Jazmyn Williams began her career in education and youth development, which she considers the hardest and best work of her professional life. But after pivoting to marketing through business school, she discovered her passion for brand management and marketing at The Coca-Cola Company. Today, Williams leads dynamic top-of-funnel marketing programs and in-store conversion for The Honey Pot Company, a plant-derived personal care company serving humans with vaginas. The brand is on a mission to normalize and destigmatize vaginal wellness through education and efficacious products.
Named to our Marketers to Watch list in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, Williams shared her insights on the importance of empathy in health marketing and how brands must live their values both internally and externally.
What’s a prediction you have for brand marketing over the next few years?
I see the top and bottom of the marketing funnel becoming even more important for brands that want longevity. People want to feel seen and heard by the brands that get their hard-earned dollars. We will continue to be asked tough questions like “What are you doing to address inequity in my community?” and “How are you living your values both internally and externally?” Marketing is a two-way relationship.
What’s something innovative or exciting you’re currently working on?
I’m excited for season 2 of The Honey Pot’s partnership with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. As their ‘exclusive body care partner’ we will use the momentum from last year to empower wellness on and off the court with their players and community of fans. The Honey Pot Company was founded in Atlanta and takes pride in maximizing this partnership to serve our home team.
Can you share a recent marketing insight you’ve learned and why it excites you?
I recently attended a sports and culture summit where I learned that most fans of a sports team will never attend a single game. Twenty years ago, there were a limited number of options to engage fans outside of game day or in the home city. Now, the options feel unlimited, and it has been exciting to see how these brands are becoming content engines and unlocking additional revenue and engagement outside of their core business. Reinvigoration really intrigues me.
What’s the most pressing business challenge you’ve faced in the last year and what have you done to solve it?
Our brand has impressive distribution – over 38,000 retail doors – but our household penetration just tipped 5%. There is so much upside for us, but breaking a routine habit with a legacy brand, both in the category and the household, requires innovative marketing. Awareness and trial are crucial, so we have worked hard to show up, with our brand ethos and our products, in the places and spaces where we can reach the humans who share our values.
What’s one leadership muscle you see as the most important for marketers to exercise?
Empathy, always, but especially in the women’s health and wellness space.
How are you and your team currently using GenAI? In what ways is it most effective?
My team is currently using AI to turn long-form educational content into bite-sized pieces of content that can be used across multiple platforms. Personally, I have found it to be helpful when I need to get ideas out of my head in an organized and streamlined way.
What gives you energy and inspiration outside of work?
Art, in any form, inspires me. I love to see the world through the eyes of different perspectives and lived experiences.
What’s the most game-changing piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Bet on the jockey, not the horse.
Marketers to Watch is a recognition series to spotlight highly innovative and forward-thinking marketing leaders in the community. If you have someone you’d like to nominate for the series, apply here.
