We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chrissi Elle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chrissi below.

Hi Chrissi , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

My first official client was not just a client. She was the beginning of my career as a global marketing strategist. It was my first campaign, my first project, and to this day, one of the most powerful collaborations I have ever led.

For nearly two years, I had been searching for an authentic recreation of the iconic Marilyn Monroe gown. I was not looking for the costume-style replicas that circulated online, but a version that captured its true structure, drape, and timeless elegance. During my search, I discovered that the reason a genuine replica did not exist was because the gown had been burned by the jazz singer Abbey Lincoln. She was a Black woman who had been shunned in the 1950s for wearing it because people were not ready to see her celebrated in that light. That story stayed with me.

Months later, on Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, I was scrolling through Instagram when I suddenly stopped. I saw a woman wearing the most accurate version of that gown I had ever seen. She looked radiant. At first, I thought she was a model, but as I looked closer, I realized she was the designer. Her name was Vera, a Nigerian designer who, incredibly, shared the same birthday as Marilyn Monroe. That moment felt divine.

I commented under her post, expressing how stunning the gown was, and to my surprise, she reached out to me directly. When I analyzed her social media, I noticed her video had gone viral in Nigeria, but it had not yet reached the United States. That was the gap, and I knew I could fill it. I told her, “You have already created history through design. Let’s position it so the world sees it that way.”

At that time, the world was in a state of division. We were in the middle of a world war and a diaspora war, and there was a lack of cultural connection across continents. I saw an opportunity for art and marketing to bring people together. I knew that by bridging African and African American history through this gown, we could create a campaign that transcended politics and reminded people of our shared humanity.

So, we partnered. Vera led the design, and I directed the marketing, creative rollout, and storytelling. I explained to her how Abbey Lincoln’s story connected deeply to this moment in time. A Black woman had once been silenced for her beauty, and now another Black woman was reviving that same gown decades later. The timing was extraordinary. Vera had launched her campaign on Marilyn Monroe’s birthday, which was also her own birthday, and when I filmed my portion of the campaign telling Abbey Lincoln’s story, it happened to fall on Abbey Lincoln’s birthday, August 6th. That was a full-circle moment that confirmed this project was spiritually aligned.

What made this campaign even more special was that it was filmed entirely on an iPhone, inside a jazz lounge. It looked and felt like a full-scale production, but everything was done in-house. It proved that creativity, alignment, and storytelling matter more than massive budgets.

The campaign went live in early August and has continued to perform ever since. Even now, in October, it is still doing numbers. Within just a few days, Vera’s following grew from 409 to over 1,100 followers. Her engagement increased dramatically, and her conversions on the gown were strong.

But beyond the metrics, what made this campaign unforgettable was how deeply it resonated. Women around the world flooded the comments. They did not just compliment the gown. They shared their own stories, their admiration, and even began talking to one another. It brought togetherness at a time when the world needed it most. Though there were some negative comments, the love far outweighed the hate. The overpour of support was overwhelming.

This campaign showed me what real marketing is. It is not just about numbers or visibility. It is about vision, unity, and truth. It is about creating work that touches people across borders and allows them to see themselves in the story.

That was my first client, my first campaign, and my first confirmation that I was walking in purpose.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Chrissi Elle, a global marketing and brand strategist, creative director, and storyteller who builds campaigns that move culture and convert with intention. My work lives at the intersection of psychology, structure, and story, helping brands communicate powerfully, build emotional connection, and create systems that transform visibility into sustained influence.

I believe marketing without structure is noise. You can have a successful campaign, but if your brand is not aligned from the inside out with message, identity, communication, and execution, it will never hold. My practice focuses on building the foundation behind the attention. I help brands create the kind of resonance that not only attracts an audience but turns them into loyal believers.

Every campaign I design begins with story. I use storytelling to breed obsession and to help clients and companies build brands that people do not just buy from but buy into. Through strategic positioning, creative direction, and emotional intelligence, I build marketing concepts that turn alignment into attraction and attraction into conversion.

What sets my work apart is the courage to do what others are afraid to do. I believe in bold marketing, the kind that does not follow trends but sets the tone for what comes next. Whether I am developing a campaign for a designer, a startup, or an international brand, my focus is the same. I connect deeply, communicate truthfully, and convert intentionally.

I am proud to say that every project I take on is rooted in transformation. The campaigns I build do not just drive numbers. They drive meaning, unity, and momentum. In a world that often feels disconnected, I use marketing as a tool to bring people together through vision, purpose, and story.

That is the essence of my brand. Bold communication, emotional intelligence, and strategy that inspires belief, builds conversion, and creates global impact.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My resilience showed the most in the moments when I had to rebuild myself while everything around me was still moving. I have been in college since 2017, balancing school, leadership, and business while building my marketing career from the ground up. There were many times when I felt tired, distracted, and disconnected from my own goals. I would find myself stuck between vision and execution, knowing exactly what I needed to do, yet feeling weighed down by burnout.

What helped me overcome that was structure. I realized that resilience is not just about pushing through. It is about creating systems that keep you aligned even when you do not feel inspired. I learned how to ground my creativity inside of discipline, how to treat my ideas like business, not bursts of emotion. Every time I felt resistance, I built something. When I felt unclear, I reorganized. When I felt tired, I reminded myself that structure sustains dreams longer than motivation ever could.

That mindset carried me through academic challenges, creative burnout, and major transitions, including leaving the influencer space to step into my role as a global marketing strategist and creative director. That was not easy. I had to let go of validation and embrace vision. But through it all, I stayed committed to the process. My resilience was not loud or dramatic. It was quiet, structured, and intentional.

Now I teach others how to build from that same foundation. Because resilience is not about surviving chaos. It is about creating order in the middle of it.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped me build my reputation in marketing was learning that results alone are not enough. Reputation is built from consistency, clarity, and conviction. From the very beginning, I made a decision that everything connected to my name would reflect excellence, structure, and purpose. Every campaign, class project, and collaboration became a reflection of that standard.

In college, I built credibility through execution. I led organizations, wrote proposals for campus-wide events, and created marketing plans that connected students, brands, and communities. From producing fashion and cultural events to managing brand campaigns, I learned that visibility means nothing without vision, and that structure is the foundation of every great result. Those experiences taught me how to combine creativity with accountability, emotion with precision, and storytelling with measurable outcomes.

Over time, I learned that what separates good marketers from great ones is the ability to understand people. I built my reputation by being the strategist who studies behavior, emotion, and communication as deeply as I study trends. My work goes beyond selling. It connects. Whether I am working with a designer, a startup, or a global institution, I make sure every message is human, every campaign has story, and every story converts.

What also set me apart was my ability to merge creative direction with structured strategy. I do not chase trends. I create frameworks that make brands unforgettable. I became known for bringing bold ideas to life, using storytelling and structure to transform visions into movements.

Today, my reputation continues to grow because people can feel the difference. They see that my work is not just creative. It is credible. It is intentional. It is designed to last.

That is what built my reputation. Not perfection, but consistency. Not hype, but harmony. And not just attention, but alignment that converts across industries, cultures, and audiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Chrissielle.com
• Instagram: Chrissiellelife
• Linkedin: Chrissi Elle

Image Credits

Christian Lampkin