MDVIP CMO Alyssa Schaefer 谈品牌不必总是营销主角

Most CMOs are trained to make the brand the loudest thing on the block. 

But what if the brand isn’t supposed to be the star?

In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, Jenny Rooney sits down with MDVIP chief marketing officer Alyssa Schaefer to unpack what marketing looks like when trust sits in the relationship between a doctor and a patient. 

She breaks down the strategy that built 33% unaided awareness from an imperfect starting point at Laurel Road, why MDVIP’s doctors and patients are unusually aligned, and how she balances hyperlocal physician marketing with broader brand investment.

What you’ll learn:

• Why a strong brand can be built even from imperfect starting conditions
• How Laurel Road reached 33% unaided awareness among its target doctor segment
• Why aligned incentives between doctors, patients and the business matter
• Why MDVIP deliberately keeps physicians at the center of the customer experience
• How hyperlocal and national marketing work together in MDVIP’s growth strategy
• Why performance marketing alone may not be enough for the company’s next phase
• How cultural health trends influence messaging without dictating clinical decisions
• Why AI needs experienced operators in both marketing and medicine

About our guest: 

Alyssa Schaefer is CMO at MDVIP. Previously, she served as the first CMO of Laurel Road, where she helped rebrand the company for a national audience and built strong awareness among physicians. Her career spans American Express, fintech and healthcare, with experience across brand, product, partnerships, direct marketing and general management.

At MDVIP, she now leads marketing across two connected audiences—doctors and patients. Her focus is on growing the business without losing sight of the human relationship at the center of the model.

Episode Highlights: 

[07:00] A Brand Is What You Make of It — When Alyssa joined Laurel Road, the brand name had already been chosen and the customer research she expected did not exist. Rather than restart everything, she built around what she had. Within a couple of years, Laurel Road reached 33% unaided awareness among doctors in its target segment. The lesson for marketers is that imperfect starting conditions do not excuse weak execution.

[10:38] What Happens When Everyone Actually Wants the Same Outcome? — Alyssa points to something she rarely encountered in banking: MDVIP’s doctors, patients and business are largely pulling in the same direction. Doctors want more time to provide better care, patients want more time and attention and the company benefits when both happen. That alignment gives marketing a much stronger story than trying to manufacture differentiation on top of conflicting incentives.

[17:06] How Do You Ride a Health Trend Without Chasing One? — From VO2 max to perimenopause, health conversations are moving quickly. Alyssa’s approach is to pay attention without letting marketing hype drive the product. MDVIP’s medical leadership helps determine which signals deserve a place in the offering, while marketing adapts the language around genuine needs already emerging in culture.

[22:22] Why MDVIP Doesn’t Want to Be the Star of Its Own Marketing — MDVIP needs national awareness, but the actual trust sits with individual physicians. Alyssa balances the two through hyperlocal PR, community events and patient forums alongside SEO, SEM and broader brand activity. Her rule is clear and relevant to marketers – build the brand without overshadowing the people customers are actually choosing.