Hi, I'm Melina Gyftopoulos.

said like a gift: GIFT-op-oh-lus

Advertising junior at the University of Florida

Ideas worth unwrapping.

Melina with creator Emma Chamberlain on a street in Cannes — Bumping into my favorite creator, Emma Chamberlain, at Cannes Lions 2025. She proves being real beats being perfect, and I bring that into everything I make.

I love live musical theatre. It's where I learned how one song can make a whole room understand, and feel, a big idea.

Advertising is the same art: making a big idea land in a small moment, like a post, an experience or a video. I take what a brand needs to say and make it easy to get and hard to forget.

Every project here starts the same way: listen to the audience, find the one true insight, then pick the format that fits the story.

Storytelling
Brand voice
Social activations
Content creation
Short-form video
Social research
Editorial calendars
Live event coverage
Community engagement
Creator partnerships
Brand partnerships
Third-party branded campaigns
Experiential activations
Campaign development
Pitching
Scripts and storyboards
Audience research
Social listening
Performance analytics

I tell stories people stop scrolling for.

Advertising junior at the University of Florida, Student Assistant Marketing Specialist at UF Warrington, Social Media Director at Strike Magazine GNV and Summer 2026 Marketing Intern at Degy Entertainment. Every post and campaign here came down to a few choices: the format, the voice, the moment and the platform. This portfolio shows what I chose, and why.

200K+

views on content I've created for UF Warrington, Strike Magazine, Delta Gamma, Swamp Records and brands like Kate Spade and Peppermayo.

4.5MInstagram views in 90 days, up 44.7%UF Warrington InstagramAs Student Assistant Marketing Specialist
39Kviews, 132 sharesWorld Cup Sticker Book × Study AbroadUF Warrington
38.1Kviews, 681 likesTop 5 Horror MoviesUF Warrington
+301%TikTok post views in 60 daysGrowing Strike's TikTokAs Social Media Director, Strike Magazine GNV

Brands I've created content for

Tools I work in

Certified by Meta, HubSpot Academy and Canva

Sprout Social
Meta Business Suite
Instagram Insights
TikTok Studio
Adobe
Canva
Microsoft Office
Outlook
Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Google Workspace
Google Docs
Google Sheets
Google Slides
Slack

The work, and my thinking

Twenty-five projects, sorted by the kind of work. Each one ends with the creative choices I made and why I made them. Posts marked Real results went live with real numbers behind them. Concept projects are ideas, briefs and mock-ups.

Social media marketing

Posted for UF Warrington, Strike Magazine, Rowdy Magazine, Delta Gamma and Swamp Records

What this covers

Concepting, designing and posting for Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok
Filming and editing short-form video
Reacting to cultural moments in real time

UF Warrington Instagram, last 90 days

I joined the UF Warrington College of Business in April as a Social Media Committee member. After consistently showing up and getting the work done, I was chosen for a paid role as Student Assistant Marketing Specialist. These are the account's numbers from August 13 to November 10, 2026.

4.5Mviews, up 44.7%

15,538followers, up 9.6%

+1,354net new followers

1 / 7

Real resultsMay 2026

39Kviews

132shares

648likes

World Cup Sticker Book × Study Abroad Programs

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington

The brief: Showcase UF Warrington's study abroad programs to students who want to go abroad, and get them excited about international experience and cross-cultural career skills.
The insight: Our students were already counting down to the World Cup. They didn't need convincing to care about other countries.
My idea: A World Cup sticker book where every page is a country with a Warrington study abroad program: England, Korea, Spain, Japan and France. The last page asks students to share their own photos and follow @HeavenerAbroad. Built around three pillars: Cultural Immersion, Global Business and Student Life.

Why I made these choices

A sticker book. World Cup sticker albums are a tradition fans have collected for generations, so the format brought out nostalgia for students and adults alike. It said "World Cup" before anyone read a word, and collecting countries felt a lot like collecting study abroad destinations.
Only Warrington program countries. The whole point was to put Warrington's study abroad programs in front of students thinking about going abroad. Every sticker matched a real program, so the fun always led to somewhere a student could actually go.
Real students in the photos. The pictures showed current Warrington students studying abroad, so students considering it could see people like them already there and picture themselves next.
A different cut for each platform. Students scroll Instagram for fun and LinkedIn for their careers, so I framed the same idea around culture on one and global business on the other.

1 / 8

Real resultsJuly 2026

31.8Kviews

521likes

32new followers

20+new bio mentions

The Red Card Post

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington

The moment: News broke about a red card rule change for the USMNT, and the whole feed was talking about it.
My idea: Turn the rule into a joke about everyday student life, and post it while the story was still hot. Relatable, quick and funny.
The lesson: Social listening plus fast turnaround beat a perfect plan. The post drove a spike in new follows and got students adding @ufwarrington to their bios.

Why I made these choices

Speed over polish. A real-time post only works while the news is still hot. A perfect post a week later would have missed the moment.
Student life, not soccer. The rule change was the hook, but the joke had to be about our students' own lives. That's what makes people tag their friends.
Funny on purpose. A relatable joke gets shared peer to peer in a way an announcement never does.

Real resultsOctober 2026

38.1Kviews

681likes

57shares

Top 5 Horror Movies

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington

The moment: Halloween, when every feed is full of horror movie lists.
The insight: The scariest things for a business student aren't in theaters. They're a 15-minute walk in business professional on a hot day, "no seats available" for the class you really wanted, running out of breath on the Heavener stairs, booking a study room during exam week, and sudden Gainesville rain with no umbrella.
My idea: A top-5 list of Warrington "canon events" over a campus Reel, with the caption "Canon events... Did we miss any??" so students would add their own.

Why I made these choices

Borrow October's favorite format. Everyone posts horror movie lists at Halloween. Using a format people already know did half the work.
Painfully specific moments. The Heavener stairs and "no seats available" only make sense to our students. That specificity is what makes them feel seen.
End on a question. "Did we miss any?" turned the post into a conversation and pulled people into the comments.

This episode: BUMP

Real results

BUMP episode

13.8Kviews

7,041accounts reached

53shares

181likes

Earlier Outside the Classroom post

8.3Kviews

3.4%engagement

55shares

Warrington Outside the Classroom

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington

The audience: Incoming freshmen trying to picture what their first year will actually feel like.
My idea: Show the side of Warrington a campus tour can't: student leaders, model TED talks and the community that comes with them, the "FLAmily."
This episode: BUMP, the only Heavener-sponsored mentorship program. Its members answer who can get involved, why they joined and their favorite activity, with each question as a bold on-screen title, and the video ends with BUMP's Instagram.
The result: The BUMP episode, posted as a collab with @uf_bump, reached 7,041 accounts with 13.8K views and 53 shares. An earlier Outside the Classroom post earned 55 shares on 8.3K views, the highest engagement rate of the Warrington posts here.

Why I made these choices

Show what a tour can't. Incoming freshmen have seen the buildings. What they really want to know is whether they'll belong.
People over places. Student leaders, TED-style talks and the "FLAmily" answer that question better than any campus shot.
Made to be sent. I built it as something a student would forward to a friend who's about to start, which is why both posts drew so many shares.
Members, not a script. Hearing real students explain why they joined is more convincing than any description of a program.
Questions as titles. Each new question pops up on screen, so viewers always know what's coming.

Real results

17.1Kviews on the top TikTok

20K+views across posts

950+likes

Strike Magazine Casting Call

Social Media Assistant, Strike Magazine

The brief: Get new models to show up to the campus casting call for Issue 16.
My idea: Show people what a casting call actually looks like. Quick action clips of the diverse student crowd, the casting team and the brand ambassadors, cut to a brand-new Harry Styles release.
The craft: I filmed, edited and produced every video.

Why I made these choices

Show it, don't tell it. Seeing what a casting call actually looks like takes away the fear of walking in.
A diverse crowd on screen. I filmed a wide mix of students so anyone watching could picture themselves there.
A brand-new Harry Styles song. Fresh, trending audio gave the videos energy and helped them reach students who don't follow Strike yet.

Real resultsSeptember 2026

+301%post views in 60 days

+392%likes in 60 days

12.8Kviews on this post

52new followers from it

Strike Magazine: Campus Street Style, and a TikTok That Grew

Social Media Director, Strike Magazine GNV

My role: I lead Strike's social media team of 10 assistants, and I edited this post myself.
The post: A street-style interview on campus. We stop a student, ask what song they're listening to, then break down their outfit piece by piece, all in 12 seconds.
This post: 12.8K views, 921 likes and 52 new followers, with nearly 1 in 4 viewers watching to the very end.
The account: Over the last 60 days with my team, Strike's TikTok grew to 52.8K post views, up 301%. Likes rose 392%, comments 350% and shares 298%.

Why I made these choices

Street style on our own campus. It's a format fashion TikTok already loves, and real UF students as the models make it feel like Strike's world, not a catalog.
Open with a question. "What song are you listening to?" is a quick, personal hook that makes people stay for the answer and the outfit.
Keep it short. At 12 seconds, the outfit breakdown moves fast enough that people watch it through and replay it.
One clear direction for the team. With 10 assistants filming, a shared vision is what makes every post feel like Strike, no matter who shot it.

1 / 7

Real results

Best Gville Hookup Spots

251shares

683likes

14comments

How to Survive a Situationship

221likes

23shares

17comments

Rowdy Magazine: Campus Humor Carousels

Social Media Coordinator, Rowdy Magazine at UF

The brief: Make Instagram content UF students can't help but share.
My idea: Two carousels that say what students are already joking about. "Rowdy Reports: Best Gville Hookup Spots" ranks real campus landmarks in a mock study "conducted exclusively through overheard conversations at Library West." "How to Survive a Situationship" lists 12 red flags with wrong answers only.

Why I made these choices

Parody a newspaper. The "Rowdy Reports" headline, torn newsprint and "Read all about it!" banner make an absurd topic feel like breaking news, which is the joke.
Real UF landmarks. Reitz, Century Tower and Marston only land with UF students, so they feel like the post was made for them.
Wrong answers only. It's a format people already know from comment sections, and it lets every red flag get a ridiculous excuse.
Numbered lists that make you swipe. A countdown gives people a reason to keep going to the last slide.

"Racing to Meet" story, 4,156 views
"Meet you at the Courtside," featuring Bloom

1 / 2

Real results

4,156views on one story

3,038unique viewers

45%of viewers were non-followers

42profile visits

Delta Gamma Spirit Week Stories

Story content creator, Delta Gamma at UF (@ufdeltagamma, 16.6K followers)

The brief: Build hype for spirit week on a 16.6K-follower chapter account, with a new theme each day.
My idea: Give every theme its own visual world. "Racing to Meet" turns a phone camera frame into an F1 track, and "Meet you at the Courtside" is a tennis-club Polaroid collage with embroidered patches, gingham lettering and Bloom drinks.
The result: The racing story reached 4,156 views from 3,038 people, and almost half of them didn't follow the account, so the content traveled beyond the chapter. It also drew 19 likes, 6 shares and 42 profile visits.

Why I made these choices

Commit to the theme. Tire tracks, checkered flags and tennis patches make each day instantly recognizable while someone taps through stories.
Design for the tap. Stories get skipped in a second, so each one leads with a bold visual and one clear line.
Make it feel like a magazine. Polaroids, stickers and textures give a chapter account the polish of a lifestyle brand.

Trend video: Buboy & the Nancys
Concert crowd trend

1 / 2

Real results

6.5K+views

650+likes

20+shares

Swamp Records TikToks

Short-Form Content Creator, Swamp Records

The brief: Make shareable, trend-driven content that helps fans get to know the label's artists.
My idea: Interviews that feel like a conversation. I ask the questions, get artists relaxed enough to have fun with their answers, and keep only the best moments.
The craft: Editing the raw footage for pacing, so every second earns the next one.

Why I made these choices

A conversation, not a Q&A. Relaxed answers show personality, and personality is what makes fans follow an artist.
Keep only the best moments. Short-form has no room for filler, so every cut had to earn the next second.

Cannes Lions 2025

Studying abroad at the International Festival of Creativity

What I did there

Selected from students in UF's College of Journalism and Communications as 1 of 30 to represent UF at the festival
One of 4 students chosen to run a brand activation for Factory 360, an experiential marketing company
Networked with industry professionals
Pitched a commercial for Bonne Maman with my team

Huge nighttime crowd outside the Gutter Bar across from the Hotel Martinez in Cannes — The crowd outside the Gutter Bar after the ceremonies

Melina with fellow volunteers in matching white Factory 360 t-shirts at the Gutterball activation — Our team in Factory 360 shirts

Real eventJune 2025

300+QR code scans

4 of 30UF students chosen to run the activation

The Gutterball: Guerrilla Activation at Cannes Lions

Brand Activation Volunteer, Factory 360

The stage: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 2025: the biggest week of the year for the advertising industry.
The activation: The Gutterball, a guerrilla activation by Factory 360, a brand and experiential marketing company, at the Gutter Bar. It's a high-traffic spot where crowds pour in right after the award ceremonies.
My role: Out of the 30 UF students at the festival, I was one of 4 chosen to run the activation on the ground. I talked with a huge number of attendees, explained the activation and got them to scan QR codes to connect and work with Factory 360, for more than 300 scans. Everyone who scanned got Factory 360 merch.

Why I made these choices

I volunteered. I wanted to be hands-on. Watching an activation from the side teaches you less than being in the crowd making it happen.
Start a conversation first. In a crowd that has seen every ad, a QR code alone gets ignored. Talking to people face to face is what got them to stop and listen, and handing out merch to people who scanned gave them a reason to follow through.
Learning from the placement. The Gutter Bar fills up right after the ceremonies, when the whole industry is out and talking. It showed me how much the right place and moment matter to a guerrilla idea.

1 / 9

Concept and mock-upsJune 2025

Bonne Maman: A Commercial Pitch at Cannes

Team pitch with Ava Fore, Isabel Bruning and Jane Ruppel, Cannes Lions 2025

The problem: College students want to eat better, but they're overwhelmed by "healthy" products with ingredient lists they can't pronounce, and they're on a budget. Many assume every jam is overly processed and sugary.
The brief: Get college students who want a wholesome lifestyle to feel that Bonne Maman supports it, by showing it's made with simple, natural ingredients they can recognize.
My idea: A sunlit commercial that follows apricots from the orchard straight into the jar, then to a picnic with friends. No flashy claims, just real food. I built the storyboard in Adobe.
The line: In a world full of labels we can't trust, Bonne Maman is refreshingly honest.

Why I made these choices

Start with a feeling students know. Everyone has picked up something "healthy" and found an ingredient list they can't read. Opening there makes the problem personal.
Show the ingredients, don't list them. Watching whole apricots become jam proves "simple and natural" better than any label claim.
Honest over trendy. Bonne Maman doesn't need to be flashy. Its simplicity is the selling point, so the spot is calm and warm on purpose.

Creator partnerships

For UF Warrington, Strike Magazine and Degy Entertainment

What this covers

Finding a creator who fits the brand
Bringing them the idea and briefing them
Editing their footage into the final post
Designing creator programs that can scale

1 / 11

Internship proposalSummer 2026

Pitchedto the Operations Director

Sent to the CEOforwarded by the Operations Director

Degy Insiders: A Student Creator Network

Summer 2026 Marketing Intern, Degy Entertainment

What I saw: Degy produces 3,000+ events a year across markets, but a centralized team can't capture content at every one. Footage was inconsistent, which limited recaps, testimonials, case studies and sales content, and national posts couldn't always feel campus-specific.
My idea: Degy Insiders: a pilot network of one or two student ambassadors per campus, at colleges where Degy already has confirmed events. Each ambassador plays three roles: Event Promoter, Event Correspondent and Brand Ambassador.
The plan: Every event gets a brief: 2 story posts, a promo video and a tracked link before it, then 5 vertical clips, 3 attendee reactions and crowd shots during it. Launch at 3 to 5 campuses, then evaluate quality, reach, traffic, client feedback, cost and team workload.
The result: I presented the pitch to Degy's Operations Director. He liked it so much that he forwarded it to the company's CEO.

Why I made these choices

Students instead of a bigger central team. A local student brings three things a national team can't: campus reach, authentic reactions and footage Degy can reuse in future sales.
Start where Degy already has events. Piloting at campuses with confirmed events and existing client relationships keeps the risk low and the results easy to measure.
Briefs, a toolkit and safeguards. Clear shot lists, brand voice guides, usage rights and disclosure rules make student content consistent and trustworthy enough to actually use.
KPIs beyond views. I added content value and program health, like cost per usable asset and team hours, so the pilot can prove it's worth scaling.

Peppermayo try-on haul, 4.1K views
Kate Spade, 1.4K views
Altar'd State, 1.3K views
Peppermayo halter top, 980 views
Windsor, 908 views

1 / 5

Gifted collaborationAugust–September 2026

8,656views across 5 TikToks

599likes

97comments

4.1Kviews on the top video

Gifted Brand Collaborations

Creator, my personal TikTok

The brands: Kate Spade, Altar'd State, Peppermayo and Windsor sent me products to create content for.
The content: Five TikToks, each built around a real moment: a Strike social, a group outfit, a styling guide, an unboxing and a Peppermayo try-on haul featuring the Dianah Scarf Maxi Dress, my top post at 4.1K views.
Why it matters: Being the creator taught me what a good brief looks like from the other side, which makes me better at running creator partnerships for brands.

Why I made these choices

Put the product in a real moment. A bag at a social or dresses with friends feels like my life, not an ad, so viewers trust it.
Match the format to the product. Boots get an unboxing, a top gets a styling guide and a dress gets a try-on, because each one answers the question a shopper would ask.
Keep it short. Most videos run about 12 seconds, quick enough to rewatch.

Real resultsAugust 2026

16.2Kviews

2.5%engagement, about 1.5x average

47comments

Day in My Life: Student Creator Partnership

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington (creator partnership and video editing)

The brief: Show students what a real day as a Warrington Peer Leader looks like, without it sounding like a brochure, and get them to apply before Peer Leader applications opened on August 31.
The creator: I found a second-year finance student whose voice felt real and on-brand, and handled every conversation with her from the first ask to the final cut.
The craft: I edited her clips into a 7AM-to-7PM Reel that sounds like her, not like the college.
The result: The student-led Reel earned about 1.5x the account's average engagement and more comments than any other recent post.

Why I made these choices

A student instead of the college. Students trust other students more than any institution. Her voice could say things ours couldn't.
A 7AM-to-7PM structure. A clear start and finish gives the Reel a built-in story arc and a reason to keep watching.
Edit for her voice. I cut the footage so it sounds like her, not like a brochure. That authenticity is the whole point.

Real resultsSeptember 2026

3.2Kviews

121likes

4.3%engagement

16new followers

Gameday GRWM: Creator-Led Brand Content

Strike Magazine (concept, creator selection and briefing)

The brief: Tie Strike's fashion voice to the biggest ritual on campus every fall weekend: gameday.
My idea: "Get Ready With Strike," UF Gameday Edition. Getting ready is already the fun part of gameday, so that's where the brand belongs.
The creator: I picked a Strike staff member to star and briefed her on the concept, so the outfit, the energy and the UF spirit all read as Strike.
The result: Viewers didn't just watch; they followed. The right person in the right moment turned into audience growth.

Why I made these choices

A format TikTok already loves. GRWM videos are a native habit on the app, so the brand content felt like regular content instead of an ad.
Gameday as the moment. It's the biggest shared ritual on campus, and getting ready is where a fashion magazine naturally belongs.
A Strike staff member as the star. A real face from the magazine kept it authentic, and the brief kept every detail on-brand.

Strategy and research

For UF Warrington and in my UF classes

What this covers

Competitor and audience research
Insights, creative briefs and content strategy
KPIs to measure what works

1 / 12

Real results

Competitor Research Analysis

Student Assistant Marketing Specialist, UF Warrington, with Kristen Kanavy

The brief: Find out how leading business schools show up on Instagram, and what Warrington can learn from them.
The work: With Kristen Kanavy, I audited 10 schools, including Indiana Kelley, UNC Kenan-Flagler, NYU Stern, USC Marshall and Berkeley Haas. For each one we broke down top formats, content themes and what drove performance, down to their best posts' shares and comments.
The output: A "Warrington?" call for every school, rating each idea as low or medium lift, plus a final slide of patterns and opportunities across all 10.

Why I made these choices

Listen before creating. Seeing what other schools already post showed me where Warrington could stand out instead of blending in.
Rate every idea by lift. A smart idea is useless if the team can't make it every week, so each recommendation says how much effort it takes.
Look at why posts worked, not just what they were. Breaking down performance drivers like timeliness, humor and school pride turns another school's hit into a lesson we can reuse.

1 / 13

Concept and mock-ups

Tinder Strategy Case Study

Creative brief for ADV 3001, with Lilly Lynch, Emma Persaud and Daniel Brown

The problem: Dating apps feel overly curated and fake, and that perception of superficiality was hurting the brand.
The audience: Gen Z and young millennials, 18 to 34, brought to life as a persona: "Gym Bro Jason," a 22-year-old trainer who wants to meet people outside his routine.
The insight: Gen Z prefers real, unfiltered content over polished perfection.
The repositioning: From "the original swipe-right app" to a dating platform that celebrates the reality behind the profile, not just the highlights.
The big idea: Be Real. It's Fun! Messaging like "The best connections start when the filters come off," in a playful, honest, self-aware, Gen Z-native voice that pokes fun at profiles that are too perfect.
The goals: Within 6 months: 25% more Gen Z profiles using candid content, 30% more social conversation about "expectation vs. reality," and 15% more Gen Z linking Tinder with "real people, not perfect profiles."

Why I made these choices

Agree with the critics. Instead of defending the app against "it's fake," we leaned into imperfection. Gen Z trusts brands that admit what isn't perfect.
"Be Real. It's Fun.". Short and conversational, it makes being authentic sound like the fun part instead of a risk.

Campaign concepts

Big ideas and mock-ups from my UF classes

What this covers

Big ideas, copy and print ads
Experiential, social and out-of-home campaigns
Native content written for a real publication
Scripts and storyboards for a TV spot
Agency-style plans for real local businesses

Teen Vogue article sponsored by Aerie: The Soft Activewear Trend Taking Over Pilates and My For You Page, by Melina M. Gyftopoulos — Scroll to read the full article

Concept and mock-ups

Aerie × Teen Vogue Native Ad

Native advertising assignment, ENC 3252

The brief: Write sponsored content that blends into its platform and still sells the brand.
The match: Aerie and Teen Vogue both stand for authenticity and self-expression, and both talk to Gen Z. The pairing made the story feel natural.
My idea: "The Soft Activewear Trend Taking Over Pilates and My For You Page," a Teen Vogue Tries review. I wore Aerie's Real Me Colorblock XTRA set from reformer Pilates to coffee runs and study sessions, then wrote it up in my own voice with shoppable product links.

Why I made these choices

Teen Vogue as the home. The two brands share values and an audience, so the sponsored story felt like it belonged there.
Match the publication. A native ad only works if readers don't feel interrupted, so I wrote to Teen Vogue's voice and design.
A first-person wear test. Pilates class, sorority group chats and Gainesville walks make it read like a friend's recommendation, not an ad.
Disclosure up front. Saying it's sponsored in the first paragraph keeps readers' trust, which is what makes the recommendation land.

1 / 19

Concept and mock-ups

Spotify Content Marketing

Solo proposal, ENC 3252: Writing for Strategic Communication

The brief: A content marketing plan that combines signature storytelling with knowledge-based content, for Spring to Fall 2026.
The insight: Music is identity. Gen Z and young millennials build playlists around moments like workouts, getting ready and late nights, and they're the listeners most likely to share and to upgrade to Premium.
My idea: "Music For Everyone": two in-app series that put the listener at the center, setting Spotify apart from artist-focused rivals like Apple Music. "Science of Your Soundtrack" turns your listening data into a Wrapped-style breakdown of how music shapes your focus, confidence and mood through the day. "At The Top" plays a top listener's story about an artist as a short interlude between songs, with a DJ X transcript I wrote.
The goals: 20% more engagement, 15% higher click-through on features, 5,000+ "At The Top" submissions, 8% more Premium conversions and 10% more daily active users, on a monthly content cycle.

Why I made these choices

Two series instead of one. Storytelling builds emotion and knowledge content builds usefulness. A real relationship with listeners needs both.
Music as identity. I chose Spotify because what you listen to says who you are, and that makes the brand personal.
Tie it back to Premium. Every content idea connects to a KPI, so the creative work also serves the business.

Mock-up of a bar bathroom mirror in a gold frame, with a museum-style label and QR code

Mock-up of a framed oil-painting portrait of a regular hanging on a bar wall

Mock-up of a bus shelter ad reading This Month's Most Refined

Mock-up of the Instagram filter: a selfie turned into a gold-framed oil portrait, and a screen inviting the guest to be featured on the bar wall next month

Concept and mock-ups

The Refined Gallery: Guinness

Team campaign with Olivia Chudy

The problem: Guinness has a proud history, but 21-to-30-year-olds are reaching for hard seltzers and light beers like White Claw, High Noon, Corona and Bud Light.
The insight: College party culture taught a whole generation to drink from red solo cups. Guinness can teach them the art of refined beer drinking as they grow out of it.
My idea: For centuries, an oil portrait meant you'd made it, and nobody ever painted the guy doing a keg stand. We turned bar bathroom mirrors into gold-framed gallery pieces with a QR code that opens an Instagram filter, so your selfie becomes an oil painting. Guests can opt in to be featured on the bar's wall next month.
The rollout: The best portraits hang on the bar's wall, star in a monthly Instagram collab between Guinness and the bar, and move to nearby bus shelters as "This Month's Most Refined."
The line: Pour yourself a masterpiece.

Why I made these choices

Oil portraits. For centuries they meant you were worth remembering. Putting a bar regular in one creates the contrast between keg stands and refinement.
The bathroom mirror. It's where everyone already takes a selfie, so the campaign asks for no new behavior.
Three places for one portrait. The bar wall, an Instagram collab and a bus shelter each widen the audience, from the bar to its followers to the street.

Pencil sketch of a hand holding a magnifying glass over the OFF! label while bugs crawl on the arm, with the line Don't magnify the wrong thing — The sketch

Final OFF! Deep Woods print ad: a hand magnifies the ingredient list on the can while a swarm of mosquitoes surrounds it. Headline: Don't magnify the wrong thing. — The final print ad

Concept and mock-ups

Don't Magnify the Wrong Thing: OFF! Deep Woods

Team campaign with Olivia Chudy, ADV 4101

The audience: Active outdoor adults and families.
The problem: People worry about the health effects of OFF! Deep Woods' harsh chemical ingredients.
The insight: More people than ever are health and wellness oriented. But what the spray protects you from, like Lyme, Zika and dengue, is far worse than the chemicals.
The strategy: Turn "What's in the bottle?" into "What's in the bite?"
My idea: A person so focused on reading the ingredient list through a magnifying glass that they ignore the swarm of mosquitoes all around them.
The line: Don't magnify the wrong thing.

Why I made these choices

Visual irony instead of an argument. Telling worried people "the chemicals are fine" makes them defensive. Showing the swarm they're ignoring lets them reach the conclusion themselves.
A magnifying glass. It's the universal symbol for scrutiny, so the ad can point at the exact habit it wants to change: over-reading the label.
A headline that echoes the image. "Don't magnify the wrong thing" works with the picture, so the ad reads in a second.
Sketch first. Drawing the idea by hand before building it made sure the concept worked before any design time went in.

Concept and mock-ups

Make Your Move: Tinder Print Campaign

Campaign project, ADV 4101

The audience: Young adults 22 to 35 who are burned out on dating.
The problem: Everyone wants the other person to make the effort first. So nobody makes a move.
The insight: Never trying is just fear of losing in disguise, and Tinder makes the first step feel low-stakes.
My idea: Call off the dating standoff. Each ad finds the movement hidden in the language of dating, so the words "crush," "emotion" and "attraction" literally speed across the page.
The revamp: Tinder had just revamped its brand, so I reworked the campaign to fit the new look and voice instead of the old one.
The line: A connection starts with a move. Make your move. Tinder.

Why I made these choices

Let the type do the moving. The idea is about taking action, so the words themselves speed across the page. No photo needed.
Words from the language of dating. "Crush," "emotion" and "attraction" already carry movement. I just made it visible.
End on a command. "Make your move" tells burned-out daters exactly what to do next.
Build for the brand Tinder is now. Updating the ads for the recent revamp keeps the campaign believable as real Tinder work, not something that already looks dated.

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Concept and mock-ups

D'Lites Ice Cream: Winning Over College Students

Beta Team, Elevate Agency at UF

The problem: D'Lites, a Gainesville ice cream shop, struggled to reach college students, with low website traffic, engagement and brand awareness.
The audience: Shift the focus from children to UF college students.
My idea: A three-part plan: a website redesign with a clear nutrition page and a weekly flavor lineup, a five-week Instagram content calendar with reels, polls and giveaways, and pop-ups on campus at gamedays, Turlington Plaza, club fairs and rush week.
The hook: "Gameday just got sweeter!" The first 10 customers at the pop-up get a free shirt.

Why I made these choices

Lead with the numbers students care about. "Only 50 calories per serving," low sugar and gluten-free go front and center for a health-conscious audience.
A weekly flavor lineup. Changing flavors give students a reason to come back to the site and follow on Instagram every week.
Go where students already are. Gamedays, Turlington and rush week bring the shop to campus instead of waiting for students to find it.
Merch that travels. A free shirt for the first 10 customers drives turnout and puts D'Lites on campus long after the pop-up ends.

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Concept for a real client

Newberry Animal Hospital Commercial

Co-Creative Director, for a real client

The brief: Develop TV spot ideas for Newberry Animal Hospital, a real client, with campaign briefs, scripts and detailed storyboards.
The first round: Three concepts: Here for Every Moment, which follows pets through everyday moments and life milestones; Dogs Know Best, where the pet is the caretaker; and Part of the Family, where the vet knows its animals so well they're practically family.
The twist: The client asked us to focus on one quality ad, go more comedic and keep the family feeling.
My idea: Comedic spots under Part of the Family, each storyboarded scene by scene: a dog babysitter who rushes a scraped knee to the vet, a dog who takes its sick owner in, a dog winning family game night, and a dog acing a game show. I created the storyboards in Adobe.

Why I made these choices

Listen to the client, keep the heart. When the feedback asked for comedy, we kept the family feeling underneath so the jokes still sold trust in the vet.
Flip who's in charge. Every comedic spot puts the dog in the human role, which is funny and says the same thing: at Newberry, your pet is family.
Storyboard everything. Detailed boards let a real client see the spot before a single frame is shot.

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Class case study

Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" Case Study

Intro to Advertising, Group 1, with Hannah, Gia, Logan, María Fernanda and Ayla

The case: Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, which lets fans create the brand's Super Bowl ads, returning after eight years.
My part: I applied what we learned in class to the real ads and helped plan the presentation. I used the creative pyramid to show how fan-made ads move people from awareness to interest, credibility, desire and action.
The big question: If fans can make ads as good as professionals, who really owns the creative process?

Why I made these choices

Use the creative pyramid. Walking through each step showed exactly why user-generated ads work: they're novel, relatable and more believable than a polished commercial.
Point to the brief. Doritos' brief for fans, "Make it bold. Make it funny. Make it all about Doritos," shows how a brand keeps control even when anyone can make the ad.

Résumé

My one-page résumé. Every number on it comes from a project in my work above.

Certifications

Digital marketing credentials I earned beyond the classroom.

MetaCertified Media Measurement Specialist
HubSpot AcademySocial Media Marketing Certification
CanvaCanva Essentials Certificate

Unwrap what I can do for your brand.

melinagyft@gmail.com

Melina Gyftopoulos, Advertising junior, University of Florida Back to top