Thursday, June 25th.
Thursday, June 25th.
By Thursday, I started noticing a pattern throughout the week. Even though every speaker came from a different company and background, so many of them kept coming back to the same ideas: authenticity, understanding your audience, and not letting AI replace the human side of creativity. It was cool to see how those themes connected across completely different industries.
1. Start With Who Matters, The Future of Marketing Systems
I started the morning back at Female Quotient with Eric Austin, Helen Driskell, and Marc Villegas from P&G. Since AI had been a topic in almost every talk throughout the week, I expected to hear more of the same, but this session added a different perspective.
One point that really stuck with me was that AI can get you about 80% of the way there, but the final 20% has to come from people. AI can make you faster, but when it comes to finding meaningful insights, those still come from real human conversations. They also talked about how important it is to truly understand a brand's identity because without that foundation, even the best technology can't create meaningful work.
2. Redefining the Role of Brands in Entertainment
This ended up being one of my favorite talks of the day. Samantha Carolina, Patrick O'Keefe, Grant Refillo, and Jackie Widmann talked about the role brands play in entertainment and why authenticity always has to come first.
One thing I really loved was how much they trusted creators. Instead of controlling every little detail, they emphasized giving creators the freedom to actually create. They also talked about balancing data with instinct. While data is incredibly valuable, there is still something to be said for trusting your gut and taking chances. One quote that stuck with me was, "When I hear no, I hear yes—there's a way." That mindset really resonated with me because it reminded me that some of the best ideas happen when you're willing to push through obstacles instead of accepting the first "no."
3. All In: What the Smartest Investors See in Sports
Going into this session, I expected to learn more about sports investing than I actually did. Overall, it wasn't my favorite talk, but I really enjoyed hearing Arik Armstead speak. More than anything, he came across as an incredibly genuine person who genuinely cares about the impact he has beyond football.
One takeaway that stuck with me was that the best investors aren't just investing money—they're investing in people who share the same long-term vision and values. Arik's quote, "If you build it, they will come," was simple, but it perfectly reflected the importance of staying committed to your vision.
4. Wearables Meet Shareables: The Intersection of Tech and Community
This session brought together speakers from Strava, Oura, Upside, and Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhall. I really enjoyed hearing Hunter's perspective because so much of what he talked about applied far beyond sports.
His biggest message was simple: don't be afraid to fail—you just have to start. Sometimes the simplest advice ends up being the advice you remember the most, and that's exactly how I felt after this session.
5. Sports Beach: More Than Merch: How Licensed Apparel Became a Language for Global Fandom
I never realized how much strategy goes into merchandise until this talk. Before attending, I mostly thought of licensed apparel as another product fans could buy, but it's so much more than that. For many people, it's a way to express who they are and feel connected to a larger community.
I also thought it was fascinating to hear Jayson Tatum explain that each shoe release takes around 19 weeks to develop. Between branding, design, licensing, manufacturing, and marketing, there's so much happening behind the scenes that consumers never see. It definitely gave me a greater appreciation for everything that goes into launching a product.
6. Close the Loop: How the Best Creative Teams Use Canva Grow to Create, Launch, and Learn
I ended my day back at Canva, and it felt like a great way to wrap everything together. Cliff Obrecht, George Howes, and Brian Kearney talked about what happens after a campaign is launched. Creativity doesn't stop once an ad goes live—the best teams constantly learn from audience feedback and performance to improve what comes next.
One thing that really stood out to me was the importance of consistency. Every platform is different, but your brand should always feel recognizable, whether someone sees it on TikTok, TV, or Instagram. Culture also continued to come up throughout the discussion, which made me realize just how often that word had been mentioned during the week. The best campaigns aren't just creative—they understand the people they're trying to reach.