Take some heat from our expert this week.
Here’s one: “Any marketer who says they’ve never felt ICK from marketing isn’t a real marketer. You feel ICK.”
While it doesn’t seem like it The best Stay with me for a tutorial on how to open a marketing newsletter. I swear it’s not me from my-my-job-work-from-a-goat-farm Hail Mary.
It actually has more to do with basic marketing than you might think.
Meet the Master
Christina Jerome
Creative Strategist and Founder, Ohff work
- Claim to Fame: Social for Topical’s infamous smudgy eye mask campaign.
- Fun Fact: He Topical had a voiceover for the brand campaign video.
Lesson One: Feel Like. And use it to create better marketing.
Christina Jerome has a whole host of jobs that most marketers would kill for.
She has worked on content and social strategy for Jada Pinkett Smith’s show Red Table Talkas well as Isa Roy Rap sh! T At Hbomax she directed social content at Sephora’s fastest-growing black-owned skincare brand, Topicals.
She has also dabbled in marketing Adidas and Lobos 1707, a luxury tequila brand.
And, recently, she launched her own non-profit social club, Off the foilwhich emphasizes mental health and work-life balance.
Phew. I’m just tired of typing this.
So my first question to Jerome was simple: How did building his own brand shift his approach to marketing?
“It hasn’t changed logically,” he told me. “It changed spiritually. When you’re working for someone, there’s a lot of pressure to reach your PI… With Off Sheet, it’s more organic, nurturing, emotional.”
It still has KPIs, but they’re rooted in storytelling and community, not just conversions.
“The strategy is not ‘do this to get these people.’ This is me sharing my personal story, and passing the mic on to other people to share (theirs). “
Jerome’s Proudly? The work doesn’t feel as “one-way” because it’s focused on well-being, not just sales.
Even if you’re into sass or skincare, there’s a lesson: If your marketing feels pointless (or monotonous), it might be time to reconnect with the story behind it.
If you’re getting inspired by what you’re saying, other people will too.
Lesson Two: Treat Real Customers Like Influencers
“I don’t need to see any other influence on the boat,“Jerome told me.
Which, you know. Amen, sister.
Who does she want to see instead? Someone like Cathy, who hasn’t had a break in three years and wants to Facetime her kids with the lip gloss they brought home.
Jerome predicts that the next level of community and brand building will revolve around brands that take real Users on tours.
“The impact…is becoming unbearable,” Jerome told me, adding that she prefers to see brands reward real customers because “it shows you that the brand really listens to you, and you don’t just #564 order them.”
Sure, we might not all have the marketing budget to take our devoted customers on a yacht cruise. But it’s worth assessing your current budget allocation and asking whether you could spend a little more of it on loyal customers, versus sinking thousands into yet another sponsored LinkedIn post.
Maybe that means sending out amazing freebies or thoughtful swag. It’s not a luxury cruise – but recognition goes a long way.
Lesson three: If you’re going to market culture first, root it in a real backstory.
Jerome defines culture-first marketing because marketing is rooted in authenticity and genuine cultural communication…not surface-level involvement.
In fact, she thinks holistic marketing is a bit of a myth.
“I don’t think holistic marketing is a thing,” Jerome told me. Many brands create a broad target for abuse when they really appeal to a specific consumer without acknowledging it.
In contrast, truly culture-first brands like Nike or Topicals are built around stories and experiences that resonate deeply with a specific cultural group—whether they’re athletes or people with real skin conditions.
“You can’t have culture-first marketing without a founder or a brand story that fits the culture you’re trying to speak to,” explains Jerome. “Without this alignment, marketing performance suffers.”
If you don’t have a founder who’s culturally aligned, Jerome recommends building relationships with ambassadors from that community—and letting those partnerships inform your strategy and storytelling.
