, launch, and grow two brands. Both have been great experiences that yielded great results. She is quick to generate messaging strategies that build a clear, easy-to-understand connection between audience motives and value proposition. She is then quick to follow up by producing creative communication and design assets. On the brand-building side Melissa understands that articulating the intrinsic value of the organization – its own sense of purpose, values, aspiration – is just as important for building a great brand identity as understanding competitive dynamics and audience segmentation (which she is also really good at.)  She is extraordinarily good at rallying support across the whole organization for a shared brand story, design strategy, and marketing approach.”

Matt Rolandson
Partner, Ammunition Group

“If you are looking for someone to make an immediate impact, look no further. Melissa in a nutshell "ROCKS." She is someone we'd always rely on to get the job done and get it done right. She works hard, has brilliant insight and can motivate a team like no other.”

Ryan Peal
Executive Client Strategist, Edelman

“Best marketing strategist I've worked with. In addition to being very effective at tactically and strategically guiding all facets of consumer research, she has a deep understanding of how to partner with designers to communicate learnings in fresh and compelling ways that empower product, sales, distribution and the business at large. She is an incredibly articulate, creative and persuasive spokesperson and a supportive manager who coaxes out the best in people. At any opportunity, I would want Melissa on my side.”

Sandra Barnat
Sr Manager Research Insights, AEG

 

Brands We've Worked With

NARRATIVE BRAND Consultancy