Lebo Lion: Why you know her brand but will never know her real name

Personal branding expert and content creator Lebo Lion has built a decade-long career online without ever revealing her surname - and now she has explained why. Content creator and personal branding expert Lebo Lion has spent 10 years building an online following without her audience ever knowing her full name – and she has no plans to change that. Speaking to The Citizen at the Dove Masterclass, held at Langhams Lifestyle Estate in Johannesburg, the marketing pro opened up about the thinking behind her brand, her early struggles as a creator, and why she deliberately keeps her surname out of the public eye. Asked directly why she doesn’t use her government name online, she said it comes down to protecting the brand she has spent a decade building. “Because I believe in building personal brands,” she said, explaining that when she started out, she used herself as a case study to prove she understood the craft. “Nobody knew who I was 10 years ago… I want to challenge myself to build a personal brand, to show people that I am a marketer who really knows how to do marketing.” Turning “a nobody into somebody” is the essence of personal branding for her, and Lebo Lion the brand is deliberately distinct from her private self. “That’s why I don’t share my government name online, because Lebo Lion is a brand. It is not my personality, my full personality or my life. It is the contribution that I’m making to society that changes the environments that I’m in.” She added that this separation is also what allows her to navigate criticism and brand relationships without taking them personally, since she views her work through a long-term, legacy-driven lens rather than day-to-day approval. “Brand says you have a vision for what you’ve built, and you know that in the future they will get it. That’s why I don’t have my normal name online. It breaks the relationship I have with my audience. I’m Lebo Lion to them, and that’s what I’ll continue to be.” From perfectionism to consistency She also reflected on how her approach to content creation has evolved since she started out. Describing herself as having “an A-type personality”, she admitted she once believed everything had to look flawless before she could show up online. “I learned that consistency and frequency are more important than aesthetics, depending on what you’re showing online,” she said, adding that visibility matters more than polish because audiences value relationships over curated feeds. Thinking in personal branding terms from the outset gave her an edge, she explained, but she said many creators hold themselves back out of a fear of being perceived, choosing to perform a version of themselves rather than showing up authentically. “People can see right through that,” she said, urging creators to keep posting despite that fear until creating simply becomes second nature. Measuring community, not just content On building an online following, Lebo Lion said the real test of a personal brand is whether a community forms around it, rather than just an audience consuming content. “That’s how you measure whether you’ve got a brand or you’ve just got content.” She pointed to the moment content becomes something people can “replicate or participate in” as the sign that it is resonating, and said the clearest proof shows up offline. “You see it offline, right?… you’re not just Lebo Lion online, you’re Lebo Lion offline, and you will meet your community and they will tell you stories about how your presence has changed their life or their perspective,” she said. That, she said, is when content becomes a brand: through storytelling, a clear point of view and standing for something specific. Dove Masterclass, held at Langhams Lifestyle Estate in Johannesburg. Picture: Supplied Creator Masterclass Lion’s observations in conversation The Citizen came during the Dove Masterclass, an event hosted by Hulisani Ravele that brought together creators, media and industry leaders to discuss creator culture and skincare. The day included a spoken-word performance by Botlhale Boikanyo and introduced the Dove Creator Collective, a programme aimed at supporting creators through education and authentic brand partnerships. “People are looking for content they can trust,” said Nivida Ramsundar, content lead for Dove South Africa, in a statement. Ramsundar said Dove sees it as the brand’s responsibility to equip creators with the knowledge to tell authentic, informed stories, adding that understanding the science and purpose behind Dove’s products helps creators produce content that resonates more deeply.