Available to book
Omar Johnson
Marketing
Innovation
Effective Leadership
Transform brand performance with Omar Johnson, speaker, marketing and leadership expert. Omar works with organisations to build consumer connections and drive revenue growth, delivering award-winning strategies as former Beats CMO and Apple VP recognized by Adweek as a "Brand Genius."
Innovator
Advertising
Professional Development
Visionary
Business Leader
CEO
Music Business
Omar Johnson is a tech CEO and leadership expert known for his work in marketing and branding. He has built world-class brands at Beats by Dre, Nike, Apple, Kraft, and Coca-Cola.
As the founder of ØPUS United and a recognised thought leader, he has a reputation for creating strong consumer connections and driving significant revenue growth. Business Insider named him one of the most innovative CMOs in America, and Adweek honoured him as a “Brand Genius.”
Omar gained prominence as Beats’ first CMO, where he transformed the company from a struggling brand into a market leader, increasing sales from $20 million to $2 billion. Under his leadership, Beats became the top headphones brand globally before its acquisition by Apple for $3 billion. His innovative marketing strategies included a viral campaign during the London Olympics, which boosted international sales by 600%, and the “Straight Outta Somewhere” meme generator for Dr. Dre’s biopic, which became a social media phenomenon.
Before joining Beats, Omar began his career at Coca-Cola, followed by roles at Kraft Foods and Campbell’s Soup. He later worked at Nike, where he produced memorable commercials featuring athletes like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
After the acquisition of Beats, he served as Vice President of Marketing at Apple before founding ØPUS United, a brand management firm in Beverly Hills. At ØPUS, he leads a diverse team of professionals focused on “Culture-Centric Design,” which leverages insights from popular culture to drive brand success.
Omar is also committed to social initiatives, promoting conversations around racial equity and empowering younger generations. He serves on the boards of Qualtrics and Theragun.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he holds a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Georgia State University and an MBA from Emory University.
Topics, sessions and talks
In his talk, Omar Johnson shares how Beats by Dre successfully entered a competitive market dominated by established brands like Bose. By employing innovative marketing strategies, such as providing free headphones to renowned athletes and creating exclusive events for Olympic competitors, Omar generated significant buzz around the brand. Attendees will learn how to implement guerrilla marketing techniques to effectively increase their own company's market share.
In his talk, Omar Johnson, former marketing head of Beats by Dre, emphasises the importance of listening over data analysis in idea development. He fostered a flat organisational structure that encouraged contributions from all team members, regardless of experience. By engaging directly with users, his team discovered genuine insights that propelled Beats to become a billion-dollar brand. Attendees will learn effective techniques for cultivating authentic ideas and harnessing the power of listening in marketing.
Omar Johnson transformed Beats headphones into a viral sensation and global success with minimal budget, demonstrating that effective brand awareness hinges on listening, curiosity, and emotional connection. In his talk, he will share insights from his journey, highlighting innovative and unconventional marketing techniques that foster genuine connections with audiences. Attendees will learn how to leverage truth and emotion to elevate their own branding efforts.
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email omar.johnson@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Omar's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Omar Johnson structures his talks around case studies drawn from his tenure at Beats by Dre, using specific campaign examples — such as the London Olympics headphone seeding and the Straight Outta Somewhere meme generator — to illustrate how listening to users and leveraging cultural moments drove measurable commercial results.
Omar Johnson speaks on guerrilla and unconventional marketing, brand authenticity and emotional connection, and organisational listening as a driver of idea development. He served as CMO of Beats by Dre, where he grew the brand from $20 million to $2 billion in sales before its $3 billion acquisition by Apple.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
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Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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