MÉLANIE RAUSCHER
Portfolio for SJSU MDes Experience Design
After studying social sciences and brand strategy at university, I began my career as a Consumer Insights Manager in a media agency before transitioning to a Brand Strategist role at a branding agency. Since 2020, I have been working as a freelance brand strategist specializing in branding.
In my portfolio, you will first find my most significant current project, Third Culture, which brings together the diverse skills I have developed throughout my career. Next, you will see examples of consumer research I have conducted, both during my time as a Consumer Insights Manager and in my work as a freelancer today. Finally, I showcase the strategy and branding work I have done in both agency settings and as an independent consultant.
Through these projects, I hope to highlight my expertise in developing creative research methodologies, uncovering meaningful insights, and crafting strategic recommendations with a systems-thinking approach, that help brands build long-term value, relevance and impactful brand experiences for their audiences.
Please note that most of my work is confidential. As a result, I can only share topline insights from selected projects.
PROJECT 1
My project mixing in design strategy and branding skills
In 2024, I launched Third Culture, a community for Cultural Hybrids, those shaped by multiple cultures and global experiences. We gather during private events in Paris to discuss transformative ideas and expand our minds. These events brought together hybrids shaped by two cultures or more from the countries of Portugal, Chili, Cameroun, Spain, India, USA, Czech Republic, France, Morocco, Senegal, UK, Ukraine, Brazil, Australia and more.
This project was born from a personal conviction: Hybrids are the future. As boundaries continue to blur, their numbers will grow, and their unique ability to blend influences from different cultures makes them natural drivers of transformation. Despite their potential, I noticed a gap: while there are many communities for expatriates or specific nationalities, there is no space dedicated to them. Yet, I’ve witnessed how easily they connect and how deeply they value belonging, especially as people who often lack a strong attachment to a single place.
To create Third Culture, I experimented with design strategy skills. I conducted interviews with Hybrids to understand their needs and develop the concept of the events (their format and themes). I also leveraged my branding skills: After laying the brand foundations and storytelling, I worked with Bureau Bassy-Lakaf, a Paris-Berlin design studio led by two hybrids, to create the brand’s visual identity.
In 2025, I’m taking it to the next level, with the launch of the website and “TC Sessions”, events featuring guest speakers. The first TC session will take place in March. It will explore how China is reshaping global dynamics, with two speakers: a startup CEO introducing us to the world of Chinese technology through video content, and an artist whose art is deeply rooted in his Franco-Chinese hybridity.
Click to see the website.
PROJECT 2: CULTURAL & CONSUMER RESEARCH
Translating consumer insights into brand experiences and product innovation
Context
In 2016, I was in charge of the Insights department at MediaCom Paris and we worked with a global brand to help them better understand young men as a target audience. They had just released a new razor designed for this demographic and needed strategic guidance to ensure its relevance. To support them, we conducted a study exploring young men’s relationship with facial and body hair. The goal was to help our clients grasp these evolving perceptions and behaviors to strengthen their product positioning. This study was in English.
Methodology
The study combined quantitative, qualitative, and cultural analysis to build a comprehensive picture of young men’s grooming habits. The methodology was composed of the following steps: (1) Survey: We built a questionnaire targeting young French men to gather data on their shaving routines and habits; (2) Ethnographies: We conducted in-depth interviews in the homes of six young men, exploring their lifestyles, shaving rituals, and how they used and stored their razors; (3) Expert Interviews: We interviewed a philosopher and sociologist specializing in new masculinity codes to understand the historical and cultural significance of facial hair ; (4) Semiotic Analysis (Semio-Live Session): A semiotician analyzed live with us and the clients the visual and linguistic codes used in marketing communications targeting young men, helping our clients decode what resonated with this audience ; (5) Brand Analysis: We examined how brands targeting young men positioned themselves and communicated their relevance.
Key Findings
The quantitative and qualitative research provided data & depth, uncovering how young men related to shaving, their razors, and how attitudes varied based on life stage (students approached shaving differently from those already working). The discussions with the semiotician and sociologist deepened our understanding of masculine hair as a powerful cultural symbol, tracing its evolution throughout history and its shifting meaning in contemporary society. All this knowledge helped us craft strategic recommendations in terms of brand positioning, communication and media planning strategy.
Impact
This study not only helped the brand refine the positioning of their new razor but also directly influenced R&D. Insights from the research informed the development of a new razor, which went on to become one of the company’s most popular products.
PROJECT 3: CULTURAL & CONSUMER RESEARCH
Translating consumer insights into a strategic framework & powerful brand experiences
Context
In 2016, I was working as a Consumer Insights Manager at MediaCom Paris when our agency was competing in one of the biggest pitches of the year, for a global fashion brand that was the market leader at the time. I was selected as part of the core team responsible for both developing and presenting the media strategy to the client. With my team, our role was to define the brand’s strategic targets, which would serve as the foundation for the media plan, determining where and how we would communicate with them. This was also all in English.
Methodology
To identify the most relevant targets and understand how to engage them, we led a research process with the following steps: (1) Quantitative Survey: We designed a nationwide survey sent to a panel representative of the French population (ages 18–65) to explore French consumers' relationship with fashion. (2) Social Listening: We used a social listening tool to analyze online sentiment toward the brand and detect emerging themes in consumer conversations. (3) Audience Segmentation via TGI by Kantar: Using this quantitative consumer profiling tool, we identified three key target groups, each with a distinct relationship to fashion. (4) Ethnographic Research: we conducted nine in-store ethnographies (three per target profile), accompanying participants as they navigated the brand’s store to observe their shopping behavior and decision-making process..
Key Findings
Thanks to this research, we developed a dedicated study for the pitch, exploring the French relationship with fashion and, more specifically, the three most relevant target groups. This study provided a detailed understanding of each segment, including their socio-demographic profiles, aspirations, shopping behaviors, relationship with fashion and the brand, and media consumption habits.
Impact
These insights became the strategic foundation for the brand’s media strategy, both during the pitch and throughout the three-year contract that followed. Because yes, we won the pitch! Any time the brand planned a campaign, the first question became: “Which target from our proprietary segmentation are we speaking to?”.
PROJECT 4: CULTURAL & CONSUMER RESEARCH
Translating cultural & consumer insights into strategic recommendations & brand experiences
Context
At Mediacom, twice a year, the Strategy Department (in which I was working) published in-depth studies called the Go Collection, exploring key communication themes. Each Go Book was printed and distributed to clients and the broader industry. We published studies on premium brands (Go Premium), on word-of-mouth as a medium (Go WOM), on innovation (Go Innovation). Each book had a strong focus on consumer insights, led by my team and me. The Go Old book was entirely dedicated to insights on seniors. In France, the retirement age is 64 (62 at the time of our study) and retirees make up a quarter of the population. Yet retirees are often overlooked as a target audience. In our Go Old study, we set out to understand who they are, what they want, and how they spend their time to help brands connect with them.
Focus on the Go Old: Methodology & Findings
Using a survey of the French population, we compared how non-retirees (+18 yo) perceive retirement versus how retirees actually experience it. The findings were very insightful: retirement isn’t about stepping back from life, as many non-retirees believe. Instead, it’s about reinventing how one spends 8 hours of their day. This new lifestyle changes one’s perception of work, time, relationships, and self. And the shape it takes varies from one retiree to another.
Using the quantitative tool Kantar TGI, we identified five retiree profiles, such as the Hedonist, who enjoys life, and the Fatalist, who struggles with fear. Combining insights from the TGI tool and in-depth interviews, we uncovered each profile’s mindset, habits, brand and media consumption.
Finally, we identified brands that resonated with each profile, showing what kind of offerings and messagings connected the most with them.
Impact
This study was highly valued by both our clients and the industry, as it provided key insights into a target that, despite its significant role in society, remained largely unexplored. As a result, the agency gained visibility and was recognized in Paris as a knowledgeable, dynamic, and forward-thinking player in the field.
PROJECT 5: CULTURAL & CONSUMER RESEARCH
Translating cultural & consumer insights into brand experiences
Context
In 2023, I worked with a French food brand that sells its products in the U.S. Their target audience was the North American foodie (including only US and Canada, not Mexico), someone passionate about food and willing to spend on high-quality products. However, the North American foodie is not the same as the French one, so they hired me to help them better understand this audience. This study was about understanding the North American foodie’s mindset and designing an aspirational and culturally relevant messaging and brand experience. It was written in English language.
Methodology
For this study, I explored the evolution of food culture in the U.S. and Canada and the cultural and behavioral factors that shape North American food habits, using historical analysis, brand studies, and qualitative consumer interviews (qual research was led by someone in the US).
The findings were presented in four parts: (1) North Americans and their relationship with food – how North American history has shaped food habits over time ; (2) Foodie trends in North America today – how historical and cultural factors translate into modern North American food habits ; (3) Foodies and their aspirations – key insights from consumer interviews on what food lovers seek ; (4) Brand recommendations – in which ways the brand’s DNA aligns with North American foodie aspirations, cultural do’s and don’ts and how it should build its messaging to engage this audience. By combining cultural analysis, consumer insights, and strategic storytelling, this study provided the brand with a deeper understanding of its North American audience and actionable strategies to refine its messaging.
PROJECT 6: BRAND STRATEGY
Designing a unique brand positioning, storytelling and website
Context
In 2022, I worked with Hackuity, a Risk-Based Vulnerability Management company. My role was to define their brand positioning and storytelling while structuring and writing the content for their website (in English). Cybersecurity is challenging because companies have vast amounts of scattered data in different formats, making it harder to identify vulnerabilities. Hackuity simplifies this by centralizing all vulnerability data into one platform, turning complex information into a clear and actionable view of risk. This helps businesses detect vulnerabilities better and stay ahead of cyberattacks.
Challenge
Hackuity’s audience included CTOs, who understood technical language, but also CEOs, who often lacked cybersecurity expertise. My challenge was to craft a narrative that both experts and non-experts could understand. To do this, I often turn to myths. These stories have been passed down through generations, making them instantly recognizable and easy to grasp.
Methodology
To kick off the strategic work, we conducted with the team I was working with, a one-day workshop, where the client shared insights about their company and market, and we began exploring potential directions for the brand’s positioning. It was essentially a Sprint applied to brand strategy, designed to spark ideas and define a foundation before crafting the final messaging. During this session, when Hackuity described how they unify scattered, incompatible data into a single, coherent language on a centralized platform. I immediately thought of the Tower of Babel. In this myth, multiple languages created confusion and division, until a single unified language brought order.
Strategic & UX/UI work
This insight led to the core brand idea: Bringing clarity to chaos. As part of my role, I also worked closely with the creative team to ensure the UX/UI design reflected this concept. I guided them to embrace a minimalist aesthetic to symbolize clarity, incorporate coding language elements (the universal technical language), and integrate dynamic elements to illustrate the transformation from chaos to order. This is a key part of my process: I always collaborate with designers to ensure that visual execution aligns with the brand strategy. Finally, I worked on the website’s structure and messaging, balancing clarity and impact while following client guidelines. I also focused on the information architecture, content hierarchy, and user navigation, ensuring that the experience was intuitive and that key messages were surfaced effectively.
Click to see website.
PROJECT 7: BRAND STRATEGY
Designing a unique brand universe and packaging
Context
In 2018, as a brand strategist at CBA Design Paris, I worked for Naturalia, France’s leading organic food store. With the sales and creative team, we had to redefine its brand universe and packaging.
Challenge
Evolve the brand from a more serious positioning to a lifestyle-oriented image while staying true to its DNA.
Methodology & strategic work
I conducted a deep analysis of the brand, its competitors, consumer behaviors, and socio-cultural trends in the organic market. The key insight from my analysis was that buying organic was no longer necessarily tied to social activism; it had become a way to express alignment with contemporary values. In other words, it had evolved from an alternative consumption to a mainstream one. The strategy was therefore to shift Naturalia towards a more lifestyle-driven approach, all the while keeping its anti-conformist and committed stance. To guide the creative process, I developed a Design Idea and created a mindmap to explore potential territories. I also designed moodboards for visual inspiration, with benchmarks like Oatly and Ben & Jerry’s for their playful yet activist tone.
Impact
For our work, we won the top prize at the 2019 Stratégies Grand Prix du Design for Best Branding Packaging. The Stratégies Grand Prix du Design Awards is France's leading design competition, organized by Stratégies, the country’s top media in marketing, communication, and media.
Click to see the case study on CBA’s website.
PROJECT 8: BRAND STRATEGY
Designing a unique brand positioning, storytelling and website
Context
In 2023, I collaborated with Cailabs, a deep-tech company specializing in laser light. My work focused on defining their brand positioning and storytelling, as well as structuring and writing the content for their website (in English). Cailabs was founded by two PhD students from France’s top engineering school who discovered an innovative way to manipulate laser light. Their breakthrough led to the creation of a company that has since applied its expertise across diverse fields, from industrial processes to data transmission between Earth and space.
Challenge
To craft a unified narrative that would resonate across these distinct sectors.
Strategic work
The common thread across all of Cailabs' applications was light. We positioned them as the absolute master of light, capable of pushing laser technology to new frontiers. Light is a powerful symbol, representing speed, knowledge, and life itself. To master light is to unlock extraordinary possibilities.
We built on this idea to create a narrative that highlighted Cailabs’ expertise and its optimistic vision of a future driven by light. This perspective shaped the final copywriting that I wrote: “The future is light. We believe in the transformative potential of light. We push the boundaries of what’s possible, accelerate global progress, and pave the way for a brighter future, thanks to laser light.”
The website’s structure and copywriting were designed to reflect the new brand positioning and narrative while ensuring a seamless user experience.
Click to see the website.
PROJECT 9: STRATEGIC TOOL
Creating a tool that automates strategic thinking
Context
In 2018, as a Brand Strategist at CBA Design Paris, I worked with one of the world's leading food and beverage brands. Their R&D team had developed an innovation in the water category, and the marketing team needed to determine which brand in their portfolio was best suited to carry it. Additionally, they had to define the balance between brand design cues and innovation design cues on the packaging. The company wanted their marketing teams to be able to make these decisions autonomously, without relying on an external agency.
Challenge
Developing a global model that automates strategic thinking in a clear, structured, and user-friendly way.
Methodology & strategic work
I developed a user-friendly test to help marketing teams determine the best approach for branding and positioning water innovations. This test guided them through a structured series of questions, that gave them a scoring and lead to clear strategic decisions. My main inspiration for designing this test came from the magazine quizzes I used to take as a teenager in Cosmopolitan, where you would answer a series of questions, add up your score, and be given a profile based on your results. This strategic test was built around three key factors that determined which innovations were relevant for which markets, how branding should be balanced, and what design cues should be used:
1- Cultural Context : The goal was to identify which country would be the most relevant for the water innovation. Each country has a unique relationship with water: for example, Italians and French favor natural, untouched water, while Americans and Turks are more open to enhanced waters (such as electrolyte-infused options). To determine the best cultural fit, I created a series of questions that helped identify which cultural cluster the water innovation was most relevant to, allowing teams to align their product with the right market.
2- Branding Strategy : The objective was to determine the balance between brand cues and innovation cues. If a brand already had a similar innovation in its portfolio, brand cues could be more prominent on the packaging. However, if the innovation was entirely new to consumers, the packaging needed to highlight the innovation more strongly to ensure clarity. To determine this balance, I designed a structured set of questions that assessed the innovation in relation to the brand, identifying the appropriate weight of brand vs. innovation cues based on their existing connection.
3- Design Cues : The final step was defining the visual identity of the innovation. I developed a water brand mapping for each market, allowing marketing teams to position their product and identify the most effective design elements to communicate its uniqueness.
Impact
This tool streamlined strategic decision-making, making it easier for teams to identify the right market for an innovation, determine the best branding approach, and define the appropriate design language, ensuring that each water innovation was positioned effectively. It was used and very appreciated by the marketing teams.
PROJECT 10: BOOKS
I contributed to three books on marketing & communications
Starting in 2019, I’ve contributed to three books on Marketing and Communications published by Ellipses Editions, a leading French academic publisher. Part of the “Les Dessous de…” collection, these books blend theory with real-world case studies, helping students and professionals navigate an ever-evolving industry.
In these books, I authored several chapters, including:
- "Creating a Brand: From the Intangible to the Tangible" – A guide to building a powerful brand.
- "Can a Brand Really Have Environmental Consciousness?" – A discussion with Julien Féré, the book’s author.
- "Cryptocurrency Brand Creation: A Short Design History" – An analysis of narratives surrounding cryptocurrency and branding strategies developed by crypto brands.
Here is the link to these books.
