Last week, advertising and marketing leaders descended upon The Penn District for Advertising Week New York (AWNY). Among the 20,000 attendees who came to experience the buzz, make new connections, and get a front-row seat to the trends shaping the future of advertising were our very own CEO, Lana Busignani, and CMO, Kerel Cooper.
In her session titled “Brands That Move People: What It Actually Takes,” Lana explored how brands can build emotional and behavioral connections with Jim Mollica, President of Luxury Consumer Audio & Chief Marketing Officer at Bose. Meanwhile, Kerel lent his sports expertise to the panel “Owning the Moment: Sports, Sponsorship, and the New Creative Playbook.”
Four days and two MarketCast Sessions down, here are the themes that stood out to the team:
Can Brands Own The Moment?
Between the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, and World Cup, 2026 has been a landmark year for sports. And with events as big as these come big opportunities for advertisers.
Reflecting on these moments, AWNY explored how brands can successfully break into tentpole events and, in turn, measure their impact.
For Kerel, he told attendees that it all comes down to building a relationship with audiences. Anyone can buy an ad slot. What you can’t buy is a fan’s emotion. Owning the moment is about how you make people feel. Do they remember your brand once the event is over? Have you inspired your audience to take action?
Lana also explored this concept of emotional connection in her session with Jim Mollica of Bose.
Jim offered an insightful perspective on reaching audiences, suggesting that psychographics should take priority over demographics. His advice was to think about the way people buy. People are emotional beings, and the rational simply corroborates the emotional decision.
Measuring What Matters
When it comes to measuring the impact of big moments, Kerel believes in tracking what moves people, both feelings and actions.
Lana doubled down on this “Goldilocks” approach in her session, noting that measurement needs to be scaled enough to provide value, but should also take into account craft and taste.
Drawing from his experience at Bose, Jim emphasized the importance of being able to demonstrate momentum in sales (often through performance marketing), while simultaneously developing the brand.
The consensus from AWNY was clear: marketers are increasingly focused on fostering emotional connections, and measurement is following suit. The conversation is shifting from traditional metrics to asking the question: “Is our advertising moving people?”
Consistency Really is Key
Consistency is one of advertising’s best practices for a reason. If we go back to the context of sports, brands that show up only during the tournament window are renting attention. Those that are visible in the 18 months leading up to the event truly own the association.
Take McDonald’s. Its memorability numbers were off the charts because it understood the cultural relevance and emotion of the World Cup. Not only did the brand show up for the 2026 tournament, but it has also been steadily building its brand at, and around, other big moments over time.
This example underscores a key lesson shared at AWNY 2026: To really capitalize on events, brands need a unified approach to event investment across all touchpoints, from pre-game all the way to signage.
The Lasting Power of Connection
Across the 500+ sessions, which spanned everything from sports to AI, AWNY 2026 offered a glimpse into where the industry is headed, and a wealth of insights about what makes marketing and advertising truly effective. The golden thread through it all?
Connection. Across all topics and formats, the most impactful brands are those that create genuine, lasting bonds with their audiences, earning memory, not just impressions.
If you’re interested in how to create this emotional resonance within the world of sports sponsorship and advertising, download our Sports Playbook for Brands.