Abalone and More Marketing Work

In April 2024, five friends and I had an idea. With our interests and strengths ranging from software engineering to journalism, we wanted to join forces to create a brand our classmates and San Diego community could connect with. Inspired by a surf spot just a couple hundred feet away from our campus, Ab, the six of us came up with Abalone. A hat and clothing brand meant to be more than just accessories and garments to wear, but a community and feeling to identify with. We worked tirelessly that summer, coming up with our messaging, style, logo and more to prepare for a Fall 2024 drop that featured three hats. My passion for communication and storytelling was put to work, and I managed all the marketing and content initiatives publishing blogs, a weekly newsletter, product descriptions and social media captions. Some three months later, and our collective efforts had garnered us over $10,000 in sales and the momentum to release t-shirts and hoodies to pair with two new color ways for our signature snapback cap.

Beyond the marketing work that I've directed for my own start-up, I've worked on three semester-long marketing projects for the MLS, UPLIFT San Diego and The Charis Project. Creating mock marketing campaigns for a major sports league and two different nonprofits required me to step into various roles and come up with a unique communication style and tone for each campaign. These vastly different brands also required a variety of marketing tactics to achieve goals, and my group and I found that each campaign had KPIs specific to them.

I am incredibly grateful for the experience and knowledge these projects provided me with, and the professors who mentored my classes throughout the campaign creation. Completing a marketing campaign for a real person and their brand was far more meaningful than any lecture or book that common professors rely on to teach. Collaborating with others on these campaigns reaffirmed my love for creating relationships, taking on the role of copywriter and lead creative, and assisting my team when others needed support.