Melissa Marasco |
Strategic Communications
I specialize in high-stakes strategic communications, executive thought leadership, and AI-driven brand storytelling. With almost 20 years of experience advising CEOs, tech innovators, and global brands, I help companies shape industry conversations, manage crises, and position themselves as market leaders.
Currently at Lyft, I lead product and brand communications across the entire portfolio, orchestrating earned attention strategies that transform rideshare into cultural moments. I've launched celebrity and influencer campaigns, created experiential activations, and built SEO/AEO content strategies that dominate both search and AI discovery platforms. My work spans from United Airlines and Waymo partnerships to driver advocacy programs—all driven by behavioral economics insights and data storytelling.
I have led communications for Amazon, Intuit, Zoox, LinkedIn, Cisco, and Guardant Health, crafting narratives that bridge AI, healthcare, fintech, and frontier technology. My expertise lies in translating complex innovations into compelling stories that resonate with investors, media, policymakers, and technical communities.
What I Do Best:
✅ Executive Positioning & Thought Leadership – I craft compelling, industry-defining narratives for CEOs and tech leaders, ensuring their voices lead global conversations through earned media and owned channels.
✅ Content Marketing & Strategic Storytelling – I architect long-term brand narratives that build equity over time, balancing performance marketing objectives with reputation-building content that drives both immediate conversions and lasting brand affinity.
✅ AI & Tech Communications – I simplify machine learning, autonomous vehicles, platform ecosystems, and AI ethics into strategic messaging that influences public perception and policy.
✅ Crisis & Reputation Management – I guide companies through leadership transitions, brand reinventions, and high-stakes crises with precision and credibility, leveraging SEO/AEO strategies to control the narrative across all discovery platforms.
✅ Earned Attention & Brand Relevance – I create cultural moments through celebrity partnerships, influencer campaigns, and experiential activations that generate organic buzz and position brands at the center of conversations.
✅ Integrated Communications Strategy – I unify earned, owned, and paid channels, ensuring every touchpoint—from search results to social feeds to AI responses—reinforces strategic brand narratives.
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Why Work With Me?
🔹 I advise C-suite executives and emerging tech leaders on shaping industry narratives through both immediate impact and long-term brand building.
🔹 I bridge the gap between technical complexity and mainstream influence, with deep expertise in technology communications from autonomous vehicles to AI platforms.
🔹 I thrive at the intersection of performance and brand marketing, understanding how to drive measurable results while building lasting reputation equity.
🔹 I bring a proven track record in celebrity/influencer partnerships and experiential marketing that creates authentic connections between brands and audiences.
I don’t just craft communications—I architect narratives that shape industries.
With a career spanning top-tier global brands, breakthrough technology, and AI-driven innovation, I've built reputations, defined leadership positions, and transformed complex ideas into compelling stories that drive market perception, investor confidence, and business growth.
I've had the privilege of working with some of the most recognized and beloved brands in the world, including Lyft, Amazon's Zoox, Intuit, Boeing, Cisco, Yahoo!, Coca-Cola, LinkedIn, Procter & Gamble, Lufthansa, Guardant Health, and XPrize—advising executives, launching category-defining innovations, and ensuring these brands don't just participate in conversations, but lead them.
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From Reputation Architect to Industry Shaper: A Career Built on Impact
🔹 Mastering Influence & Reputation Management
Starting in SEO and online reputation management, I learned early on how to shape narratives at scale, mastering content development, digital brand positioning, and strategic storytelling. This foundation now powers my approach to modern earned media—understanding how stories spread across channels and optimizing for both human audiences and algorithmic discovery.
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🔹 Elevating Brands Through Celebrity & Cultural Influence
At Nestlé's Jenny Craig, I led celebrity testimonial campaigns and oversaw a high-profile corporate rebrand with brand expert Martin Lindstrom. I managed integrated campaigns across advertising, media relations, and packaging, securing PEOPLE Magazine cover stories and amplifying brand affinity.
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🔹 Leveraging Psychographics & Values-Based Positioning
At Zenzi Communications, I pioneered psychographic-based communications strategies, aligning consumer values with brand storytelling. Leading Nestlé's award-winning CSR campaign, Communities Take Root, I executed 20+ large-scale events in 9 months, merging corporate impact with community engagement.
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🔹 Strategic Storytelling & Visual Influence for Billion-Dollar Brands
Joining Duarte, I partnered with founders, executives, and visionaries to craft high-impact messaging strategies. I helped develop brand-defining keynote speeches, coached CEOs, and even wrote a TED Talk for a New York Times best-selling author.
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🔹 Reputation, Category Leadership & Public Affairs in FinTech & AI
At Intuit, I redefined the company's technology reputation, launching Intuit Aid Assist and leading global corporate communications. At Amazon's Zoox, I was the first PR hire, bringing the company out of stealth mode and positioning it as a top leader in the autonomous vehicle space. My integrated public affairs campaign helped Zoox win PRSA Bronze Anvil and SABRE Finalist awards.
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🔹 Building Brand Equity in AI & Biotech
At Guardant Health, I led corporate brand strategy, unifying earned, owned, internal, and paid channels while positioning the company as the leader in AI-driven biotech. I drove brand storytelling, executive communications, and thought leadership in precision medicine.
🔹 Driving Earned Attention & Brand Relevance at Scale
At Lyft, I architect earned media strategies that transform product launches into cultural moments. Leading brand and product campaigns, I leverage behavioral economics and data storytelling to create narratives that resonate across demographics. I've built comprehensive SEO/AEO content strategies for owned channels, ensuring our stories dominate search and AI-driven discovery platforms. My integrated approach spans from high-profile partnerships with United Airlines and Waymo to grassroots advocacy campaigns.
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What’s Next: Elevating Leaders, Brands, and Innovations to Global Influence
I thrive at the intersection of AI, technology, and storytelling, helping companies and leaders:
✅ Own their category, define their space, and set the narrative for the future
✅ Turn technical complexity into compelling brand stories that drive action
✅ Build credibility, influence, and reputational capital in high-stakes industries
✅ Leverage behavioral economics and data insights to create narratives that spread organically
✅ Optimize content for modern discovery platforms—from search to social to AI
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