Tanja Omeze, the former marketing head for Amazon Video had been appointed the Chief Marketing Officer for Seattle-based RealSelf where she will lead global marketing initiatives to increase awareness, engagement and connections among and between consumers and medical aesthetic professionals.
Recognized as the world’s largest online aesthetics marketplace and the best place to learn about cosmetic treatments and connect with doctors and other clinicians, RealSelf, Inc. has also announced it has raised $40 million in its first financing round since 2008. This brings the company’s total capital raised since it was founded in 2006 to $42 million.
Ms. Omeze brings 20 years of extensive marketing and leadership experience with category-leading brands to RealSelf. Most recently, she served as head of marketing for the Amazon Video store and previously held a variety of marketing leadership roles at Weight Watchers, Scholastic and Verizon Wireless. Her prior experience also includes consulting on digital strategies in the aesthetic, IoT and publishing industries, and running innovative marketing programs at Pfizer and Citi. Earlier in her career, Ms. Omeze founded and served as CEO of iAnswers, one of the first vertically-focused online marketplaces.
In 2017, Tanja she was recognized among a select number of innovative female marketing executives in Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy.
“Tanja is a perfect example of the right person at the right time. Adding Tanja’s marketing leadership and experience to our strong brand and business is the perfect combination to engage millions more consumers and aesthetic professionals in this growing market,” said RealSelf Founder and CEO Tom Seery. “With Tanja at the helm of marketing and our continued innovation in products and services, I am confident we will extend our reach around the globe to help consumers get informed and connect with the right providers.”
“RealSelf is a marketer’s dream job—great brand equity with massive runway in terms of the global market opportunity,” said Ms. Omeze. “I’m excited to join at a time when the company and entire category are evolving so rapidly.”
Ms. Omeze holds an MBA from Wharton and a bachelor’s from California State University Dominguez Hills.
RealSelf has brought important transparency to the growing aesthetics market. Through the RealSelf website and mobile app, consumers can easily access more than 2 million anonymous patient reviews, “Worth It” ratings and photos, combined with medical expert insights, relating to hundreds of different aesthetic procedures available today. This includes everything from surgical cosmetic procedures like breast augmentation and rhinoplasty to minimally invasive treatments like Botox and new medaesthetic technologies like facial microneedling, eyebrow microblading and CoolSculpting.
In addition to learning about treatment options, consumers also use RealSelf to research and connect with doctors and other medical providers. More than 20,000 medical professionals have claimed their RealSelf profiles and participate in the community. These professionals share their expertise and insights by answering patient questions in the RealSelf Ask A Doctor Forum, posting before and after photos, and offering consultations to RealSelf members who contact them.
In 2017, there were more than 17.5 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments performed in the U.S. alone, up from 13.1 million procedures in 2010.1 The majority of growth has come from minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments, which outpaced surgeries nearly eight to one.2 As consumer demand for aesthetic procedures has grown, so has RealSelf. Last year, nearly 94 million people from more than 100 countries visited RealSelf, an increase of more than 270 percent since 2013. Already, 40 percent of RealSelf users come from outside the U.S., underscoring the rising interest in aesthetics around the globe. [24×7]
