• by Fern Siegel , December 14, 2022

David&Goliath has selected Melissa Cabral as its new head of strategy. She reports to David Angelo, founder-creative chairman of the agency.

Cabral will oversee the agency’s strategic practice for clients and help drive growth initiatives.

Her reimagined strategic approach is called "slingshot."

“I love the idea of borrowing from the mechanics of the David&Goliath story as an approach to strategy. Using data and rigor to identify worthy Goliaths (marketing challenges or norms to challenge) and helping brands hone their superpowers, we can arm them with slingshots, or strategic springboards, for ideation and creation," she says.

A 10-year ad agency vet, Cabral was head of strategy at The Many before joining D&G. Her clients included eBay, Panda Express, Google and Netflix. Prior to The Many, she was strategy director at CP&B LA for Infiniti Global, Jose Cuervo and 1800 Tequila, among other award-winning accounts.

Angelo noted her innovated strategies, saying she will “help clients unlock their true brand purpose and achieve greater impact.”

D&G's work includes Kia, Jolliebee, HBO and California Lottery.