Julie Roehm: Grab Life by the Horns

Discover the story and insights of Julie Roehm, the marketing leader who changed the game with her innovative ideas and results-driven approach.

If you’ve ever heard “Grab life by the horns” on a Dodge commercial, seen a Ford Focus on the road, or received a delivery from Party City, then you’ve encountered the work of legendary marketer Julie Roehm. A true game-changer in her field, Julie Roehm has built iconic campaigns using revolutionary digital tooling techniques and has paved the way for the modern disruptive advertising model. Here’s how a civil engineer with an environmental engineering major leveraged her curiosity, range, and customer-oriented personality to make an indelible mark on advertising and marketing.

Julie Roehm graduated from Purdue University with a degree in civil engineering, but she didn’t plan to become an engineer. She had discovered during her education and internships that her chosen major didn’t satisfy the strategic side of her personality. Following this instinct, she enrolled in the prestigious University of Chicago Booth MBA program, where she proved herself right. Her penchant for strategic thinking landed her several marketing offers from major firms, including from American Airlines and Ford Motor Company. She accepted a full-time role at Ford Motor Company, which turned out to be the correct launchpad for a long and successful career in advertising.

Ford Motor Company first sent Roehm to South Korea, where she was tasked with launching Ford Korea. She jumped in with gusto, interviewing customers on the ground, working with dealers, and developing plans for selling vehicles to a new audience. Following this successful run, Ford promoted this bright young marketer to manage the launch of the Ford Focus in the United States. In 1999, the Ford Focus brand hit the pavement, and customers loved it. The success of this launch made Roehm a bit of a star, and other automotive companies soon came knocking.

In June of 2001, Roehm accepted an offer to work for DaimlerChrysler, which had big plans to revitalize a few languishing brands in its portfolio. Roehm was hired to head up Dodge, which had seen its sales suffer as other automotive companies had surged ahead. Undeterred by Dodge’s struggling brand image, she did what would become her signature: she told a great story. Roehm tapped into the legacy of Dodge, which was all about muscle cars and American heritage. She brought the heavyweight Hemi engine back, enlisted Aerosmith for promotions, and introduced the unforgettable tagline “Grab life by the horns.” By the time Roehm left DaimlerChrysler, the brand was profitable—and memorable—once more.

As Roehm tackled each new marketing challenge, she began to build a niche for herself as a turnaround and transformation artist. This growing reputation came partly from her pioneering use of customer-centric digital tools. In later marketing and storytelling roles at SAP, ABRA Autobody & Glass, and Party City, she built customer journeys that met people where they were—on their computers and phones, looking for transparency at each step. Roehm understood and alleviated customer pain points by ensuring that each part of their journey was easy, and clear, and delivered the results they wanted. As CMO and CXO of ABRA Autobody & Glass, she recognized the stress of relinquishing an expensive possession to an unknown entity, for an unknown amount of time. She built a digital experience for customers that gave them insight into the step-by-step restoration of their damaged car. Listening to the customers’ needs translated into hundreds of millions of dollars in profits for this boutique autobody firm.

This customer-first throughline would continue to define Roehm’s work, eventually becoming a major part of her marketing and customer experience philosophy. Roehm’s philosophy is built on data and a deep understanding of customer needs, which can only be achieved by joining the call center, or selling a car, or spending focused time with your operations team—all of which she has done time and again. For a campaign to work, she says, you must be willing to let go of your preconceptions and turn instead to what the customer and the data are telling you. And you have to be willing to be wrong about the direction you’re already going. “When you can sit back and have that customer mindset,” she says, “It can lead you down a different path that might be more beneficial for the customer and the company.”

Roehm’s career has had a major impact on marketing and advertising. Digital tools and omnichannel marketing strategies are two indispensable components of modern campaigns, and she was ahead of the curve on both. When the COVID-19 pandemic sent businesses reeling, Party City quickly pivoted to a digital and delivery model, thanks to Roehm’s adaptable, customer-centric, data-driven philosophy. Additionally, she has always been a huge advocate for storytelling as a branding necessity. As Chief Storyteller at SAP, she prioritized telling customer stories and drawing clear connections from the brand to the products that improved customers’ lives, and the brand saw major upticks in impressions and resonance. Top companies now draw constantly from the Julie Roehm playbook.

One of the lessons Roehm shares with modern marketers is hard-won. She reflected that workplace culture is by far the most salient factor in an employee’s ability to get things done—no matter how committed you are to your goals. Or as she puts it, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” As an avowed master of turnaround and transformation, she was perhaps not best deployed in an environment where success is all but preordained. The largest company in the world did not need her skillset. She advises modern marketers to carefully evaluate a company’s culture, particularly via their leadership, to ensure that visions and capabilities align. Once the correct opportunity presents itself, start with data at the level of the customer and work hard to build the tools they need. The results will speak for themselves.

After decades of innovative ideas and creative campaigns, Julie Roehm is now taking a break to work on a few passion projects. She mentors young people, particularly women, hosts a podcast, and serves on the board of several firms, providing insight and wisdom from a long and successful career at every turn. Julie Roehm advocated for digital tools, omnichannel marketing, disruptive advertising, and the importance of the customer experience long before anyone else did. Many of her systems and campaigns live on to this day, and modern marketers live in a world that Julie Roehm helped build. Her impact on the world of marketing and advertising is invaluable.

(Disclaimer: Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)