Name
Zuri Godfrey
Hometown
Hampton, VA
College
BBA, Howard University
Industry
Marketing & Advertising
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Occupation
Brand Marketing Manager, YouTube
Summary
Zuri Godfrey is a highly-decorated brand marketer with experience and distinguished honors in marketing and advertising. Zuri’s cultural-storytelling and servant-leadership scales beyond bodies of work he has led and awards he has received, associated with companies such as: Google/YouTube, ESPN, Meta, NFL, Nike, and PwC, where he has operated in various capacities.
Zuri is also reaching back and developing the next generation of talent through his non-profit org
The Village, which started approximately five years ago as the Group Mentorship Program (GMP) and in two and a half years, 20+ mentors mentored 100+ college students and recent graduates. Since then, GMP has rebranded to The Village and is responsible for connecting <100 mentees to internships and full-time careers at award-winning agencies and Fortune 500 companies through the program’s DNA (Development, Networking, Accountability). Remember, it takes The Village.
Zuri Godfrey promotes his personal brand immensely well and empowers others to do the same, but he is most-known for his ability to humanize conglomerates and connect them to culture via brand marketing activations and campaigns that evoke emotion and drive incremental revenue.
Experience
Google/YouTube
- Social Marketing: Grew Q1 2025 account Weight Engagements by 320% and Impressions by 254% compared to Q4 2024 and managed agency responsible for publishing and reporting
- Creator Advocacy: Partnered with 30+ Creators to defend ads based business model by developing content that shifts policy maker perception about personalized digital ads
- Brand Management & Naming: Ensured brand standards and guidelines were upheld in creative, named 50+ features and created ads marketing’s approach to event naming
- Brand Strategy: Shaped how Brand Studio leveraged Google products/marketing amid social unrest in 2020 and pioneered Google Calendar integrating Juneteenth as a recurring holiday
ESPN
- Sports Marketing: Rebranded College Football Playoff campaign and pitched Monday Night Football on ESPN social strategy and suggest influencers and storylines for TV spots
- Talent Partnerships: Collaborated with the Migos for 2021 Week 0 MEAC vs SWAC Challenge and recorded behind-the-scenes and College GameDay performance content for social
- Creative Direction: Built roster of ~50 artists, designers, painters, and videographers to deliver College GameDay site announcements and guided creatives from end-to-end
Meta
- E-commerce: Pitched Instagram Shop go-to-market plan ahead of its launch and suggested 3+ relevant shopping influencer partnerships aimed to increase awareness and excitement
- Storytelling: Conducted research and developed guiding insights, language, and value props to make Instagram Shop the go-to, online shopping destination for Gen Z and Millennials