Mary Arbelaez

Co-Founder, Brand Strategist, Creative Director and Digital Marketing Strategist

Any Brand Place • ZZP

Jun 2019 - Present • 7 yrs 4 mos

I lead brand strategy, creative direction and digital marketing strategy for founders who are launching, entering a new market or repositioning. Clients come from 50+ countries, mostly the US, UK, Canada and Spain, across product, B2B, SaaS and service brands. My work covers three connected stages. First, market research and buyer personas: is there a market, who buys, what drives the decision. Then brand strategy: positioning, voice, messaging and visual direction, including color palette and mood boards. Finally, a digital marketing plan the client's team can run, with channels, content pillars and priorities. For brands that need to stay active on social media, I also manage monthly community management. Every project ends with decisions: what to do first, what to focus on and what to avoid. Founders use these documents to brief designers, align their teams and present to partners or investors. 3,100+ projects delivered, including 730+ market analyses and buyer personas, 125+ brand strategies and 170+ social media clients. Recent projects include a B2B AI software company in Berlin, an Amazon home care brand in the US and a fashion label in Canada.

Deputy Head of Marketing and Communications

Wendy's • Fulltime

Jan 2018 - Jun 2018 • 5 mos

I managed brand messaging and communications for national campaigns during a period of operational expansion. I worked with senior leadership on campaign narratives, corporate messaging and media relations, and kept the brand voice consistent across stores and consumer touchpoints. This role taught me how a large consumer brand protects its voice at scale: approval flows, campaign calendars and the discipline of saying no to messages that do not fit the brand. I still apply that discipline to every strategy I build.