Former Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John discusses how marketers need to understand culture and infuse their authentic selves into their work.
Bozoma Saint John is unapologetically herself. No matter if that’s in the C-suite or the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Saint John’s executive tenure includes chief marketing officer at Netflix, chief marketing officer at Endeavor, chief brand officer at Uber, head of global consumer marketing at Apple Music, and head of music and entertainment marketing at Pepsi.
Forbes named Saint John to its list of most influential chief marketer officers in 2021, which is when she was global chief marketer officer at Netflix.
In her keynote address at the Salesforce Connections 2025 conference in Chicago in June, Saint John shared stories from her personal life and career that shaped her into the top brand marketer that she is today and insights for other marketers to apply in their roles.
1. Marketers have to understand culture
Data is important to understand the past and help drive where the brand will go in the future. But marketers have to be aware of what is happening right now in culture in order to be relevant and ensure that their campaigns land with what consumers are thinking about at that present moment, Saint John said.
“Without being intimate, knowledgeable about what is happening in culture, it’s a miss,” she said. “That requires real curiosity. In order to excel as a marketer you have to love people. You have to love culture.”
2. Authentic marketing has to come from a real place
Part of being authentic is not to edit yourself. Own your talents, Saint John said. She credits part of her success to using her authentic self and claiming that she is the best storyteller.
For example, earlier in her career Apple tapped her to debut Apple Music during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. While the brand suggested a certain script for her, Saint John decided to present the product in a way that was authentic to her, by sharing her taste in music.
“I’m going to show the world how to enjoy music through my eyes,” she said. “Apple Music is a personal device. How am I going to show you how you can actually make it personal, unless you see how it’s personal to me,” she said.
It was a move that she didn’t know would be successful. But she took the risk of showing her authentic self.
“It’s important for us to recognize that the only way we connect with other human beings is by showing ourselves as human beings,” Saint John said.
3. Treat the brand like a person
One successful marketing tactic Saint John used is to treat a brand like a person. People relate to people. Marketers should give the brand a backstory, a personality and behaviors. Consumers then are more likely to become passionate about the brand, connect with it and became loyal, just as they would another person.
4. Don’t evolve too quickly
Technology is changing faster than ever. Saint John referred to the change as exponential as artificial intelligence has proliferated across every industry. Saint John advises that brands should transform gradually, and not make large swings too quickly. If a brand changes how it presents itself to consumers too fast, shoppers will be turned off, not trust the brand and possibly detract other consumers from the brand.
5. Bozoma Saint John says, start with yourself
Saint John encourages marketers to start their ideas with their self. Not from a place of selfishness, but with the idea of bringing their specific talents to the campaign and the role. Marketers are in their roles for a reason and it’s up to them not to assimilate to the culture but to bring themselves to the office culture.
“Every campaign I have inserted myself, my own experiences, my own ideas, my brilliance, my grief, my joy and that’s how I make connections with other humans,” Saint John said.
Saint John said she’s been able to move into six different industries because she’s always her authentic self and unafraid of applying her talents.
“What if the true talent that you have is not necessarily in a title or even in an industry. But it is from a more sacred place. It is a gift that has been given to you that you can utilize across time and space,” she said.
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