Black marketers have been trailblazers in the creative industry for decades. A professional space where flowers are not easily given, it’s especially important to highlight those of us who’ve gone above and beyond to serve as a beacon of inspiration to all. Earning all of our admiration, here are some of the top Black marketers of 2022.
To kick us off, let’s talk about Tia Cummings. Tia is the SVP Global Brand Marketing Lead for Square, and has over 17 years of experience to back the title up. She recently was donned “The Black Queen behind Bevel’s ‘created for King’s’ campaign”, which focuses on the company's core mission to honor black men with quality grooming products. Tia is a proven leader, who’s laid the blueprint for many future marketers to come.
Next we have, Channing Fleetwood who has a history of success and growing brands. Most recently, he has accepted the position of Chief Marketing Officer for RentSpree! With over 15 years of experience, RentSpree is certainly in good marketing hands with Fleetwood now in the forefront. Spanning across the communications, tech and consumer fields, he is someone to model after when looking to diversify your marketing knowledge.
Amanda Joi-Moore is a storyteller and real strategist at heart. Not many understand the minority objective as she does, making perfect sense for the Manager of Multicultural Commercial and Branding at Papa John’s international title to belong to her. It’s not easy being a Black marketer at a company who’s had a history of racial controversy, but Amanda does it with the highest level of class, professionalism and success. Her aim to depict representation for the brand authentically has begun to truly shine through.
Like many professionals, I personally use the platform Asana on a daily basis. Hence, the major admiration I have for Kalina Bryant who is the Head of Global Customer Advocacy and Executive Programs here. Bryant made the 30 under 30 Enterprise Technology list while at same time hosting a podcast and serving as an advisory board member for a customer marketing and advocacy automation platform. Not to mention, she is the founder of “UnapologeTECH”, a space for women of color and allies in tech to learn, create and connect. There are so many reasons to admire the marketing powerhouse she is.
If you’ve seen any social content put out by the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team within this last year, odds are you were looking at the work of the talented Black marketer Nick Birdsong. Nick is the Director of Digital and Social Media for the Jaguars, and has helped Jacksonville to have the best NFL Instagram growth through 2021 free agency; gaining over 52,000 followers. The Jaguars also lead the league in social media growth on Facebook and Twitter during the 2021 draft, thanks to Nick! Competing against 31 other teams, this feat is extremely impressive. He started off humbly as a college sports reporter for his local newspaper; a true testament to persistence and following your dreams. We admire you, Nick.
Brandon Beal is an eloquent storyteller, with over six years experience in brand management, product positioning, and field marketing. He currently serves as the manager of Partner Marketing at Gusto. Brandon frequently preaches the importance of staying motivated and is a positive voice to anyone struggling to advance their career.
Whether it be for personal or business use, I don’t know one person who doesn’t have an Instagram account. Joy Ofodu is a creative genius. She offers many services to aspiring professionals while working as a voice actor herself. In 2017, she started as an intern for Instagram and years later she is now their Marketing Manager! Joy holds workshops frequently to teach anyone willing to learn how to navigate in marketing, many are targeted to boost virtual visibility. Buzzfeed and Afrotech’s “Future 50” list are just a few who’ve spotlighted Joy in recent months. She is well on her way to becoming a marketing legend.
In 2013 Akil Alvin founded Detroit Digital Media, and since then the agency has helped power some of the world’s largest brands. McDonald’s, Bank of America, Ford motor company and Walt Disney are among the list of corporations that have benefited from the visionary marketing work found at Detroit Digital Media. This past year, Akil’s hometown bestowed him with the ‘Spirit of Detroit’ award, as he was named one of the top advertising executives in North America. Akil made history with DDM by signing a multi-million dollar contract with the city of Detroit, which was one of the first of its kind! His impact stretches far beyond Michigan, we all aspire to advance the culture just like Akil.
Corey Washington has shown what it takes for a black marketer to strategically climb the ladder within a company. He started as the Senior Manager of Client Solution at Zpaper, then moved into the Senior Manager of Digital Programs role. Now Corey sits as the Director of Marketing at Zpaper. His passion for team collaboration and excellent customer experience have been the catalyst for continued success.
Jasmine Farooq is one of our favorite black marketers on the rise. Her career has been on an impressive trajectory since landing the role as lead strategist of Florida State’s Competitive Advertising team. Jasmine is currently an Associate Brand Strategist at 22squared, where she serves a plethora of clients. We can’t wait to see what big things Jasmine will accomplish next. Giving back to her roots is very important to Jasmine, as she hopes to someday work on a campaign that speaks authentically to Caribbean culture.
Cedoni Francis is a jack of all trades. The biggest hat she wears currently is the Associate Product Marketing Manager II for YouTube. She is also a popular influencer on social media. Her content creating accounts on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have a following of over 200,000 people! Cedoni was a leader on campus at Vanderbilt, and is now a proven example that hard work pays off. Before transferring into her higher position at YouTube, she spent almost two years at Google gaining experience for this role. Congratulations, Cedoni!
Jalyssa Woodall has a keen talent for transforming vague concepts into beautifully crafted finished products. She’s stated that she enjoys the process of finding loose marketing ‘wants’ and bringing them to fruition of compelling deliverables. For over two years, Jalyssa has excelled in her role as a Digital Marketing Specialist II at Gate 39 Media. If that isn’t impressive enough, for the past three years she has served as a content producer for the ‘Grown-ish’ after show.
The exceptional advertising work of Mo’Shai Gibbs has not only won her awards, but results have been driven behind it. After a decade of success in the industry, Mo’Shai accepted the position of Principal Marketing Manager at HubSpot. While with HubSpot she has led marketing and sales to generate over 20 million in pipeline revenue within an eight month period! I believe it is essential to also highlight that Mo’Shai is a mentor for AASK Arizona, an organization that aids in the adoption of special needs children. There’s no ceiling to who or what her passion and leadership will lead her to mentor next.
More often than not, brands are just ‘existing’ on social media. Tiffany Giles is a social media specialist, and an expert at helping brands build online communities of their own. Once a customer feels a real connection with a brand, it’s almost inevitable that they will not only purchase a product, but become lifelong consumers of it. This business model is what Tiffany teaches many brands how to execute. She is currently a Field Social Media Specialist at Coldwell Banker Realty, and the owner of The Socialite Agency.
Justin Speller stands by the montage “proper preparation prevents poor performance”. Embodying this belief has catapulted him to becoming a Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft. He currently leads creative strategy and communications for 1st party titles at Xbox. A mindset like this is certainly one all black marketers on the come up should follow. Justin was able to share his journey to success in Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business’ edition of “Poets&Quants”, where he was named one of the Top 100 Best and Brightest MBAs.
Lauren Preston is the epitome of what black women in marketing should strive to be. She makes a point to put diversity and inclusion in the forefront of all her social strategy endeavors. With more than eight years of experience, Lauren is currently the Senior Connections Strategist for The Marketing Arm.
Since graduating from Harvard Business School in 2016, Eden Zeilo has been writing her own blueprint for black women in marketing. The passion for bridging technology and commerce in high growth markets, led her to become the VP of Global Integrated Marketing at Black Opal Beauty. Eden has managed hair care and beauty brands for years at a high level. In a previous role, she executed campaigns for the illustrious Shea Moisture brand and the newly launched ‘Madam’ by Madam C.J. Walker. A lot of women of color grow up dreaming to work in this industry, Eden is proof that it can be done.
The grit and tenacity Mike Tatum acquired in the U.S. Army is apparent in the way he dominates every obstacle he faces in the marketing world today. Recently named Director of Marketing at Lifecycle, Mike has dedicated his career to using Lifecycle marketing strategy and marketing automation to create profitable and engaging customer journeys from initial discovery to reactivation. Mike is a man that follows processes and gets results. This being true, he was a highlighted speaker last October at the Inbound conference. Marketers at Inbound learned from Mike how to keep their warm leads engaged and successfully close deals.
Being marginalized is never fun, nor the objective. Ayanna Dutton has made an amazing career out of coloring outside the lines in a world that supports staying within the box. By day, she is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at LinkedIn. By night, Ayanna runs her own podcast (Non-Corporate Girls). Being the creative genius she is, philanthropy is a must. Ayanna is also a founding member of MINO, an organization that provides emerging black women leaders with professional development and a supportive network on their journey. It’s truly a pleasure to witness Ayanna seamlessly navigate corporate and personal endeavors successfully. She is a black marketer we will all admire for years to come.
One black marketer I wholly admire is Hulu’s own Glenn Woods. He is currently their Sr. Brand Social Media Manager. With almost 15 years of experience in the business, I can’t wait to see what he does to take Hulu marketing to the next level. Creative direction and being able to influence the masses are clearly his expertises. During his stint with TV ONE, Woods helped grow their YouTube subscribers to over 18 million (doubling the previous year’s number). He has mastered ways to encourage fans to watch programming on-air, online, via IOS and Android devices, all through strategic marketing. Mr. Woods is a hero in the marketing industry.
Each and every one of these black marketers are unique and special in their own right. Rightfully so, each of them deserve to be celebrated in 2022 for the strides they’ve made in the marketing arena to make progression into these senior roles a much more attainable goal for us. Thank you. You’re appreciated.
Here’s a recap of the list of BMAA’s Black Marketers that we admire for 2022.