day 4

Meeting with Comcast Advertising ECD Grail Mortillaro

I love how enthusiastic Grail was about sharing his story and giving us advice. My biggest takeaway from him is that you never know where you’ll end up, just make sure to keep an open mind about the possibilities. He’s someone who has always been into the alternative scene, and ended up where he least expected: the corporate world. But he loves his team and how he’s able to bring a different creative vision. I also resonated a lot with not liking to speak in front of crowds, but when you really care about something it comes easier.

The Kelce Effect: Exploring New Heights with Travis and Jason Kelce

This got so packed they maxed out capacity and I had to spectate from the outside! Jason came out first to talk about the campaign he did with Frank’s, a company that specializes in hot sauces. He believes that a partnership of trust comes down to what the product is, and he seems to have really enjoyed this one since he chugged it! He shared how he’s really authentic on camera, doing a lot of improv comedy. Leading up to the Super Bowl, both food and non-food brands got in on the action on social media. This planning took place only days before the big game, and it was thanks to the CMO’s connections that they got this participation. Then Travis came out to talk with his brother about New Heights, their podcast. They see it as a way to get out from under the face mask and into the seats of the living rooms of the people watching. They share their experiences with the fans as though they were there. This reminded me of the NFL rebranding to humanize the league and Andrew Whitworth bringing the Thursday Night Football experience to fans at home. People get to see that they’re brothers having fun. It’s a way to communicate with each other, something they feel they had lost with their busy schedules. They carve time out of the week for this side gig. Their creative process is based on what they know how to have fun with. For example, Jason giving a movie review is hilarious. They also lean a lot of what they’re going to talk about on fanbases, which also reminded me of the Amazon talk with Gwyneth about connecting to consumers this way. A guideline helps, but a lot of the time it’s off the cuff and they just shoot stuff that goes viral. As for their partnerships, they were happy to have dog food sponsors in the beginning. Now they can pick and choose to their liking, such as with Garage Beer. Although I was sad I didn’t get to be in the audience, I’m grateful I was still able to hear the conversation from afar!

Because of all the fuss surrounding this talk, I didn’t get the chance to attend the other ones I had planned. I took the day to enjoy the tents around the area, especially since it was the last day they were open. I have pictures from my time exploring them in my gallery!