Why Boring Brands Break the Internet

{
  "id": "PP1161352",
  "track": "Brand & Marketing",
  "focus_area": null,
  "category": "Panel",
  "event_id": "PP1161352",
  "event_type": "panel",
  "format": "Panel",
  "genre": null,
  "subgenre": null,
  "name": "Why Boring Brands Break the Internet",
  "presented_by": null,
  "publish_at": "2025-11-03T16:30:00.000-06:00",
  "reservable": true,
  "reservable_id": "PP1161352",
  "reserved": false,
  "date": "2026-03-16",
  "end_time": "2026-03-16T12:30:00.000-05:00",
  "start_time": "2026-03-16T11:30:00.000-05:00",
  "message": null,
  "image": null,
  "credentials": [
    {
      "name": "Platinum Badge",
      "type": "platinum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Innovation Badge",
      "type": "innovation"
    }
  ],
  "contributors": [
    {
      "id": 89014,
      "company": "Twilio",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2251309,
      "name": "Adam Morgan",
      "speaker_types": [],
      "title": "VP of Brand",
      "image": null,
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Adam Morgan is Director of Brand Marketing at Twilio, where he leads global brand strategy for one of the world’s most influential developer-first technology companies. His work focuses on making complex infrastructure brands culturally relevant by blending creativity, clarity, and storytelling at scale. Adam brings deep experience in repositioning B2B and developer-led brands to earn attention beyond traditional tech audiences, helping them show up as entertaining, human, and culturally fluent.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 89013,
      "company": "Dr. Squatch",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2251308,
      "name": "Izzy Sarrafzadeh",
      "speaker_types": [],
      "title": "Brand Advisor",
      "image": null,
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Izzy Sarrafzadeh is a Brand Advisor at Dr. Squatch. She previously led global brand marketing at Dr Squatch, where she helped scale the brand through irreverent creative, viral celebrity campaigns, and culturally fluent storytelling. At Rho, Izzy brings challenger energy to fintech, combining startup grit, creator-led thinking, and bold brand expression to stand out in a traditionally conservative category.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 79132,
      "company": "Squarespace",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2240192,
      "name": "Nate Skinner",
      "speaker_types": [],
      "title": "Sr. Director Of Global Brand",
      "image": null,
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Nate Skinner is a brand and strategy leader who believes the future belongs to brands that entertain. As Global Brand lead at Squarespace, he drives the company’s brand strategy, brand media, and partnerships across key markets globally. Before joining Squarespace, Nate led brand narrative at Nike in New York, shaping campaigns at the intersection of sport, lifestyle, and culture. He began his career in consumer research and later served as Head of Strategy and Co-Managing Director at Stink Studios. Across every role, Nate’s focus has remained the same: building brands that people want to spend time with.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 48153,
      "company": "Small World",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2203697,
      "name": "Dan Salkey",
      "speaker_types": [],
      "title": "Founder",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Dan Salkey",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/QbLYbayANJB5U4P2pHg9fWW68LM=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/3040978d-eaf4-80b8-0c74-264c916ba1c9/pcid-1547065"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Dan Salkey is Strategy Partner at Small World, the entertainment-first agency behind work for brands like Duolingo, Oatly, and Dr. Squatch. He helps brands act less like advertisers and more like entertainers, building creative teams of un-standard talent and turning marketing into culture. Dan also co-authored the Entertain or Die report, a global index ranking the most entertaining brands on Earth. His mission: help brands earn attention by being worth watching.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "venue": {
    "accessible": false,
    "age_policy": null,
    "floor": "5",
    "id": "V2031",
    "indoor_outdoor": null,
    "name": "Waterloo Ballroom 4-6",
    "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": {
      "accessible": null,
      "age_policy": null,
      "floor": null,
      "id": "V2024",
      "indoor_outdoor": null,
      "name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
      "parent_id": null,
      "parent_venue_name": null,
      "venue_entry_info": null,
      "formats": null
    },
    "events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
  },
  "description": "When the default expectation is dull, entertaining content is a growth hack. This panel gathers marketers from categories often considered ‘boring’ like sunscreen, hygiene, and language apps, who have proven that irreverence, humour, and showmanship drive disproportionate returns. Learn why the blandest brands can become the boldest entertainers.",
  "experience_level": "Intermediate",
  "accessibility": [],
  "accessible_venue": false,
  "add_bcl_url": false,
  "add_slido": false,
  "age_policy": null,
  "american_sign_language": false,
  "apple_url": null,
  "audio_description": false,
  "caption_url": "Medium",
  "closed_captioned": false,
  "cpe_credit": false,
  "has_subtitles": false,
  "hash_tags": [],
  "high_sensory_experience": false,
  "live": false,
  "long_description": "When the default expectation is dull, entertaining content is a growth hack. This panel gathers marketers from categories often considered ‘boring’ like sunscreen, hygiene, and language apps, who have proven that irreverence, humour, and showmanship drive disproportionate returns. Learn why the blandest brands can become the boldest entertainers.",
  "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": "WHY BORING BRANDS BREAK THE INTERNET",
  "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": [],
  "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_sales_client": null
}