MELINDA BAUER
Harrisburg,Pennsylvania
Summary
Driven Marketer with robust background in strategic planning and implementation. Leveraged analytical skills to streamline processes and enhance organizational effectiveness. Demonstrated proficiency in stakeholder management and critical decision-making.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
3
3
International Marketing Awards
Work History
Omnichannel Retail Marketing Strategy Manager
Ahold-Delhaize USA
09.2020 - 06.2025
- Support Ahold Delhaize USA's regional grocery brands' (Food Lion, Stop & Shop, The Giant Company, Giant Food, and Hannaford) CPG partners' growth through customer retention and acquisition, growing omnichannel revenue, and increasing market share.
- Developed integrated retail media strategies that combined digital and in-store tactics, achieving a ROAS 20% higher than traditional campaigns within 6 months.
- Implemented advanced marketing technology and automation, driving a 4% revenue growth within 3 months by leveraging targeted email and SMS campaigns.
- Coordinate native mobile app launch marketing efforts with the goal of enhancing customer engagement and accelerating adoption within 3 months.
- Executed integrated marketing campaigns across channels, driving a 9% increase in online sales penetration within 12 months.
- Launched a targeted email campaign that boosted customer retention by 4% within 3 months, utilizing data-driven insights to tailor messaging.
- Partnered with cross-functional teams to analyze campaign performance, sales and shopper behavior data to provide CPG partners with quarterly and annual business reviews and recommendations for maximizing results.
- Improved conversion rates through ongoing optimization of digital self, product display pages, and onsite search.
- Transformed consumer insights into omnichannel retail media strategies for CPG partners, fostering collaboration and driving measurable growth in brand engagement.
- Implemented innovative retail and shopper media planning techniques that enhanced brand visibility and engagement, fostering a data-centric culture within the marketing team.
- Partnered with regional grocery brands to craft customer retention marketing plans that reduced the time between orders by 3 days and customer lapses by 36%.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration among sales, operations, and CPG partners, enhancing content alignment and brand consistency.
- Utilized CPG creative and media briefs to craft retail media strategies that delivered on business objectives, including customer retention and acquisition, market share growth, and incremental sales.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration to establish an A/B testing framework, increasing e-commerce penetration by 9%.
- Delivered quarterly and annual business reviews that provide strategic business recommendations, leveraging shopper loyalty and market share data to enhance engagement within 12 months.
- Supported A/B and multivariate testing that assesses product feasibility, to determine if new or revised changes are strategically aligned and drive increases in revenue.
- Supported regional grocery brand grand opening and remodel re-opening events through integrated marketing efforts that build awareness and drive foot traffic.
Social and Digital Media Manager
Focus Brands, Auntie Anne's
08.2018 - 04.2020
- Led Auntie Anne's North American digital and social marketing brand strategy.
- Transformed marketing strategies by integrating real-time market insights, fostering collaboration across teams to drive impactful campaigns and elevate brand visibility.
- Identify social media trends to create opportunistic promotions that drive short-term incremental sales.
- Executed evergreen integrated marketing campaigns that boosted Auntie Anne's same-store sales by 22% year over year.
- Executed geographic-based audience targeting strategies, driving storefront foot traffic, and delivering 6 to 1 ROAS.
- Provided thought leadership to operations, sales, and franchise owners through marketing workshops, which focused on best practices and brand compliance.
- Developed a content creation and sharing process to assist franchise owners local marketing efforts.
- Established a dedicated social media team of five, enhancing customer engagement and achieving an 18% increase in positive sentiment while reducing costs by 70% within 6 months.
- Cultivated a cohesive brand narrative through seasonal marketing initiatives, significantly enhancing customer loyalty and brand perception without relying on metrics.
- Developed and executed integrated campaigns that enhanced brand engagement across digital and social platforms, resulting in a 20% increase in customer interaction within 6 months.
- Continually evaluated brand trends in established social media, as well as emerging platforms, to identify innovative ways to build brand affinity and drive incremental sales.
- Developed a co-marketing strategy for seasonal campaigns designed to build awareness and sales of LTO.
- Executed seasonal LTO campaigns with sales and operations teams, achieving on average a 75% sell-through rate.
- Developed the Auntie Anne's Basketball Buckets program, collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive a 300% increase in sales within the first year.
- Led agency briefings that optimized performance measurement, negotiating investment levels and managing timelines to enhance campaign effectiveness.
- Partnered with the operations team and franchise owners to launch online ordering and third-party delivery, which launched within the product roadmap timeline.
- Established a micro-influencer group, The Fam, which was leveraged to extend campaign reach and drive incremental sales successfully. On average, these efforts generated an $8 ROI.
- Led media agency briefings to align marketing plans, strategies and objectives, enhancing clarity and focus resulting in a reduction in the number of revisions required.
- Drove a 360-degree understanding of customer insights through CDPs, optimizing marketing campaigns, and achieving a significant uplift in advertising performance, supporting an increase in sales.
Associate Manager Digital Operations & Advancement
The Hershey Company
05.2014 - 07.2018
- Managed global integrated marketing initiatives and innovation projects, as well as crafting digital marketing education and training for brand managers.
- Provided strategic guidance to international brand managers to align with best practices and ensure compliance with the brand's visual and voice standards.
- Utilized data insights tools to inform strategic decisions, significantly improving project outcomes and aligning marketing efforts with customer preferences.
- Transformed digital marketing initiatives by integrating data analytics insights, significantly improving campaign performance and aligning strategies with consumer preferences.
- Supported marketing innovation testing to determine emerging media channels' ability at scale and improve brand visibility, and drive customer engagement efficiently.
- Transformed customer marketing strategies by integrating data-driven insights, resulting in enhanced customer engagement and retention without relying on metrics.
- Spearheaded the creation of a comprehensive digital marketing training curriculum, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation among brand managers, which significantly improved overall marketing performance.
- Championed the international Hershey Bar portfolio redesign, aligning 7 regional stakeholders on a design that flexes to deliver regional flavor preferences and regulatory requirements, providing the budget on time and on budget.
- Oversaw the migration of Hershey's international website to Adobe Experience Manager, assuring all content followed best practices, included regional regulatory requirements, and adhered to Hershey's established templates.
- Guided international regional brand managers in crafting integrated marketing strategies to deliver a dynamic brand narrative to elevate brand awareness and increase market share.
Media Director
Godfrey
03.2009 - 04.2014
- Led cross-functional teams to develop and implement integrated media strategies.
- Managed multi-channel campaigns, ensuring alignment with client objectives and brand messaging.
- Directed creative development of media content, enhancing engagement through innovative storytelling techniques.
- Analyzed market trends and audience insights to optimize media placements and improve ROI.
- Provided training to both clients and agency staff on emerging media and marketing trends.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
Penn State University
University Park, PASkills
- Multichannel campaign management
- Online engagement strategy
- Executed integrated marketing strategies
- Marketing automation strategies
- Retention and acquisition planning
- Skilled in analytical insights
- Strategic ROI enhancement
- Interdepartmental collaboration expertise
- A/B testing methodologies
- Strategic revenue growth
- Campaign performance analysis
- Content strategy development
- Market share growth
- Social media marketing
- Audience targeting strategies
- Strategic relationship management
- Go-to-market strategy
- Cross-functional teamwork
Certification
- AI Rubicon Academy 09/2025 - Present
- Amazon Ad Foundation Certification 09/2025 - 09/2027
- Walmart Connect Retail Media Certification 09/2025 - 09/2026
- Digital Marketing Certification 04/2017 - 04/2022
- Media Planning and Buying Certification
Timeline
Omnichannel Retail Marketing Strategy Manager
Ahold-Delhaize USA
09.2020 - 06.2025
Social and Digital Media Manager
Focus Brands, Auntie Anne's
08.2018 - 04.2020
Associate Manager Digital Operations & Advancement
The Hershey Company
05.2014 - 07.2018
Media Director
Godfrey
03.2009 - 04.2014
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
Penn State University
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
swipe to browse
Awards
- 2012 Innovation in B2B Marketing: Kieth Campbell's Lean Manufacturing Blog
- 2017 Latin American Media Festival Silver Medial: Hershey's Mexico - Beso Secreto
- 2017 Silver Cannes Lions International Festival - Digital Consumer Promotion: Hershey Brazil - Eaternet
- 2015 Asia Pacific Silver Effie Award: Real-Time Social Marketing: Hershey Philippines - HappyGram Campaign
- 2020 Focus Brands Innovation In Marketing Award: Basketball Bucket Social Media Campaign
Awards
- 2012 Innovation in B2B Marketing: Kieth Campbell's Lean Manufacturing Blog
- 2017 Latin American Media Festival Silver Medial: Hershey's Mexico - Beso Secreto
- 2017 Silver Cannes Lions International Festival - Digital Consumer Promotion: Hershey Brazil - Eaternet
- 2015 Asia Pacific Silver Effie Award: Real-Time Social Marketing: Hershey Philippines - HappyGram Campaign
- 2020 Focus Brands Innovation In Marketing Award: Basketball Bucket Social Media Campaign