From Function to Feeling: The Brand Is the Product

{
  "id": "PP1150905",
  "track": "Brand & Marketing",
  "focus_area": null,
  "category": "Panel",
  "event_id": "PP1150905",
  "event_type": "panel",
  "format": "Panel",
  "genre": null,
  "subgenre": null,
  "name": "From Function to Feeling: The Brand Is the Product",
  "presented_by": null,
  "publish_at": "2026-03-02T16:59:00.000-06:00",
  "reservable": true,
  "reservable_id": "PP1150905",
  "reserved": false,
  "date": "2026-03-15",
  "end_time": "2026-03-15T15:30:00.000-05:00",
  "start_time": "2026-03-15T14:30:00.000-05:00",
  "message": null,
  "image": null,
  "credentials": [
    {
      "name": "Platinum Badge",
      "type": "platinum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Innovation Badge",
      "type": "innovation"
    }
  ],
  "contributors": [
    {
      "id": 105971,
      "company": "Fairchild Media",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2277212,
      "name": "Amanda Smith",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "CEO",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Amanda Smith",
        "credit": "",
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/aolNnxicBz8WhDdgLE8NoTz_H6U=/0x0:523x523/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/07e8d9fb-6d05-4c24-b194-1e307988c102/pcid-1655818"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Amanda Smith is the CEO of Fairchild Media Group (FMG) overseeing brand and edit operations, and the strategic vision for the 12 million in combined global audience across Women's Wear Daily (WWD), Footwear News (FN), Beauty Inc, Sourcing Journal, WWD Weekend, and Fairchild Live. As CEO of the industry’s most trusted and relied upon news sources globally, Amanda leads all business and editorial initiatives along with new product development across all media platforms. \r\rWith over two decades leading high-profile brands across the B2B and B2C sector, Amanda brings deep experience and relationships across the luxury, retail, fashion, footwear, and beauty sectors to her role at FMG. Throughout her award-winning career, she has built a reputation for unprecedented operational transformation and is widely recognized as an innovator who outperforms expectation, delivers revenue, audience growth, and is dedicated to the development of successful teams and first-to-market opportunities and partnerships. Amanda has leveraged her expertise in accelerating heritage brands and broadening the reach and influence of the FMG brands through strategic brand integration, new editorial-founded extensions and a re-imagining of the content platform strategy designed to speak to a highly discerning audience of thought leaders in fashion and beauty. Among her credits during her tenure at FMG, Amanda successfully launched a consumer facing luxury product, WWD Weekend and the WWD Global Impact Council, a global network of the brightest, most innovative, and visionary minds in fashion apparel, retail, beauty, luxury, footwear, and technology. Smith is also credited with repositioning FN and Beauty Inc as fully integrated products within the Fairchild portfolio. \r\rAmanda is the board president for the Fashion Scholarship Fund, the fashion industry’s foremost fashion-oriented education and workforce development nonprofit organization supporting the country’s most talented young students through scholarships, mentorship, career opportunities, and access to industry leaders. She is also a board advisor for Genesys AI. Amanda maintains close ties with the Council of Fashion Designers and the Council of Executive Women, and is dedicated to creating FMG programs that specifically address equity and advancement for women in the fashion and beauty industry. \r\rPrior to joining PMC, Amanda served as a senior leader at some of the most iconic brands in media, including Fast Company, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Conde Nast Traveler.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 78004,
      "company": "E.L.F. Beauty",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2238956,
      "name": "Patrick O’Keefe",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Chief Integrated Marketing Officer",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Patrick O’keefe",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/XzKdzRLt5E5vLyEqPod1wVLCqn4=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/2e584fad-d898-69d0-9cfb-c75cc2bef6d4/pcid-1585788"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Patrick O’Keefe, Chief, Integrated Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Beauty\n \nA true digital and experiential disrupter, Patrick has spent the past 15+ years in the beauty industry focused on bringing brands to life with an integrated approach through Digital, Paid Media, Data Driven Marketing, Social, Influencer and Retail Partnerships. He joined the e.l.f. Beauty team in September 2019, where he brought his deep expertise to create the Integrated Marketing Communication team. Patrick is tasked with driving seamless integration and bullet proof brand consistency across all paid media, social media, influencer marketing and public relations for all brands in the e.l.f. Beauty portfolio. He is an integral part of the go-to-market strategy and helps lead the marketing efforts to explore new frontiers. Prior to e.l.f., Patrick was the Vice President of Integrated Consumer Communications at L’Oréal working on the Matrix and Biolage brands and driving results in the haircare and color categories. He also previously worked at Shiseido and supported hairdressers, makeup artists, nail techs and estheticians with the largest association management firm in the United States building their experiential marketing programs. Before the beauty industry, he worked at Walt Disney World and served in the United States Air Force. \n",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 105970,
      "company": "Southwest Airlines",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2277211,
      "name": "Sabrina Callahan",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Svp, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Sabrina Callahan",
        "credit": "",
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/rOpBBGCakpx8kgbQR2RDT60hiPk=/0x0:681x681/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/f09ffcd4-70c0-4e9a-9353-86268c30781e/pcid-1655804"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": null,
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 105969,
      "company": "Mars Snacking North America",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2277210,
      "name": "Gabrielle Wesley",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Chief Marketing Officer, Confectionery",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Gabrielle Wesley",
        "credit": "",
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/ckW8x3NiH2Y55Vmr706rW2E3Oq0=/0x0:1500x1500/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/aaca150d-99d7-4c47-8a48-c548bb078fe4/pcid-1655786"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Gabrielle Wesley is the Chief Marketing Officer, Confectionery for Mars Snacking North America and member of the North American Leadership Team. She leads the multi-billion dollar portfolio of iconic brands that include M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, SKITTLES®, STARBURST®, ORBIT® and ALTOIDS®. \r\rGabrielle Wesley is an experienced brand and general management professional with 20 years of experience in both consumer and private label CPG. She began her career at Mars in the Petcare Division, where she led the billion dollar plus Wet Portfolio. Gabrielle has accelerated brands such as PEDIGREE®, CESAR®, NUTRO™, SHEBA™ and IAMS™. She is a champion of identifying and validating new ways to reach consumers in an ever-changing marketplace. \r\rPrior to Mars, Gabrielle enjoyed an extensive career in brand management at both General Mills and ConAgra Foods. Gabrielle has proven leadership and agility at General Mills across multiple categories, different business models, consumer cohorts and competitive constructs. In her time at General Mills, she managed a variety of brands such as Nature Valley, Green Giant, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Progresso. Gabrielle also worked in Toronto, Canada, where she managed the company’s largest cereal franchise, Cheerios, as well as General Mills’ sponsorship of the Olympic Games. She was also responsible for the internal and external equity management of the Pillsbury Doughboy. \r\rAt ConAgra, Gabrielle led the largest global portfolio of Private Label Snacks and was a key member of the leadership team, working in partnership with retail customers such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Kroger and Tesco on accelerating category growth and innovation. She credits her success to her passion for One Demand partnership and obsession with the consumer. \r\rGabrielle earned her MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (Go Blue!) and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Tennessee State University. Gabrielle currently resides with her husband, two children and two dogs.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "venue": {
    "accessible": false,
    "age_policy": null,
    "floor": null,
    "id": "V2141",
    "indoor_outdoor": null,
    "mixhalo_url": "https://translate.mixhalo.rocks/432?venue_id=432&partner=true",
    "name": "Waterloo Ballroom 1",
    "parent_id": "V2024",
    "parent_venue_name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
    "venue_entry_info": null,
    "formats": null,
    "location": {
      "address": "304 E Cesar Chavez St.",
      "lat_lon": [
        30.2628298,
        -97.74157
      ],
      "city": "Austin",
      "postal_code": "78701",
      "state": "TX",
      "name": "Austin Marriott Downtown"
    },
    "root": {
      "id": "V2024",
      "name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
      "mixhalo_url": null
    },
    "events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
  },
  "description": "When features compete, feeling wins. In categories defined by parity and endless choice, functional differentiation is rarely enough. This panel explores how brand meaning, storytelling, and cultural connection transform products into emotional experiences that drive preference. Bringing together leaders across industries, the conversation examines how identity, memory, and participation influence purchase decisions.",
  "experience_level": "Intermediate",
  "audio_url": null,
  "accessibility": [],
  "accessible_venue": false,
  "add_bcl_url": false,
  "add_slido": false,
  "after_midnight": null,
  "age_policy": null,
  "american_sign_language": false,
  "apple_url": null,
  "audio_description": false,
  "caption_url": null,
  "captioned_qa": false,
  "closed_captioned": false,
  "cpe_credit": false,
  "event_status": "none",
  "has_subtitles": false,
  "hash_tags": [],
  "high_sensory_experience": false,
  "live": false,
  "long_description": "When features compete, feeling wins. In categories defined by parity and endless choice, functional differentiation is rarely enough. This panel explores how brand meaning, storytelling, and cultural connection transform products into emotional experiences that drive preference. Bringing together leaders across industries, the conversation examines how identity, memory, and participation influence purchase decisions.",
  "meeting_url": null,
  "meeting_url_live": false,
  "mentorly_url": null,
  "mobile_audio_url": null,
  "open_captioned": false,
  "playlist_tag": null,
  "rebroadcast": false,
  "recommended_ids": [],
  "search_conversions": null,
  "short_program": false,
  "slido_url": null,
  "sort": "FROM FUNCTION TO FEELING: THE BRAND IS THE PRODUCT",
  "source": "Official",
  "squad_up_url": null,
  "stream_embed": null,
  "stream_id": null,
  "stream_url": null,
  "strobe_warning": false,
  "subdiscipline": null,
  "summit": null,
  "summit_display_name": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "id": 2579,
      "name": "Marketing Leadership Summit",
      "created_at": "2026-03-03T13:39:09.879-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2026-03-03T13:39:09.879-06:00",
      "sort": "MARKETING LEADERSHIP SUMMIT",
      "alpha": "M"
    },
    {
      "id": 2576,
      "name": "Recently Added",
      "created_at": "2026-02-26T12:08:59.538-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2026-02-26T12:08:59.538-06:00",
      "sort": "RECENTLY ADDED",
      "alpha": "R"
    },
    {
      "id": 1094,
      "name": "Branding",
      "created_at": "2016-11-28T14:54:15.982-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2022-02-14T12:07:45.213-06:00",
      "sort": "BRANDING",
      "alpha": "B"
    }
  ],
  "talent_attending": null,
  "title_only": false,
  "track_display_name": "Brand & Marketing track sponsored by Youtube",
  "trailer_id": null,
  "trailer_url": null,
  "video_on_demand": null,
  "vimeo_id": null,
  "vod": false,
  "xr_project_type": null,
  "youtube_id": null,
  "related_events": [],
  "related_sales_client": null
}