I caught the Amazon talk with Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, and Taylor Rooks. It focused on how Prime Video is putting fans first in this new era of NBA coverage. Dirk talked about never planning to go into media. He used to hate how people would trash the game. Now he’s part of helping shape how it's covered, in a way that respects the sport and connects with fans.
Next we saw GirlBossTown at the creators lounge for an interactive workshop. This was by far my favorite talk I went to as we got to pitch ideas to her. My group proposed a collaboration between Goodles and Frankies Bikinis and she loved it! We ended up pitching our idea onto her TikTok account. I am still in shock of how this all happened! I wish I went to more interactive workshops during the week because I learned the most from this experience.
Next I saw a talk with Alix Earle that explained the growth of Poppi and why they sold when they did. She emphasized how being an authentic creator and brand partnerships fueled real growth. Alix highlighted that being genuine like in her “Get Ready With Me” content was key to making the brand relatable and trustworthy. The influencers did become repetitive in saying "be authentic and be yourself" when asked how they succeeded. I wish Alix, and other influencers, dug deeper into how they really grow and what other factors play into it.
My first talk of the day was at Female Quotient. It was hosted by the CMO of Mars, Gulen Bengi, and CEO and Co-Founder of Writer, May Habib. They shared how AI helps everyone be more creative, reach more customers, and work smarter. I believe May made an interesting point when she said “What’s truly worth doing?" She meant that teams should stay curious and ask themselves: Is this the best use of our time and AI? Thus, she got to the point that using AI for multiple things just because it makes work easier is not the way to go. You must be clear on goals and the usage with AI. It will help teams and companies get better results.
Next, I went to a talk by Paul Earle, co-founder of Goodles. He said someone buys a box of Goodles every second in the U.S. which was shocking to me. The brand is all about maximalism—bold, fun, and loud. He pushed back on minimalism, calling it lazy, and said brands shouldn’t just be known for a color, but for color. Instead of building just logos, they build full brand worlds. Their product tiers go from good to best, then the f-bomb. They aim to build fans, not just users.
I watched Alex Cooper on the Amazon stage talk about Unwell and its partnership with girls’ soccer. The talk was titled From Sidelines to Headlines: The Power of Woman's Sports. She shared that Unwell Hydration is now the official partner of the NWSL, bringing “Unwell FC” fan activations, game-day pop-ups, merch drops, and ticket promos to connect with soccer fans. Alex, a former Division I soccer player, explained how this partnership lets her re-engage with women's soccer, after stepping back from playing.
After this long day, the class had happy hour at the Dove Party then headed to the award shows. My favorite work from this night was "The Final Copy of Ilona Specht." Overall, Tuesday was one of my favorite days. My three takeaways from the day were more is more, do not be know for a color - be the color, and build fans, not users or targets.