July 2026 Bonfire Marketer of the Month: Cleo’s Holly Jacobson

Each month, Braze selects one individual as our Marketer of the Month in order to celebrate the exceptional work being done by members of our Braze Bonfire community. Whether it's providing support for their fellow marketers or going above and beyond by sharing their innovative ideas and strategies, these individuals are making essential contributions to their companies, their users, and the customer engagement space as a whole.

This month, we’re recognizing Holly Jacobson, Senior Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Cleo. Cleo is the only global, holistic family care platform supporting individuals throughout every life stage, providing life-changing care for families and caregivers. We spoke to Holly about her background and what they’re working on at Cleo. Let’s dive in.

Tell us about yourself.

I actually don’t come from a marketing or lifecycle background at all, beginning my career in early childhood education and parent coaching. I received my Masters of Education in leadership and policy, as I’ve always been really interested in how communities and society as a whole support growing families. I came to Cleo originally as a parent coach and child development expert, drawn to the way Cleo empowers working caregivers. When there was an opportunity to join our marketing team and own the member lifecycle, I found it really exciting to think about shaping the way we outreach and show up for members.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Aside from the team I work with, who’ve become some of my favorite people, I really enjoy the puzzle of figuring out what communications, language, or framing will resonate with our members. I love that my company provides trust and freedom to be creative in trying new things, so we can use these insights to continuously improve our communications and the member experience.

What has your experience working with the Braze team been like?

One thing I’ve appreciated most about working with Braze is how collaborative the Braze team is. Whether it’s our amazing CSM or members of the product team, everyone is so responsive with questions and receptive to feedback. I had an opportunity to meet with several members of the Braze product team to see what they were working on and provide feedback, and I really appreciated how curious they were about how I use Braze and how the tools they were developing would impact my work.

Have you taken any Braze certifications?

Yes! I was able to quickly take the Practitioner exam, closely followed by the Marketing Specialist exam. Having never used Braze before coming into this role, I so appreciated the really robust learning resources and structured lessons to help me feel confident in what I was doing. I’m working on the BrazeAI™ and Data Essentials skills badges now and really love being able to continually learn and improve my skills.

What campaign are you most excited to work on this year?

One thing I’ve worked on recently that I’m really proud of is our Leave of Absence initiative. This was incredibly complex to set up in Braze. We are reaching out to members who are on leave from work and offering (life-changing!) support based on the type of leave and where they are in their journey.

This looks different for someone who’s preparing to take parental leave for their first child than it does for someone who’s in the midst of leave to care for an unwell family member, or for their own mental health. Personalizing for the types and stages of leave and all of the different needs of these members was difficult, but I know that the payoff in how these members engage with Cleo is going to be huge. In general, I’m really proud of the work we do as a company and how we identify these transitional moments to step in and provide support and resources when people need them most.

Interested in collaborating to build the future of customer engagement? Join a collective of experts to forge connections, share ideas, and accelerate your career at the Braze Bonfire Community.