The Marketing Leader Making Crypto Feel Human

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! With the weather heating up and your inbox melting into vacation replies, we know it’s the season of “let’s circle back in Q3.” Take this as your official permission slip to procrastinate productively. Put the iced coffee down (or don’t) and dive into this week’s smartest, sharpest, and most creative CMO insights.

Every Friday, we bring you stories from the marketers changing the rules, from big brand launches to bold positioning plays. Because yes, you can be compliant and cool at the same time (just ask this week’s guest).

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

• A sit-down with Gemini’s Global Head of Marketing, Olivia Santarelli

• Ads are coming to WhatsApp

• OpenFortune and Purple…in bed

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone proving that compliance and creativity can actually be best friends, it’s Olivia Santarelli, the Global Head of Marketing at Gemini. With a résumé that reads like a masterclass in cross-industry storytelling, from fashion at Anthropologie to finance at Amex, Olivia is now turning heads in crypto with every emotionally resonant campaign.

Her journey began in the fashion closet at Vogue, but Olivia quickly realized her passion wasn’t just style, but it was the intersection of data, storytelling, and strategy. This balance led her to American Express, where she dove deep into performance marketing on the small business credit card team. But eventually, she wanted to build something from the ground up, so she jumped into the startup world and, more radically, into crypto.

She joined Gemini as their third marketing hire, entering a world that was still unfamiliar but exciting. Rather than shy away from the complexity, she leaned in, reading the Bitcoin white paper, exploring the space, and embracing the steep learning curve. At Gemini, she’s held several roles, each deepening her understanding of customer behavior and brand strategy.

Olivia’s impact is most evident in campaigns like Go Where Dollars Won’t, a visually rich, emotionally resonant campaign that reintroduced Gemini to the market after a quiet period. With hand-drawn scenes of Martian safaris and lunar carnivals, the campaign focused on what the future could feel like. As she put it, “We really wanted it to be about the experience.”

This future-forward mindset also shaped Gemini’s latest product: a Bitcoin rewards credit card. Instead of overwhelming new users with crypto terminology, the messaging is direct—Earn Bitcoin, not points. Olivia’s team understands that for the crypto-curious, simple, relatable entry points matter more than advanced features. The brand’s voice has shifted from educational to emotional, without sacrificing clarity.

What makes Olivia especially effective is her ability to manage creative ambition within a tightly regulated environment. She credits Gemini’s legal and compliance teams as collaborators, not roadblocks, and sees guardrails as opportunities to sharpen messaging. Her approach? Start with the constraints, then design around them.

The team’s efforts are also paying off. Olivia’s work is helping Gemini expand in Europe, build brand awareness outside the crypto bubble, and encourage a loyal community online. She believes it’s not just about the tech, but about the people behind it. “Our customer support is unparalleled,” she shared. “We have incredible support staff and people who really care about every customer.”

Olivia’s Takeaway

“Not everything needs to be said right away… I think taking things away, processing, and finding a less reactive way to say things is better advice.”

Olivia’s leadership style is about reflection and action… and it's working.

To hear more about how Olivia is bringing a radically human lens to crypto marketing, and how Gemini is winning both trust and attention, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

🥠 The Cookie Jar

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

• Ads are coming to WhatsApp. Because nothing says 'end-to-end encryption' like targeted advertising.

• How Purple Got Into People’s Heads (And Beds) with OpenFortune. Who knew an age old tradition and classic joke could be so effective?

• TikTok brings expanded suite of generative AI ad tools to WPP, Adobe. The AI advertising arms race just got another major player.

• How Coca-Cola’s marketing transformation led to the new Smartwater campaign. The secret ingredient was Jennifer Aniston all along.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team