Creative Strategy · Brand Narrative Architecture · Growth Systems
As a strategist, I help organizations clarify what they are saying, align it with what they are doing, and connect both to what their audience actually needs... driving real brand and business results.
I do this in three steps:
1. Diagnose & Expand:
Strategic listening and research to surface high-leverage opportunities.
2. Frame & Align:
Narrative and structural frameworks that align teams internally and connect go to market strategies to market signals.
3. Deliver & Drive:
Translating insights into creative that moves culture and business outcomes.
Each of the cases studies above started with a structural line of inquiry:
What under-articulated, high-leverage opportunities is an organization sitting with or overlooking? And how can it help teams clarify their posture, align their voice, and build systems
that don’t just say who they are, but behave like it?
This helps teams clarify their story, align their actions, and connect both to real market needs. The result is outcomes people can feel, trust, and act on.
In short: I listen for what already wants to happen, and I help it arrive.
I blend systems thinking, human centered storytelling, and timeless visual craft to deliver work that moves the needle, especially where story, structure, and human connection meet.
If you’re looking to translate complexity into strategy, or align your brand’s ambition with how it moves in the world, I’d love to chat.
Developed competitive audit and category analysis (messaging deconstruction, business model mapping, funnel-stage content review) across product category — surfacing structural vulnerabilities and defining a positioning whitespace (emotional and cultural) Microsoft could credibly own.
Led audience research and brand positioning (behavioral insight synthesis, AI sentiment analysis, consumer psychology mapping) to diagnose Copilot's ~10% activation gap as an unarticulated design philosophy (not a product failure) and develop a Humanist consumer brand platform / UX philosophy that converts AI anxiety into a structural growth position; adopted into Microsoft Consumer Products Marketing's strategic agenda.
Developed messaging architecture, governance principles, and narrative frameworks (ecosystem positioning, messaging hierarchy, brief development) across Copilot, Windows, Surface, Edge, and M365, creating a unified consumer story system and go-to-market sequencing model for VP-level stakeholders.
Developed GTM strategy for new Microsoft premium hardware SKU (problem framing, ICP definition, qualitative insight analysis, competitive positioning, campaign architecture, creative creative platform) repositioning the product from spec competition to socially-felt workflow edge: the layer where Apple's "it just works" starts negotiating with you.
+5x engagement; +365% site traffic from social — Led a social strategy (“Rewilding the Web”) shifting from promotion to participation; pivoted KPIs to high-intent behaviors (shares, saves, comments) tied to loyalty and advocacy.
2x corporate membership revenue — Owned a B2B LinkedIn program framing membership as access to early cultural shifts; partnered with Development to build narrative, KPI framework, lead pool, and compounding content strategy.
-91% CPC ($0.62 to $0.06) — Built a real-time GA4 + social + sentiment dashboard; surfaced high-performing themes (e.g., “Visual Delights” at 8% ER) and guided audience-first editorial pivots across posts, stories, and link flows.
Originated and built a Hinge profile for the Museum itself (not an avatar), powered by a custom AI trained on 50 years of writing to converse with matches, inviting top matches to the reopening gala; greenlit and integrated into the campaign.
Generated $7M+ in primary sales by developing and pitching RarePass Genesis, a first‑of‑its‑kind NFT subscription launched during a crypto market downturn, which reignited long-tail engagement among users.
+30% YoY social growth — Defined brand narrative and messaging pillars aligning product, artist, and collector incentives; reframed platform perception during volatility.
Led campaign strategy and narrative frameworks that reframed crypto art, aligning collector psychology, platform incentives, and broader economic context; messages like “Spend Less on Your Art” and “Never Been a Better Time to Collect” leveraged deep audience insight and platform fluency.
7.7M+ impressions; Google Trends 100; record DAUs — Co-developed Duolingo Push, turning user criticism into a self-aware activation that spiked brand heat and usage.
+61% client revenue — Designed segmented B2B targeting and narrative-led video funnels; balanced authenticity and sensitivity for a veterans’ mental health brand.
Led cross-disciplinary teams across strategy, creative, and production; owned scoping, schedules, and pipelines from brief to delivery for multi-channel campaigns Clients include Duolingo, Nike, Vans, Bleacher Report.
Led teams of up to 30 creatives towards a singular goal. This included ideation, writing, aligning collective visions, managing budgets and timelines, hiring and mentoring talent, directing and course-correcting (when necessary), as well as sharing the praise with my team, every step of the way.
Create curriculum, lead classes, breakdown complex subjects into more manageable lesson plans, as well as mentor students through assignments in production and film history classes.
Create curriculum, lead classes, breakdown complex subjects into more manageable lesson plans, as well as mentor students through assignments in video production classes.
Brand & Content Strategy · Cross-Functional Collaboration · Team Management · Budget Oversight
Social Campaigns (Paid & Organic) · Conversion Optimization · Analytics & Funnel Design
Narrative Development · Video & Editorial Production · Brand Voice & Messaging Systems
Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · LinkedIn · X · Social Commerce · Influencer Strategy
AI-Enhanced Content · SEO · Adobe Suite · DaVinci Resolve · Agile Production
Rafael was great to work with. He negotiated the tension between time constraints and quality in a way I much admired. He was flexible, meticulous and his superb craft is on display through the project. Rafael brought enthusiasm, curiosity and professionalism, and went over and beyond expectations.
Rafael brings a unique sensibility to Production. He is technically and artistically gifted and his work ethics on set makes you feel in good hands all the way through the shooting process.
Rafael is a phenomenal collaborator. He and his team work quickly and efficiently, helping us stay on (and sometimes ahead of) schedule. He's both a skilled strategist and a gifted artist. Any team would be lucky to have him. Highly recommended.
A man so casual and infectiously kind, Rafael’s attention to detail and skillful set doctoring literally turned night for day. It was truly a pleasure having him shoulder-to-shoulder with me behind that camera.
©2026 Rafael Abreu-Canedo