Justin Bell

As associate vice president, brand marketing, Justin M. Bell provides strategic leadership and stewardship in translating Ohio State’s brand into experiences that build affinity for Ohio State.

Bell leads the brand marketing organization, charged with shaping, evolving and authentically delivering Ohio State’s brand. This team works centrally to operationalize integrated marketing and communication initiatives to advance institutional priorities, while working to consult across the enterprise to continue developing and strengthening the Ohio State brand.

The brand marketing organization is comprised of the following teams: brand stewardship, enterprise & brand storytelling, audience engagement, creative & multimedia (design, motion, photography and videography), channel engagement (email marketing & automation, podcasting, social media, SMS/texting and web), marketing technology, marketing operations, strategic planning, research & measurement. Bell also oversees Scarlet Studio, Ohio State’s in-house marketing and communications agency, charged with developing campaigns and executing brand-building projects on behalf of colleges and units across the institution. The brand marketing organization is accountable for growing and protecting the Ohio State master brand while driving choice through top-of-funnel marketing strategies across owned, earned and paid media in support of Ohio State’s 26 unique audiences.

Bell joined Ohio State after serving as senior vice president for digital and brand experiences at Shiraz Creative – a creative agency that connects consumers with brands through immersive and technology experiences. In support of the agency’s rapid expansion, Bell was tapped to establish the digital marketing practice across offices in London, Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City and New York, resulting in award-winning work with clients including Amazon, Pernod Ricard, Porsche, Revlon and Visa. Bell also led the brand experience team for Shiraz’s flagship operation in Miami with a core focus on executing experiential and digital engagements for luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Omega.

Prior to joining Shiraz Creative, Bell was an entrepreneur – launching a digital marketing agency in Miami that quickly gained the attention of key brands in Florida and Latin American for its strong work across digital strategy, social media and web development. Within two years, the startup was acquired by Lion Agency as part of its expansion into the United States, supplementing its offices in Buenos Aires and São Paulo. Following the agency acquisition, Bell stepped into the role of CEO – leading agency operations and serving as lead strategist. During his tenure, Lion Agency received 22 global awards across various creative categories while serving brands including American Express, Celebrity Cruises, Elizabeth Arden and LATAM Airlines.

Bell started his marketing career with BDS Connected Solutions (previously Creative Channel Services of Omnicom Group). Serving nearly 10 years at BDS, Bell climbed through the ranks of the agency working in consultancy and account management roles. Prior to leaving BDS, Bell served as Vice President of Global Markets, overseeing the agency’s global retail consultancy expansion into Canada, EMEA, India and Mexico.

A native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, Bell earned his Associate of Arts from The Ohio State University at Lima, before acquiring his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Ashland University, majoring in marketing. He actively serves as a mentor for The One Club for Creativity Boot Camps, a program providing multicultural students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to work with top creatives from leading brands and agencies. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring new destinations with his husband Felipe, staying active and scrolling through TikTok.