Cheryl Parks Ajamu, founder of CEO of The Ajamu Group, LLC., launched her company in May 2004. Her firm secures advertising and sponsorships for national media companies, celebrity driven events, provides event management and social media strategies. Ajamu’s advertising career spans 21 years with advertising sales management positions at Black Entertainment Television Publishing Group, Savoy, Heart & Soul and Honeymagazines.
Ajamu is also the first African American female to create and produce a sanctioned event during the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit: the Multicultural Media Luncheon. The event is an Academy Awards style program that honors communities of color for their achievements in the automotive industry and also features a celebrity keynote speaker. This year’s event will feature keynote speaker Jemele Hill.
Ajamu is also the first African American woman to own and produce a HBCU Football Classic, the Detroit Football Classic Weekend. She’s won numerous awards, including the 2019 University of Memphis Outstanding Alumni Award and the 2020 General Motors Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.
Rolling out spoke with Ajamu about her career, her 10th annual Multicultural Media Luncheon, marketing tips, her superpower and more.
You have a very storied career in marketing, advertising and sponsorships. What tips would you give someone that’s looking for a career in these areas to increase their skills and become successful?
First, it’s important that you care about the product that you’re selling. I know sometimes, people don’t agree with that, but it does affect your ability to be effective if you don’t even believe in the product. When I started my business and I would take on media clients, if it wasn’t a product that I would use, or a reflection of what I believed in, I couldn’t sell it because it was going to come across like that. So, if you’re selling something, or you’re marketing something, it’s got to be something that you really believe in, or that you would use, or that you would support. If you don’t believe in it, people will know.
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