ELEVATE YOUR BRAND WITH STRATEGY THAT SCALES
From First Insight to Iconic Impact
I create brand strategies, marketing plans and sales narratives that turn clarity into momentum and momentum into revenue. No beige positioning. No safe-zone storytelling. Just strategy that closes, acquires and drives loyalty.
Trusted by brands who refuse to get lost in the sea of sameness.
Your Brand Wasn’t Made To Fit In, Let’s Make It Impossible To Overlook.
I’m Melissa Stefani-Bolin — brand evolutionist, strategic firestarter, unapologetic eccentric. I’ve scaled health systems by hundreds of millions, closed multimillion-dollar tech deals, and yes, once designed hats bold enough for Lady Gaga.
Here’s the truth: I don’t do safe. I build brands and sales stories that are impossible to ignore. If you’re ready for outcomes over optics, let’s move fast, forward and with intent.
HOW I WORK
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
BLOG
WORK
Quantum Knight
Strategic Advisor
Providing strategic advisement across brand, marketing, sales and experience to position Quantum Knight as a category leader in quantum-safe encryption. Supporting the development of narratives, proof points and go-to-market readiness for high-stakes industries including financial, healthcare and regulated enterprise.
From Pitch Deck to Partnerships: Positioning an AR Platform to Break into Hospitality
Developed the full sales narrative and GTM positioning for StraxNetworks, an AR-powered engagement platform; led brand strategy, messaging, sales enablement and pitch materials that opened key conversations and closed business with hotel brands, historic properties and content creation partners.
“Melissa is incredibly smart and a true expert in our client industry, with the added strength of being razor-sharp with current technology and possessing an innate ability to intuitively understand it. She was a joy to work with, tireless in her efforts, and built a genuine connection with us that I credit entirely to her. That connection ultimately led us to an incredible success together.” - Eric Singleton, CEO, StraxNetworks
From Early-Stage to Enterprise-Ready: Repositioning a Healthtech Brand for Growth
Transformed LainaHealth’s brand from product push to purpose-driven. Rewrote the narrative to cut across channels and audiences, aligning B2B2C messaging under one clear, human-first story. Positioned the brand to punch above its weight and stand out among category giants, without losing its soul.
Hoag Health Care System
Brand Strategy | Marketing & Media Leadership
I partnered with Hoag’s senior leadership to navigate the complexities of a physician-led healthcare system, driving strategic marketing, digital transformation, and data-driven decision-making. By identifying market opportunities and mitigating threats from new entrants, my leadership fueled double-digit revenue growth, increased market share, and strengthened brand recall. The result? A transformed healthcare experience, enhancing patient outcomes while positioning Hoag as an industry leader.
Case Study: Crafting Opportunity, Strategy and Market Disruption for an Emerging Tequila Brand
In 2024, as Chief Revenue Officer, I crafted an investment opportunity, brand strategy, and GTM plans for a premium tequila brand, launching a refined Blanco Rosado and a bold, category-defining Peanut Butter tequila. Despite a fully developed, execution-ready strategy, the founders’ failure to meet basic business and financial obligations stalled activation. The good news? The frameworks remain a testament to my expertise: ready for the right partners or organizations seeking game-changing brand leadership. Whether you need strategic expertise or a VP of Marketing who delivers results, this case study proves my ability to build and execute market-defining brands.
Click HERE to read the full case study.
AMERICAN EXPRESS BONVOY BRILLIANT: BRAVE THE WORLD
GTM Leader | Sr. Experience Strategist | Campaign Positioning | Audience Development | Paid Media
The Brief:
Launch the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card and introduce the newly merged Marriott/Starwood loyalty program to luxury travelers within the Amex ecosystem.
My Role:
I led the GTM, experience strategy, campaign positioning, and media planning, aligning creative inspiration with measurable outcomes.
The Concept:
Built for citizens of the world, the campaign spoke to those who brave travel, seeking experiences that transform. Inspired by the personal art of journaling, we connected loyalty with lifestyle through omnichannel storytelling.
The Result:
10x engagement surge and cardmember growth in the millions in under 90 days.
Power Up with the United States Marine Corps
Insights & Strategy, UX/UI, Media Strategy and Execution, Analytics & Measurement
Alongside the Launch Forth team, I led a digital marketing team to effectively drive engagement and activation of co-creators for the USMC Modular Logistics Vehicle project. Leveraging audience insights and research, we crafted targeted personas to guide our strategy. Our efforts yielded increased project memberships, design submissions, and community interaction through multi-channel campaigns. With a data-driven approach, we surpassed goals and optimized budgets, ensuring dynamic campaign adjustments for maximum reach and impact on the Launch Forth platform.
EIGHTHNOTE
Co-Founder. Vision, leadership, data & analytics, brand, product development.
Together alongside my co-founder, we launched Eighthnote, a pioneering wellness journey application, born from in-depth research and development, that redefines personal health and well-being management. By merging intuitive navigation with advanced biometric tracking, the app meticulously analyzes unique data alongside qualitative experiences, providing personalized insights into individual physiologies and wellness routines. Enables users to take informed control over their health, ensuring a more informed, empowered, and enjoyable wellness experience.
Allianz: Breaking Records With Adaptive Sports Technology
Insights & Strategy, UX/UI, Media Strategy and Execution, Analytics & Measurement
Allianz Super Human Sports project, aims to advance technology for adaptive sports. I led a team who worked to develop a competition targeted at an audience of tech-savvy, boundary pushing co-creators, that encouraged innovation in designing solutions to enhance the capabilities and participation of athletes with disabilities through an omni-channel, digital first engagement and activation approach.
Batch 64: Double Digit Growth in a Global Pandemic
Role: Director of Strategic Growth & Business Development
The regenerative substrates business was looking to reimagine their business model to stay competitive in a growing industry. Utilizing an updated brand strategy, growth models, disruptive strategy frameworks, ERP system integration, COVID-19 supply chain contingency planning, B2B selling strategy, team capacity evolution and agency management to grow 5x.
ALVARADO STREET BAKERY
The Ask: Introduce the brand to a newly positioned audience without alienating a dedicated older audience.
Using social listening, data analysis and other customer development channels we were able to successfully craft paid and organic media campaigns that generated brand awareness/lift, captured a new type of customer target, drove traffic in-store (and online channels as a pivot during COVID-19) and continued LTV of current customers through a new, multi-channel journey approach.
Content Strategy, Social Strategy & Execution, Paid Media, Creative Direction, Integrated Marketing & Experience Strategy, Audience Development
Agency: Veneer
Mommy’s Bliss: This is Bliss Campaign
Digital Campaign, Media Strategy, Paid Media Execution, Paid Social Media, SEM/SEO, Leadership Brand and Marketing Consulting
When you’re a new mom (or dad), things can be a wee bit overwhelming. Is he sleeping enough? What’s that weird face she’s making? Will he ever stop crying? Mommy’s Bliss gets it. The goal of this digital campaign was to remind parents that even when things aren’t going exactly as planned, you can find a moment of bliss (Mommy’s Bliss can help). The integrated “This is Bliss” campaign included endemic ad placements, ambassador outreach, paid social advertising and boosted post campaigns.
Agency: Veneer
Marketers love to argue. Not just because we’re passionate, but because far too many secretly believe that what worked for their team, their brand, their organization should work everywhere. It doesn’t.