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
Copywriting & 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 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 and great organizations need forward-thinking people ready to discover and embrace all of AI’s abilities.
Process Optimization
Creativity cannot exist within a broken system. Project and process management paves the way for ideas, collaboration, and innovation.
Brand Storytelling
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.
The Problem
With five institutions and thousands of projects in motion, maintaining brand consistency, enhancing creativity, and creating connections across every channel was a real challenge.
My Solution
I built a team culture focused on clarity, creativity, and collaboration. As copy manager, I lead six in-house and freelance copywriters producing over 1,400 projects a year. Together, we’ve:
Enhanced workflows and creativity by piloting AI tools that streamline processes and spark new ideas.
Improved brand consistency by codifying voice and messaging across five institutions and every digital touchpoint.
Deepened audience connection by gathering and sharing authentic student and faculty stories that bring each brand’s purpose to life.
The Result
Our team now works more efficiently, produces more cohesive and impactful content, and tells stories that genuinely connect with students, alumni, and partners. Brand voice now reflects each institution’s unique identity and every message we create reinforces Adtalem’s mission to help more people rise through education.
Portfolio Highlights
The Narrative ARC, Founder & Creative Director
January 2019- Present
Since 2019, I’ve poured my passion for storytelling into The Narrative ARC, a creative learning platform I built from the ground up to help writers understand what makes great stories work.
The Problem
I saw too many writers struggling to bridge the gap between loving stories and understanding why they resonate. There was no clear, engaging space that unpacked the mechanics of storytelling in a way that felt both analytical and creative.
My Solution
I created The Narrative ARC as my love letter to the craft of writing. To bring it to life, I learned HTML, CSS, and JavaScript so I could design and build a fully customized website with interactive courses, quizzes, and a podcast. I also used data-informed creative strategies to grow the community, including:
Increasing subscriber engagement by 73% year over year through blog posts, eBooks, and online courses built on SEO best practices.
Expanding reach by 22% year over year by monitoring industry trends and tailoring content to meet writers’ evolving needs.
Improving conversion rates through A/B testing and ad optimization on Taboola and Google Ads.
Integrating data and storytelling to guide creative decisions and measure what truly connects with audiences.
The Result
The Narrative ARC has grown into a thriving community that blends creativity with strategy. Writers are engaging more deeply, content performance continues to rise, and the platform has become a place where craft and curiosity meet to reveal why stories matter.
Portfolio Highlights
Archer Malmo, Copywriter
August 2021 - December 2022
If you’re ever in Memphis, you might spot a grand old tower overlooking the riverfront called the Cotton Exchange Building. On one of its upper floors sits Archer Malmo, one of the world’s largest and oldest independent advertising agencies. Their lobby is filled with bins of creative awards, the kind of sight that could make Marie Kondo break into a cold sweat. It was there that I discovered my love for blending storytelling with strategy.
The Problem
Virbac, a global leader in the pet industry, needed to translate complex healthcare and pharmaceutical products into messages that resonated with pet owners and veterinary professionals. The challenge was to communicate science in a way that inspired trust while still feeling warm, clear, and human.
My Solution
I focused on transforming technical information into meaningful, audience-driven storytelling by:
Developing brand frameworks that connected complex pharmaceutical concepts to clear, relatable messaging.
Collaborating across teams in marketing, account services, and art direction to ensure every campaign aligned with brand strategy and client objectives.
Guiding the creative process from ideation through client presentation to launch to maintain cohesion and impact.
The Result
The work found its audience. Our campaigns helped Virbac share complex ideas in ways that felt clear, genuine, and human. The storytelling balanced science with heart and strengthened trust among veterinary professionals and pet owners. Several campaigns earned three VETTY Awards in 2023, recognizing excellence in animal health advertising.
Portfolio Highlights
TJX Digital Companies, Lead Copywriter
September 2014 - July 2021
I first began working with T.J. Maxx and Marshalls through Sandbox Studio, the creative agency TJX partnered with on its e-commerce expansion. After several months of collaboration, TJX invited me in-house, where I eventually led a team of eight copywriters responsible for shaping TJX’s new digital presence.
The Problem
If you’ve ever wandered through the aisles of T.J. Maxx or Marshalls, you know the thrill of the treasure hunt. The ever-changing merchandise, the unexpected finds, the satisfaction of leaving with something you didn’t know you needed.
The challenge was how to take that beloved in-store experience and translate it into a digital space without losing that unique spark. The task required scaling massive amounts of content while maintaining true to the brand’s playful sense of discovery.
My Solution
As the lead copywriter of an eight-member team, I worked to capture the brand’s spirit while scaling digital content for two major site launches by:
Delivered over 100,000 copy records to tjmaxx.com in 2018, doubling the previous year’s output through collaboration with operations, photography, and merchandising teams.
Helped launch marshalls.com in September 2019, extending the in-store personality to an online audience.
Improved workflow efficiency by 35% by partnering with marketing and software development teams to build a proprietary content management system (CMS).
Maintained brand consistency by creating and enforcing style guides that unified the voice across e-commerce and digital platforms.
Mentored junior and senior copywriters and reviewing more than 700 copy records daily to ensure quality, accuracy, and SEO alignment.
The Result
Our work helped generate more than $500 million in online sales in 2019 across TJX brands by capturing the excitement of discovery in a new format. The transition from live to virtual kept the brand’s loyal following engaged while welcoming a new wave of online shoppers. It proved that even brands known for their brick-and-mortar experience can thrive online when the storytelling stays true to what people love most.
Portfolio Highlights
Sandbox Studio, Photographer and Copywriter
May 2013 - September 2014
The Problem
Sandbox Studio partnered with top retail and lifestyle brands that needed to bring thousands of products online quickly and consistently. The work demanded efficiency, accuracy, and creative alignment across teams of stylists, photographers, and copywriters. The challenge was keeping production on schedule while ensuring every piece of content reflected the client’s unique brand identity.
My Solution
I began at Sandbox Studio on the production side, prepping, styling, and photographing thousands of products and models for e-commerce. When I transitioned into copywriting, I focused on improving both process and quality by:
Promoting brand consistency through the creation of client-specific style guides and editorial standards across digital platforms.
Enhancing audience engagement through market and customer research that informed tailored, on-brand content.
Streamlining production workflows to keep up with fast-paced content cycles spanning more than 20 product categories.
Upholding quality standards by balancing creative alignment with the speed and precision large-scale retail demanded.
The Result
The team delivered cohesive, high-quality content that met client expectations and production deadlines at scale. Our streamlined processes reduced bottlenecks, improved collaboration across creative departments, and helped brands maintain a consistent digital presence that resonated with their audiences.
Portfolio Highlights
At Home Memphis & MidSouth, Intern
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