Personal brand lessons for your toolkit from a CMO-turned-Bravo star
Our deep dive on Bozoma Saint John's digital strategy
quick summary ⚡️
How Bozoma Saint John prioritizes her personal brand as much as the brands she works for
Cultural gems for your to-read list, including the world of #cozygaming, TikTok is pushing long-form content and “expertise,” and Alex Cooper’s $125 million deal with SiriusXM
Hello from holiday weekend land, where we’re trying to take advantage of the down time to catch up on all the must-see media that’s out there. (Have you seen “Wicked” yet!?)
Among the must-see media is a crazy amount of Bravo shows; there were five housewives franchises airing last week. It’s a blessed time to be a reality television fan!
Today’s newsletter is inspired by that, but even if you’re not Bravo-obsessed, this is a good one. Let us introduce you to the newest cast member of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, Bozoma Saint John.
Bozoma, or Boz (like the headphones), has been on our radar for years. Most RHOBH newcomers are actresses, or married to someone famous, but we know Bozoma for her corporate career.
She’s a marketing expert who’s overseen major brands - think Apple, Uber, and Netflix - and is now as an author and entrepreneur. Along the way, Bozoma prioritized her personal brand as much as the brands she worked for. In a world where a lot of executives struggle to develop their own voices – because they don’t have time, or feel embarrassed, or are stifled by their companies – Bozoma has proven that authenticity pays off.
She has an incredible story: she moved to Colorado from Ghana when she was 12 years old, and went on to study pre-med in college. Bozoma wasn’t sure that medicine was the right fit, though, so she took a job answering phones for Spike Lee’s ad agency. She fell in love with marketing and advertising, and her it shows in her career trajectory.
Bozoma has received a ton of recognition over the years, including being inducted into the American Marketing Association Hall of Fame in 2022 and named the #1 Most Influential CMO in the world by Forbes. Bozoma left Netflix in 2023 - and reports followed that her departure was because she was too focused on her personal brand.
Don’t let that scare you, though. What she’s is doing is working. And while she doesn’t need to justify it, she does a great job doing so in this Entrepreneur interview. [It’s behind a paywall, but you can read it on her LinkedIn.] Here are a couple of gems from the story:
“This applies for everyone, but especially for women trying to become a better-known executive. One of the most undervalued ideas is: When you are better known for the things you do, your value goes up.”
“Your brand already exists. It’s called your reputation. And if you are not actively involved in it, then somebody else is creating it for you. So would you rather leave your reputation up to somebody else’s imagination, or would you rather do it yourself?”
Once you give her a follow, here are a few things to keep an eye on when you see her in your feed:
She speaks in her own voice. Every post feels undeniably Bozoma, whether it’s the use of capital letters or her chosen hashtags.
She keeps up with trends & culture. Bozoma uses Instagram Stories to comment on a trending moment or makes a Reel with a popular sound. In marketing, relevance is everything.
She’s not afraid to get personal. In 2013, her husband died after a short battle with cancer, and Bozoma was left as a widow and single mom to a little girl. She isn’t afraid to talk about her grief, or the struggles of being her daughter Lael’s only parent.
Feeling inspired? Us, too. Click here to read our analysis about how Bozoma shows up online and which of her tactics you can start implementing in your own strategy, whether it’s for your own profile or an exec you work with.
💎cultural gems💎
The cultural moments and news that caught our attention this week:
THE FAIRYTALE WE’VE BEEN RETELLING FOR 125 YEARS, the atlantic
“The clearest candidate for America’s favorite fairy tale might be The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The author L. Frank Baum set the novel, published in 1900, in a fantasy land that shares core American values: self-sufficiency, personal reinvention, the exploration of wider frontiers.”
THE FANTASY OF COZY TECH, the new yorker
“As the physical world becomes more alienating, we build ourselves benign parallel universes to burrow into. The archetypal cozy bedroom becomes a form of virtual reality.”
INSIDE TIKTOK’S INVITE-ONLY CREATOR SUMMIT, WHERE IT PUSHED LONG-FORM VIDEO AND IGNORED THE LOOMING BAN THREAT, business insider
“The buzzword of the day was ‘high-quality content.’ In TikTok's view, this means well-crafted, engaging content that drives growth and showcases an in-depth understanding and expertise on a specific topic or theme.”
INSIDE ALEX COOPER’S $125 MILLION DEAL TO GROW HER MULTIMEDIA EMPIRE, forbes
“‘Pre-Spotify, I had barely done any interviews, so I was pitching the dream,’ Cooper says. ‘Now the dream is here and I’m able to turn around and see who wants to work with me.’”