Brand Strategy
In my Fall 2025 Brand Strategy course, I worked on two client-facing campaigns, conducting both secondary and primary research to surface actionable insights for real brands with real business challenges.
Fan Engagement & Digital Experience
The Thunder challenged us to recreate the electricity of a live game through their app. Through research into their fanbase, which skews younger, male, and increasingly out-of-state, we pushed past surface-level UX assumptions to identify what actually drives digital engagement. Our recommendations included an app redesign prioritizing intuitive navigation, a fan rewards program, and personalized in-app experiences. We also identified an untapped opportunity: adapting the rich player-profile features popularized by sports betting platforms into a non-betting context native to the Thunder brand.
Reaching Emerging Adults
BOK Financial wanted to become the long-term financial partner of choice for Gen Z, a generation that defies easy assumptions. Our research revealed three unexpected truths: Gen Z is less concerned with data privacy than brands think; they actively avoid money conversations, ranking them below even politics; and despite being digital natives, they crave human connection, especially when navigating major financial milestones. These insights shaped a strategy centered on meeting Gen Z where they are emotionally, not just digitally.
Advertising Media
As part of a nine-person team, I contributed to a full media plan for Snickers, one of the world’s most iconic candy brands. My focus was on secondary research and building the budget flowchart with my team lead, turning our strategic decisions into a clear, defensible financial structure. The project pushed me to develop practical Excel skills and, more importantly, taught me to support every recommendation with confidence.
Note: The section of the final deck below captures our strategic foundation — research, insights, and planning — prior to execution and creative mockups.
Creative Work
The best strategies are creative, and the best creative work is strategic. These pieces reflect my ability to think beyond the brief, whether that means finding an unexpected angle or simply knowing what will resonate with an audience.
Marshall Amplifiers – “A Clingy Love Affair”
A Valentine’s Day campaign personifying the MS2 Micro Stack as the companion that never leaves your side.
Canon – “The Places You’ve Been“
Gen Z’s camera roll is cluttered with screenshots, shopping carts, and texts never meant to be kept. This campaign was built around a different kind of photo: the ones that get framed, passed around the dinner table, and sent to grandparents.
Pocket-sized and high quality, the PowerShot G7 X Mark III is for anyone who wants to be intentional about what they capture. “The Places You’ve Been” positions it as a companion for any adventure, big or small.
To bring the campaign to life, I conceptualized a Canon and airline partnership. Branded photobooths in airports that would double as boarding pass kiosks, turning a mundane travel ritual into a first touchpoint with the brand before the adventure even begins.
I also conceptualized a apparel partnership: jeans with a Canon PowerShot pocket imprint, a nod to the camera’s defining feature. Instead of the outline of a phone or a tin of dip, your pocket tells a different story. The look would be placed across high-traffic public spaces, turning everyday wear into a walking billboard for the brand.
Lindsay Ashford 