8Oct2024
Known for her dynamic personality and deep expertise in brand strategy, Bozoma Saint John has held senior executive marketing positions at major companies like Apple, Netflix, and Uber. In those companies, she successfully redefined consumer engagement, pushing boundaries with a bold, authentic approach. In a moderated discussion at Nordic Business Forum 2024, she shared valuable insights on branding, personal authenticity, and the courage required to stand out in today’s fast-paced corporate landscape.
The Journey to Becoming a Brand Leader
Bozoma’s journey into branding wasn’t planned. Born to Ghanaian immigrants, her upbringing was steeped in traditional career expectations—medicine, law, or engineering. She humorously noted that branding was not on her parents’ list of career options, a path she only discovered later in life.
She reflected that, like many professionals in the communications field, she “fell into it accidentally.” Her diverse childhood experiences—living in multiple countries before settling in the U.S. at age 12—fueled her curiosity about people and culture. This adaptability and understanding of different perspectives became the foundation of her future work.
“Marketing is simply trying to understand the places of connection between a group of people so that they all feel excited about an idea,” she said.
Courage in Branding
Bozoma believes that brand building takes the courage to have an opinion and a perspective. Brands, much like us, need to have strong identities, rooted in authenticity and consistency. “A brand is like a person,” she explained, “it has a birth date, personality, and behaviors.” When brands behave in ways that align with their identity, they build trust. When they deviate, they risk alienating their audience. This is why, in her view, successful brands require discipline—sticking to their core values, even as they evolve.
A common misconception is that a brand is something an audience assigns to a company. But she highlighted that brands are built, they are crafted through consistent communication of a core idea. This idea should be repeated so often that consumers start to believe it came from them. It’s not just about having a great product; it’s about telling a story that resonates with people on a deep level.
The Role of Personal Branding
For Bozoma, personal branding is just as important as corporate branding. She stressed that every individual, whether they realize it or not, has a personal brand, that is, a reputation. She encouraged everyone, especially executives, to take control of their personal narratives.
“Do you want to be in charge of what people say about you, or would you rather leave it up to others?,” she challenged the audience.
Just like corporate brands, personal brands need to be consciously built, with individuals proactively shaping how they are perceived.
She also touched on a common hesitation she encounters, particularly in regions like Scandinavia, where humility is a cultural value. While she acknowledged that some people might shy away from promoting themselves, she emphasized that even a brand built on humility or quiet strength still requires intentionality and consistency.
The Relationship Between Brand and Strategy
One of the key challenges in marketing today is that, while brand building takes time, marketing departments are often required to act quickly. Bozoma’s approach when implementing a new plan is to remain committed to the core brand that already exists. She recalled the challenge she faced as head of marketing for Apple Music, at a time when streaming had not yet gained traction and iTunes still held 98% of the market. Her task was to educate the world about streaming music. To do so, she built on the strategy developed by the CMO who had established iTunes. “I had to work on that strategy without deviating too far, but with a new platform and new ideas around a completely new technology that people did not know about.”
Bozoma highlighted the importance of having a brand and a company’s strategy deeply interconnected. “The strategy should enforce the brand,” she said. Every touchpoint within a company—from marketing to finance to product development—should align with the brand’s core identity. Misalignment, she warned, could be catastrophic. She compared a brand going off-strategy to meeting someone who tells different stories about themselves to different people.
“You lose trust, and once trust is gone, the brand suffers,” she cautioned.
Evolving Brands in a Changing Market
As Bozoma neared the end of her session, she was asked about a common problem faced by historic companies in Europe and Scandinavia: iconic brands with stagnating businesses. Her advice was to “find a new hobby.” She compared brand evolution to taking up a new activity—just as she added swimming to her workout routine to meet new people and challenge herself, companies need to explore new avenues to engage with their audiences. However, she stressed that this doesn’t mean abandoning your core identity. Instead, brands should look for new places to be, or new ways to express the same values that initially made them successful.
She cautioned against drastic changes, like overhauling a logo or visual identity without a strong reason. Such moves can alienate loyal customers. “It’s like shaving off a beard—you might not look the same afterward, and people may not recognize you,” she joked.
In closing, Bozoma reminded the audience that a strong brand is a company’s safety net when things go wrong. She argued that many businesses undervalue the importance of branding, focusing solely on customer experience during good times. Building a strong brand, she explained, is not just about being cool or trendy—it’s about preparing for the unexpected and ensuring customer loyalty even in times of crisis.
Key Points
- Branding is built on connections: A strong brand finds common ground with its audience, creating emotional ties that go beyond the product.
- Courage and consistency: Brands, like individuals, need to have the courage to stay true to their core values while evolving to meet market demands.
- Personal branding matters: In today’s world, how you present yourself is just as important as how you present your company. Executives should be intentional about their reputations.
- Brand and strategy must align: A disjointed strategy can erode trust in the brand, potentially leading to its downfall.
- Adaptation is key: Brands should continually seek new ways to stay relevant without losing their identity.
Questions for Reflection
- How can your brand evolve while staying true to its core identity?
- What are the key values that define your brand, and how consistently are they communicated across all touchpoints?
- How can your business be more courageous in its branding efforts?
- Are you actively shaping your personal or company brand, or are you allowing others to define it for you?
- What steps can you take to ensure your brand is strong enough to withstand a crisis?
