Julia Zambello has built a career renowned for her adaptability and a clear understanding of the demands of modern digital marketing. Combining creativity with organization, bold ideas with structured execution, and tradition with innovation, she has been confidently taking center stage, managing brand identities and large-scale campaigns in the U.S. Julia walks us through the current marketing landscape giving a glimpse of how to succeed in the highly disputed space of digital marketing.

A Natural Communicator Turned Marketing Specialist

“I always loved to talk and connect with people,” Julia shares, reminiscing about her teenage years when she knew that advertising was her calling. By 17, she was already accepted into the prestigious Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie in São Paulo to study Advertising and Creative Communication.

Her first step into the marketing world came through an internship at an event production agency, where she served as a bridge between creative teams and clients. “That job taught me everything about client relations, logistics, and how to bring an event to life from scratch,” she says.

From there, she transitioned into a corporate role at Oi Internet during the explosive growth of online products in Brazil. “It was a pivotal experience that taught me how to manage projects from start to finish,”  Julia explains. At Oi she helped develop communication strategies to connect to clients as well as bringing their ideas to headquarters. Julia always believed in creating a personal approach and pushing for the brand to connect before selling. 

Making Waves in the U.S.

Julia’s career started to take shape in San Diego, California. There, she joined Marengo Morton Architects as a Social Media and Marketing Specialist. Tasked with building the firm’s digital footprint from the ground up, Julia saw this as the perfect opportunity to apply the skills she had developed in her marketing certificate program at San Diego University for Integrative Studies (SDUIS). She successfully transformed the firm’s outdated communications approach by crafting a compelling online presence and leveraging digital platforms to enhance visibility, engage new audiences, and modernize the brand's public image. Her work not only elevated the firm’s profile but also demonstrated her ability to translate marketing theory into impactful strategy—marking an early but significant contribution to the field.

By 2024, Julia joined Galpão Gaucho, a Brazilian steakhouse chain in the U.S., where she led projects that blended creativity and strategy, such as orchestrating thematic photoshoots across all eight restaurant locations and overseeing a full website redesign. “Each shoot had a theme, a persona, and an atmosphere that reflected the brand. It was about creating a sensory story for each location,” she notes. 

Key to Success: Social Media for Small Businesses

Julia believes that marketing, administration, and especially social media are critical for small to medium-sized businesses. “Social media is the most cost-effective tool available today. It connects you to customers, builds community, and boosts visibility,” she says.