Conference

Presented by Jennifer Martindale, SVP of Marketing, Chicago Cubs

In this session, Jen Martindale of the Chicago Cubs shares six tools to help you build brand fandom.

Speaker profile:

Jen joined the Chicago Cubs in 2022 to steward the Cubs and Wrigley Field brands, overseeing fan development, growth marketing, content development and production, and game presentation. Prior to the Cubs, Jen spent three seasons as vice president of brand strategy for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining professional sports, Jen served in marketing leadership roles in the nonprofit sector and spent over ten years at Chicago-based ad agency Leo Burnett, driving brand strategy and leading award-winning campaigns for notable brands like Kellogg’s, Cadillac, PetSmart, and the U.S. Army.

Conference

Presented by Marissa Eddings, Sr. Director, Brand, Advertising, Media, and In-store Marketing and In-house Agency, 7-Eleven

In this session, Marissa Eddings of 7-Eleven walks through how she built a case for growth.

Speaker profile:

In her role with the world’s largest convenience retailer, Melissa leads the team behind iconic brand moments like Slurpee Day and has executed groundbreaking brand activations like launching the brand’s first online merchandise store 7Collection, and building a custom car created by the brand’s most loyal fans, aptly named Model 711. Most recently, Marissa and her team were the brains behind the brand’s first-ever music video and ode to Slurpee featuring hip-hop star Flo Milli and the Always Open viral collab with football sensation Ja’Marr Chase. Prior to 7-Eleven, Marissa held roles in brand and marketing with Capital One and American Express.

Conference

Presented by Jorge Orozco-Cordero, ECD, Sr. Director of Brand Communications, Discover Financial Services

In this session, Jorge Orozco-Cordero reveals how leading through change can elevate a brand.

Speaker profile:

Jorge is forever an outsider looking inward. Emigrating from the jungle canopy of Costa Rica and raised in suburban New York, he knows how to thrive in uncertain territories—turning his skill in adaptation into a rich, 25-year career in brand and advertising. Today, Jorge oversees the 38-person internal agency at Discover, leading creative, copywriting, account, and strategy in the development and launch of full-funnel marketing integration across 21 lines of business. In his current role, Jorge has led Super Bowl ad campaigns, launched a national pandemic response campaign to support Black-owned restaurants, and continues to lead Discover’s brand evolution into the future.

Conference

Presented by Amy Spears, SVP Brand, Creative & Media and George Friedman, Director of Content Development & Production, Highmark Health

In this session, Amy Spears and George Friedman pull back the curtain on the In-House Agency of the Year.

Speaker profile:

Amy oversees brand, creative, and media for Highmark Health, a $26 billion national, blended health organization that includes one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional network of hospitals and physicians. She also leads Tonic, a 125+ member team, to support the company’s mission of creating remarkable health experiences that free people to be their best. In her current role, Amy leverages 25+ years of experience in advertising and marketing with multiple Fortune 40 retail and healthcare companies to build and develop high-performing and award-winning brands, teams, and team cultures.

Speaker profile:

With a reputation as a global leader, brand builder, and storyteller, George is a content creation expert specialized in leading teams that produce award-winning content for some of the world’s most respected brands. Having a creative, technical, and operational background provides George with a unique understanding of the full production process from conception to launch across all channels. Today, George leads content development and production at Tonic, Highmark Health’s in-house agency, where he and his team focus on TV, video and photography, digital and paid social, print production, and web publishing.

Conference

Presented by Kristine Kobe, VP, Marketing & Advertising, Liquid Sunshine, Keurig Dr Pepper

Within months of forming Liquid Sunshine, the in-house agency at Keurig Dr Pepper, the pandemic hit—leaving the newly established team operating in siloes across three time zones, each with its own way of working across 125 brands. With the eventual return-to-office and in-person connections, the team at Liquid Sunshine needed to define who they are as an internal agency. What is their purpose within Keurig Dr Pepper? How do they operate? And how do they show up for their marketing partners and each other? Join Kristine Kobe for an inside look at Liquid Sunshine’s journey to build a unified, purpose-driven team for a modern-day marketing organization.

Conference

Presented by Adrienne Lucas, Global Head of Strategic Partnerships & DEI, The One Club for Creativity

Hiring and retaining people of color requires intentionality, authenticity and grit. If you are ready to embark on more-purposeful hiring practices, industry agnostic organizations such as The One Club for Creativity are here to help. The One Club is a nonprofit creative advertising organization founded in the 1960s to celebrate and support the global creative community. For over a half-century, they have partnered with countless in-house agencies to attract talent of color, reduce turnover, drive innovation and enable profitability. Join Adrienne Lucas for a candid conversation and actionable tips that you and your team can take to improve your diversity-hiring practices.

Conference

Presented by Becky Kamowitz, Senior Director of Marketing Communications, The Skin Cancer Foundation

Fifteen years ago, a beauty brand approached The Skin Cancer Foundation with these magic words: “We want to make a difference.” What started out as an extended brainstorming session became a recurring mobile skin cancer screening program known as Destination Healthy Skin. Over the years, with vital support from sun-protection product manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and retailers, the Skin Cancer Foundation has provided over 29,000 free life-saving screenings nationwide, while reaching millions more via media coverage. In this inspired session, we gain an understanding of what makes a successful, sustainable partnership between nonprofit and for-profit corporations, and what pitfalls to avoid.

Conference

Presented by Paige McCrensky, VP, Marketing & Brand Communications, Americas, Getty Images

Ninety percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual. It’s sixty times faster to process visual information than text. And content with visuals results in ninety-four percent more views than content without visuals. All of this is to say that visual storytelling has become the world’s primary language. Getty Images’ Paige McCrensky reveals the top five trends that are key to creating compelling visual stories and driving purposeful engagement with target audiences. Learn how authenticity and representation are essential to connecting with consumers and the role visuals play in today’s digital age.