Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.
Leslie Lee is global head of marketing at Deel, a payroll and compliance provider. Prior to that she was VP, brand and customer engagement at Atlassian.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? I’m a big admirer of Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign. It’s iconic for its motivational messaging, and it continues to evolve and be relevant with each new generation. The ads go beyond promoting a product; they touch people on a deeper level, creating an emotional resonance with the brand. You know you’ve succeeded in an ad campaign when you can do that.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? One close to my heart is the online community at Atlassian. When I started, we had a number of local community groups that were organically meeting. There’s a special kind of magic when customers come together on their own to learn from and help each other. The question was, “Could we take that magic and replicate it online?”
I pitched the idea of an online community and was responsible for leading the team that launched it. This involved everything from setting the vision for the community, developing the platform, nurturing our community leaders, and getting involvement from the product and support teams. Since launching, the community has become Atlassian’s biggest driver of organic traffic and best predictor of MAU. It was satisfying to see an idea go from concept to fruition and to see the same magic of in-person communities replicated on a larger scale.
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One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I’m a mom of two teenage girls—yikes!
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? Authenticity in marketing is not necessarily a new trend, but it’s an evolving one that continually looks different. This trend is about brands connecting with audiences in genuine and transparent ways, emphasizing real stories and experiences. I’m a big fan of communities and user-generated content to enhance brand credibility and enable customers to become your best brand advocates.
As a mom of teenage girls, my least favorite trend is the rise of disingenuous influencer marketing. Have you been into beauty stores lately and seen them overrun by preteens buying retinols and niacinamide? That’s thanks to influencer marketing gone bad! It’s crucial for brands to carefully choose influencers aligned with their values to maintain their credibility.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? While it’s not marketing-specific, I love How I Built This, hosted by Guy Raz. It features interviews with entrepreneurs and innovators, uncovering the stories behind the creation and growth of some of the world’s most successful companies. There are always great takeaways I can apply to my own job.