Not like other girls

Luciana Machado's Journey in Branding and Customer Experience

A career isn't always a ladder; sometimes, it's a passport. For Luciana Machado, each stamp—from law in Brazil to luxury events in London to brand turnarounds in the world of space exploration, tells a story of connection. As a creative brand strategist and tenacious problem-solver, she has built a reputation for untangling complex challenges by focusing on the one thing that transcends industries and cultures: authentic human relationships. Her professional philosophy is captured perfectly in her own words:

"I'm a brand strategist and creative problem-solver with 15 years building campaigns across industries... I connect what's missing so companies can communicate across languages, markets, and mediums."

Luciana's career path is a powerful example of how adaptability, a willingness to challenge the status quo, and an unconventional collection of skills can lead to remarkable success. Her story offers invaluable lessons for anyone looking to build a dynamic and impactful professional life.

The Collector: From Legal Briefs to Global Brands (2006-2013)

Luciana’s career began not in a bustling marketing agency, but in the structured world of law. Her intensive, 40-hour-a-week legal internships at prestigious Brazilian firms like Xavier, Bernardes e Bragança and Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados sharpened her analytical skills. This rigorous training wasn't a detour; it was the forging of a strategic mind that could later dissect a brand's reputation crisis with the same precision as a legal contract.

Her passion for communication soon led her to pivot into the burgeoning field of social media. As a Social Media Coordinator at ICUC, she was shaping the digital voice for a portfolio of global giants, including BBC Radio 1, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Iberia, and Guinness World Records.

Ambition marked this foundational period, as she deliberately sought out high-pressure environments to test her skills. She took on a competitive internship at VMLY&R (Grey Group) in New York City and managed VIP experiences for the Brazilian Olympic Committee during the 2012 London Olympics. These roles proved her ability to execute complex projects on a global stage, perfectly preparing her to manage large-scale experiences from start to finish.

The High-Stakes Pivot: From Supercars to Philanthropy (2013-2016)

Luciana's next chapter took her to Gumball 3000, the world-famous brand known for its high-octane adventure road trips. As Event Lead, she was entrusted with a team budget of GBP 1,000,000 to orchestrate complex, 3,000-mile supercar rallies that crossed multiple countries. The role demanded meticulous planning and a deep understanding of how to create an unforgettable experience for a demanding, high-net-worth clientele. But it was her next move within the company that truly defined her impact. Promoted to lead the brand's philanthropic arm, The Gumball 3000 Foundation, she channeled the same energy from orchestrating international rallies into revitalizing a previously stagnant initiative. Her impact was immediate and staggering: in its inaugural year under her leadership, she transformed the foundation and raised over USD $1.5 million for charitable causes.

This success in crafting unique, high-value experiences for an exclusive audience set the stage for a natural pivot into the world of bespoke luxury services.

The Curator of Connection: Mastering Luxury Experiences (2018-2022)

Leveraging her expertise in managing experiences for high-profile individuals, Luciana transitioned into the luxury travel industry. In roles like Travel Designer and Head of Sales & Special Projects at elite agencies such as DEHOUCHE, Rafael Bessa Signature Travel, and Art of Travel, she honed her skills in customer relationship management and delivering truly bespoke service.

This period was defined by tangible results that showcased her blend of sales acumen and marketing savvy.

1. Drove Revenue Through Relationships: She consistently met a demanding monthly sales target of BRL 200,000. This wasn't just about selling travel; it was about proving that building genuine client trust is the most direct path to driving revenue.
   

2. Ignited Digital Growth: At Art of Travel, she implemented a social media strategy that grew the account from 13,000 to 20,000 followers—a 54% surge in just three months, demonstrating the power of community-focused digital marketing.
   

3. Crafted Bespoke Experiences: She cemented her expertise in high-touch customer experience by specializing in one-of-a-kind itineraries for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNIs), celebrities, and influencers.
   

This unique combination of brand strategy, large-scale event management, and intimate customer experience made her the ideal candidate to tackle her biggest professional challenge yet: rebuilding a brand's entire digital presence from the ground up.

Trial by Fire: Rebuilding a Brand from 137 Followers (2024-2025)

Luciana's role as Brand Strategist & Social Media Manager for Future of Space (FoS) became the ultimate case study for her professional philosophy. She inherited a social media account with a critical flaw: its 10,000 followers had been purchased, resulting in a large but completely unengaged and artificial audience.

This challenge was the perfect crucible for her eclectic skill set. Her experience managing the expectations of UHNWIs at Gumball 3000 and in luxury travel prepared her to handle the high-profile talent of William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson. And the community-building principles she first honed at ICUC for giants like Microsoft Xbox became the bedrock of her philosophy: authentic engagement is the only metric that matters.

Her first move was a testament to her strategic courage. She convinced leadership to delete the old account and start over with a clean slate of only 137 real followers. She believed that a small, authentic community was infinitely more valuable than a large, uninterested one. The results proved her philosophy in dramatic fashion.

Proof of Philosophy: Authentic Engagement vs. Vanity Metrics

Metric	The Old Account (10k Purchased Followers)	The New Account (137 Real Followers)
Performance	Averaged 5,500 views over 30 days	Achieved 7,600 views over 30 days
Key Insight	Low engagement from a large, artificial audience.	A smaller, authentic audience was 38% more engaged.

Through meticulous data analysis, she also demonstrated that her organic content strategy resonated 46x more effectively with the target audience than the company's costly paid advertisements, solidifying her reputation as a "turnaround specialist." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Playbook: Lessons from an Unconventional Career

Luciana's journey offers a powerful playbook for any aspiring professional. Her success is built on a set of core principles that challenge traditional career advice.

1. Collect Skills, Don't Follow a Map Her career didn't follow a straight line—it zigzagged from law to community management, event planning, and brand strategy. This cross-functional experience became her greatest strength, giving her a holistic perspective that allowed her to "connect what's missing."

   
   

2. Prioritize Real Connection Over Vanity Metrics Her decision to delete thousands of purchased followers is a masterclass in prioritizing real connection over misleading metrics. She proved that a small, passionate community is far more powerful than a large, indifferent crowd.

   
   

3. Find the Opportunity in Crisis She proved her resilience not once, but twice, inheriting accounts in crisis and engineering measurable turnarounds. This ability to create order from chaos and find a path to growth in the most challenging situations is a rare and invaluable skill.
   

4. Trust Your Vision, But Prove It With Data Luciana consistently used data to validate her strategic instincts. By proving that her organic content was 46 times more effective than paid ads, she could clearly demonstrate her impact to leadership, turning her vision into a quantifiable success.

The Light at the end of the tunnel

Luciana's professional narrative is a testament to the power of continuous learning, strategic pivots, and a relentless focus on creating authentic human connections. Having grown up between cultures in London, NYC, and Rio de Janeiro, she built a "career without borders": one defined not by a single industry, but by her exceptional ability to build communities and solve complex brand challenges wherever she goes.

For any student wondering what a successful career looks like, her journey offers an inspiring takeaway: it is often not a straight line, but a dynamic path of collecting diverse skills, following your curiosity, and making a tangible, authentic impact.