Alvaro MelEndez:
Bridging AI, Marketing, and Brand Love
Award-winning creative strategist and tech innovator helping brands build authentic connections through AI-powered marketing strategies.
About Your Consultant
Alvaro Meléndez is a creative strategist, storyteller, and co-founder of CRANT, a pioneering artificial intelligence company transforming marketing and innovation worldwide.
With over 35 international awards including Effies, Cannes, and Clios, Alvaro has shaped influential campaigns at global agencies such as BBDO, Grey, and Ogilvy. His strategic vision has led iconic efforts like Coca-Cola’s global “Gift Bottle” campaign and Nestlé’s collaboration with FC Barcelona featuring Lionel Messi.
Today, Alvaro empowers organizations to harness AI as a strategic growth engine, significantly elevating business outcomes. Recently, he has helped top global companies—including M+C Saatchi (NYC), Lifemiles (LatAm), AB InBev, Burger King, Orci, Ogilvy, MullenLowe, and Pfizer—transform their operations through essential AI literacy, targeted use case identification, and strategic roll-outs, achieving remarkable efficiency gains of 40-60% and developing innovative new services.
Recognized as one of PRovoke Media’s Top 25 Innovators in the Americas (2023), Alvaro also leads the Un-Predator Marketer movement, promoting Brand Love strategies alongside diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Alvaro passionately believes:
"Today, your only limitation is your imagination. If you can imagine it, chances are you can achieve it—with the help of AI."
Meet Your AI Guide
Engage with Álvaro's AI Avatar to explore his background, deep dive into his expertise, and discover how his innovative strategies can benefit your business. Your personalized guide to success is just a click away.
Background & Expertise
Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, Álvaro built his early career at top global agencies before embracing AI innovation. As Vice President of Strategic Planning at Ogilvy Latin America, he spearheaded Ogilvy Brain, a data-driven innovation task force launched with Google to transform Ogilvy through AI and analytics.
1
Agency Leadership
Built his career at BBDO, Grey, and Ogilvy, leading award-winning campaigns for global brands like Coca-Cola, Kotex, and Nestlé.
2
AI Pioneer
By 2016, recognized AI would redefine marketing strategy. Led Ogilvy Brain, an AI and analytics innovation task force with Google.
3
CRANT Co-Founder
In 2019, co-founded CRANT in Miami, blending creativity with machine learning to create one of the most innovative marketing startups.
4
Current Focus
Now serves as CRANT's CEO and "AI Brand Building Specialist," helping brands use cutting-edge AI to create genuine audience connections.
Álvaro's unique dual perspective combines deep understanding of human-centric creative storytelling from decades in advertising with fluency in data and technology. He's been hands-on with AI-driven marketing since 2016, integrating machine learning into branding long before it became mainstream.
Thought Leadership
Álvaro challenges businesses to rethink marketing from transactional hustle to relationship-driven endeavor. His core philosophy: "transactions should be the result of a good relationship with consumers, not the objective," warning that over-reliance on short-term performance marketing weakens brands.
Instead, he champions "Brand Love" – the idea that brands thrive when they foster deep emotional connections built on trust, authenticity, and shared values. Through CRANT's flagship AI platform Ink Lantern, Álvaro helps brands track and grow Brand Love in real time without expensive traditional research, democratizing strategies once available only to "superbrands."
His "Un-Predator Marketing" movement transforms traditional marketing into practices that are ethical, inclusive, and audience-friendly. Álvaro insists that brands shouldn't "hunt" consumers with intrusive ads but invite them into relationships through authentic engagement and shared values.
Speaking & Consulting Approach
Known for his engaging, down-to-earth style, Álvaro demystifies complex tech trends with real-world stories. His natural charisma – honed by years of teaching brands across the Americas – makes AI approachable, exciting, and non-intimidating.
In workshops and consulting, Álvaro takes a collaborative "teach-to-fish" approach. His consulting philosophy centers on "adoption through trust": helping companies see AI as a trustworthy co-pilot for creativity rather than a threat. He designs AI adoption programs tailored to agencies and marketing departments, guiding them in integrating AI step by step.
Underlying all engagements are clear values: trust (being transparent about AI's capabilities), engagement (genuinely listening to consumer feedback), and human-centric communication (using tools to understand people better, not reduce them to metrics).
Featured Talk
AI & Marketing Innovation
In this insightful YouTube presentation, Álvaro Meléndez demystifies the intersection of AI and modern marketing. He shares compelling perspectives on how artificial intelligence is not just a tool, but a transformative force shaping brand-consumer relationships and the future of creative strategy.
Rethinking Marketing Objectives
Discover why transactions should be the result of a good relationship with consumers, not the primary objective. Álvaro explains how over-reliance on short-term performance marketing can actually weaken brands.
The Power of Brand Love
Learn how to foster deep emotional connections through "Brand Love," built on trust, authenticity, and shared values. Álvaro introduces CRANT's AI platform, Ink Lantern, which tracks and grows Brand Love without expensive traditional research.
Embracing Un-Predator Marketing
Understand the shift from "hunting" consumers with intrusive ads to inviting them into relationships through ethical, inclusive, and audience-friendly practices that redefine traditional marketing.
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Accomplishments & Initiatives
Award-Winning Career
Amassed 35+ international creative awards including Effies, Cannes Lions, and Clios by pushing the envelope on campaigns blending bold ideas with cultural insight.
Industry Recognition
Named one of PRovoke Media's "Innovator 25" in the Americas for 2023, recognizing him among top marketers reshaping the industry. Appointed Chairman of Miami-Dade Beacon Council's Creative Industries Committee.
CRANT & Ink Lantern
Developed AI-driven SaaS platform measuring brand performance and providing daily insights by analyzing vast amounts of social media and competitive data. Launched Ink Lantern Lite for startups and small businesses.
"Ladies Start Your Engines"
Co-founded program with racing driver Tatiana Calderón to give girls worldwide fair chances in motorsports. Uses AI to identify barriers and demonstrate ROI of diversity in sports sponsorship.
All of Álvaro's initiatives share a common thread: driving positive change by making marketing more intelligent, more human, and more impactful – whether helping global brands embrace inclusive marketing or startups find passionate fanbases.
Recent Clients
United States
- Brooks Running
- CVS Health
- M+C Saatchi
- Georgetown University
- Miami Ad School
- ORCI
- Yes &
Latin America
- Ogilvy Mexico
- Burger King Puerto Rico
- ICPR Puerto Rico
- Loto
- Lifemiles
- Mullen Lowe
- Pfizer
Other Regions
- Ministry of Tourism Portugal
- +Cartagena Colombia
- AB Inbev Colombia
- Grupo Garnier Costa Rica
- Ciclic Costa Rica
- Panamericana Films DR
Media Coverage
Álvaro's innovative work has garnered extensive media coverage across both English and Spanish press, cementing his reputation as a go-to expert in AI and marketing.
PRovoke Media's Innovator 25 feature highlighted his contributions to the industry – particularly noting how he applied AI to measure the impact of brands' DEI initiatives. Telemundo invited him to discuss "four non-obvious ways AI will change the world in 2024," where he talked about trends like the rise of Un-Predator Brands and AI's impact on mental health and entrepreneurship.
Tech and marketing industry media have similarly covered Álvaro's work, with CRM Magazine and Associated Press reporting on CRANT's product updates. He also contributes thought leadership to reputable outlets like MarketingProfs, where he urged executives to pay attention to Brand Love metrics.
Top Media Features
- PRovoke Media: Named Top 25 Innovator in the Americas
- Telemundo: Impact of AI in 2024
- News in my Business: Interview on engagement-hungry consumers
- Newsweek: Feature on closing the gender gap in motorsport
- MarketingProfs: Article on measuring Brand Love
- Refresh Miami: CRANT's data-driven approach to marketing
The "Ladies Start Your Engines" Initiative
Álvaro co-founded the "Ladies Start Your Engines" program alongside professional racing driver Tatiana Calderón, aiming to give girls worldwide fair chances in motorsports – an industry historically "designed for men". This initiative applies CRANT's AI capabilities to identify and break down barriers for female drivers.
In 2024, he and Tatiana collaborated on a groundbreaking project with nonprofit More than Equal, producing the "Revving Up Potential" whitepaper. Using CRANT's analytics, they demonstrated that sponsoring female drivers significantly boosts brand engagement, differentiation, and emotional connection with fans.
Their research revealed compelling ROI: a tech company's partnership with Tatiana led to a 67% increase in social media engagement, while beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury's support of an all-female racing series yielded a 13% jump in Brand Love. By quantifying diversity's value, Álvaro's work is helping close the motorsport gender gap while inspiring a new generation of female talent.
Contact Álvaro for Speaking & Consulting
Álvaro Meléndez offers consulting and speaking services on:
AI-Powered Brand Building
Learn how to leverage artificial intelligence to create stronger brand connections without massive budgets.
Brand Love Strategies
Discover how to measure and increase emotional connections with your audience through data-driven approaches.
Un-Predator Marketing
Transform your marketing from interruptive to relationship-based with ethical, audience-friendly practices.
DEI in Brand Building
Learn to authentically integrate diversity, equity and inclusion into your brand's core identity.
Get in Touch