Andrea Cranford
Creative Director & Senior Copywriter With +12 Years of Experience Shaping Brand Stories
As a creative director, founder, and storyteller, I’ve created content for businesses of every size—from tiny startups to Fortune 500 giants—in industries including fashion, business, culture, healthcare, wellness, tech, and pharmaceuticals.
Skills & Competencies
Creative Direction
Great writers and creative directors understand brand identity, audience behavior, and how to provide designers and copywriters with actionable feedback.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
A great marketing campaign is never a solo act—it thrives on collaboration. An effective leader knows how to work with diverse talents, including designers, writers, strategists, and product experts.
Gen AI & Data-Driven Insights
Generative AI is no longer science fiction—it’s reshaping how we create. Great organizations need forward-thinking people ready to discover and embrace all of AI’s abilities.
Process Optimization
Creativity cannot thrive within a broken system. Project and process management paves the way for ideas, collaboration, and innovation.
Brand Storytelling
Every brand has a story—it’s the creative director’s role to show why it matters. Great storytelling creates connections that turn customers into loyal advocates.
Strategy
Creativity without strategy is dead. Content shouldn’t just look amazing; it should be purposeful, targeted, and drive measurable results.
Adtalem, Copy Manager
December 2022 - Present
When I learned that Adtalem Global Education is the #1 provider of advanced and medical degrees to women of color, I knew I wanted to write for them. In fact, Adtalem is the leading provider of healthcare education in the United States. As copy manager, I lead a team of freelance and in-house senior copywriters and communications managers.
Enhance team workflows and creativity by piloting the integration of AI tools, driving process efficiencies across multiple content streams.
Improve brand consistency by codifying brand voice across five institutions and ensuring cohesive messaging across digital, email, web, and social platforms.
Lead a team of 6 copywriters executing 100+ projects annually.
Develop audience connections through narrative by gathering and sharing authentic testimonials from students and faculty, aligning content with audience needs.
Portfolio Highlights
The Narrative ARC, Founder & Creative Director
January 2019- Present
The Narrative ARC is my love letter to the craft of writing. I created an organization to help writers understand what makes stories—the greatest and the most popular—tick.
I learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to customize the website and create courses, quizzes, and a podcast.
Increase subscriber engagement by 73% YoY through strategic content initiatives, including blog posts, eBooks, and online courses, leveraging SEO best practices.
Expand reach by 22% YoY by monitoring industry trends and tailoring content strategies to meet market needs.
Improve conversion rates by conducting A/B testing on targeted advertisements via Taboola and Google Ads, optimizing ad performance to engage niche audiences.
Introduce data-informed strategies to elevate creative decision-making, bridging the gap between storytelling and actionable insights.
Portfolio Highlights
Archer Malmo, Copywriter
August 2021 - December 2022
If you’re ever in Memphis, there’s a grand old tower overlooking the riverfront called the Cotton Exchange Building. On one of its highest floors, there’s a grand old agency with many new advertising awards piled into bins in the lobby like toys in a kindergarten cubby. That’s Archer Malmo, one of the world's largest and oldest independent advertising agencies. They have so many awards even Marie Kondo would have a nervous breakdown finding a place to store them.
At Archer, one of my favorite clients was Virbac, a global leader in the pet industry with products ranging from food to cancer-fighting pharmaceuticals.
I even wrote and ideated campaigns that won three VETTY Awards in 2023 for outstanding work in animal health advertising, marketing, design, and public relations.
Developed brand frameworks for healthcare products, translating complex pharmaceutical concepts into accessible content for diverse audiences.
Ensured alignment with brand strategy and client objectives by guiding end-to-end creative campaigns, from ideation to client presentation to launch.
Collaborate with the marketing team, account services team, and art directors to develop creative strategies and positioning.
Portfolio Highlights
TJX Digital Companies, Lead Copywriter
September 2014 - July 2021
As the lead copywriter of an 8-member copywriter team, I edited and approved nearly 700+ copy records daily. In 2018, I partnered with the operations, photography, and merchandising teams to deliver over 100,000 copy records to tjmaxx.com, double what we did the previous year. In September 2019, I helped launch marshalls.com.
Supported the generation of $500M in sales in 2019 by overseeing copywriting and editing for over 100,000 product and digital content pieces across TJX brands (T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods).
Increased workflow efficiency by 35% through collaboration with marketing and software development teams, contributing to creating a proprietary content management system (CMS).
Maintained brand consistency by creating and enforcing style guides, ensuring seamless customer experience across e-commerce and digital channels.
Mentored junior writers, providing feedback and approvals to ensure high-quality, SEO-optimized content aligned with the company’s brand voice.
Portfolio Highlights
Sandbox Studio, Photographer and Copywriter
May 2013 - September 2014
At Sandbox Studio, I prepped, styled, and photographed thousands of products and models for e-commerce.
As I moved into the copywriter position, I promoted brand consistency and streamlined production by creating style guides for clients and ensuring alignment across all digital platforms.
Enhanced audience engagement by conducting market and customer research and producing tailored content that resonated with target demographics.
Managed fast-paced content cycles for over 20 product categories, consistently meeting deadlines while upholding company quality standards.
Portfolio Highlights
WholeStory Freelance, Owner
January 2011 - 2016
Designed and wrote content for promotional brochures, postcards, and flyers using Photoshop and InDesign.
Created content for websites and blogs.
Wrote press releases for distribution.
Portfolio Highlights
At Home Memphis & MidSouth, Content Writer
January 2013 - June 2013
Wrote long-form articles on subjects including fashion, beauty, art, history, and food.
Conducted research into consumer beauty, style, and fashion trends.
Contacted various agencies and PR firms to coordinate photography and interviews for the magazine.
Portfolio Highlights
Full Text Portfolio Available By Request
Full Text Portfolio Available By Request
Education
The University of Liverpool
M.Sc., Data Science and AI
Expected 2026
Lesley University
M.F.A., Creative Writing
Graduated September 2022
The University of Memphis
B.A. Journalism, Advertising, summa cum laude
Graduated May 2013