Marketing Vanguard Why Live Sports Is Marketing's Biggest Growth Engine ft. NBCU CMO Jennifer Storms When consumers have endless content choices, look to brand salience matters to get attention. By Jenny Rooney --> The future of brands gets decided here. Join the industry’s top marketers at Brandweek for the ideas, insights, and connections shaping what’s next. Get your ticket. What’s it going to take to build relevance in a brutal attention economy? In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jennifer Rooney sits down with Jennifer Storms, chief marketing officer of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, to break it down. Jennifer traces her path from Olympic dreams to sports marketing to PepsiCo to NBCUniversal, sharing how NBCUniversal thinks about brand salience across NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports. She also discusses why the Olympics needed to be rebuilt as a year-round franchise, and how Legendary February turned three separate live events into one unified cultural moment. What you’ll learn: Why a strong career north star should allow for strategic zigzags How CPG experience shaped Jenny’s view of consumer behavior and brand building Why brand salience matters when consumers have endless content choices How NBCUniversal turns campaigns into year-round franchises Why creators and athletes should be treated as storytellers, not just reach vehicles How AI makes human storytelling and live experiences more valuable Why live sports should be planned before, during and after the moment About our guest: Jennifer Storms is CMO of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, where she leads brand strategy, integrated marketing, media and consumer engagement across NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports. Her career spans the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Turner Broadcasting, PepsiCo and NBCUniversal, giving her a rare perspective across sports, media, entertainment and consumer brands. At NBCUniversal, Jennifer focuses on building distinct brands, driving audience growth across platforms and turning major cultural moments into year-round franchises. Episode Highlights: [07:14] Becoming a Chief Architect of Consumer Experience — At PepsiCo, Jennifer learned what it means to be the chief architect of consumer experience. That meant understanding not only what consumers need now, but what they will need next. It also meant standing in grocery and convenience stores, learning the realities of shelf space, linear feet and purchase behavior. That brand-side education now informs how she thinks about media, audience journeys and consumer connection at NBCUniversal. [12:27] Why Brand Salience Matters in Streaming — With so many shows, platforms and brands inside NBCUniversal’s house of brands, Jennifer says the answer is not either/or. Consumers should connect with shows, but they should also have strong affinity for NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports. The goal is brand salience: when someone sits down and wonders what they want to watch, NBCUniversal’s brands need to be top of mind. In a crowded streaming world, being remembered is half the battle. [13:55] Turning Campaigns Into Franchises — Jennifer says storytelling sits at the core of brand salience, and NBCUniversal has a serious advantage: “We are Hollywood.” But the real shift has been moving from campaigns to franchises. Starting with the Olympics, then SNL and Legendary February, the team began treating major moments as enterprise growth opportunities that live beyond one season, one premiere or one live event. The goal is to keep the franchise alive in culture even when the show or event is not actively on. [22:35] Why Adaptability Is a Core Marketing Skill — For Jenny, the best marketing teams need range. Specialists matter, but so do people with varied experiences, different backgrounds, curiosity and the ability to shift across business needs. Marketing today is not what it was five years ago, and areas like AI demand leaders and teams who can keep learning. The real skill is not pretending to know everything. It is staying curious enough to keep asking better questions. [30:27] Why Live Sports Is the Ultimate Attention Engine — Jennifer says at the core of sports is life. Live events create urgency, attention, community and connection, which is exactly what brands are trying to earn. If you miss the moment, you miss the memory. That is why sports has become so powerful for marketers. But her warning is important: do not just take advantage of the live moment. Plan the pre, the during and the post, and think about how the moment can build more business. Jenny Rooney Jenny Rooney is Chief Brand and Community Officer, leading strategy for the overall ADWEEK brand as well as the ways in which we serve and support our audiences with high-value content, products, partnerships and experiences, notably through our community programs such as Marketing Vanguard. @jenny_rooney | jenny.rooney@adweek.com Recommended videos ADWEEK Branded Read More In Healthcare Advertising, Relevance Is the New Reach Irina Katsnelson, SVP, Enterprise Sales, Nexxen A Remedy for Media Ad Sales Facing Massive Disruption By Salesforce Not Just What You Stand For—What You Build Texas A&M University 3 Misconceptions About Media in Third Spaces Atmosphere TV The Latest Newsletters ADWEEK Daily Your 5-minute morning advantage. ADWEEK Daily delivers the most important headlines in marketing, media, and tech—every weekday. AI, Tech & Money AI, commerce, M&A—this is where media and marketing intersect with money. 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Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.adweek.com