3 stories of gridiron legends served as the backdrop for Brand Futures: Atlanta! While The College Football Hall of Fame was the venue for our professional meetup, the focus of the night was squarely on the cutting edge of marketing and brand building.
On Thursday November 9th, Opal hosted Brand Futures: Atlanta, bringing the top marketers together from “The Big Peach”. Attendees enjoyed comfort food, craft cocktails, thought leadership from industry veterans, and the chance to make one-on-one connections.
Here’s how one marketer described the event:
“I’ve never been to anything like this. This is such an awesome way to be connected to other great marketers.”
Connecting Leaders in Our Field
While there were likenesses of – and artifacts from – top football talent, our roster of attendees stood out, too. We’re excited to share that professionals from outstanding brands like Google, Cricket Wireless, Salesforce, Delta Airlines, and many more were in attendance! Even better than having an impressive lineup of marketers was how much fun they had – numerous attendees stayed with us until the Hall of Fame shut down for the night!
As always, the goal was to create an exclusive space for marketers to connect. Professional connections were made and the personal hot takes you wouldn’t share anywhere else were discussed at length.
Big Game Atmosphere
While marketing was on centerstage that night, there was ample football excitement to keep hardcore and casual fans excited. When you signed in at the event, you could select your favorite team, which would light up a helmet on the stories-high helmet wall – and preload team-specific exhibit experiences. On top of legendary memorabilia like the Heisman Trophy and countless other pieces, there was the Gameday news counter for everyone wanting to live out their sports broadcaster fantasy.
The tailgate-inspired comfort cuisine also earned rave reviews. Delicacies like prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe bites, pork BBQ, caprese skewers, and classic fried green tomatoes were served.
Your Hosts
Leading the conversation at the event was the trio George Huff, Chris Tuff, and Doug Busk. While the hosts acknowledged that Huff, Tuff, and Busk sounded like it should be the name of a law firm, they are all seasoned marketers with unique perspectives.
Chris Tuff – Chris Tuff is a bestselling author and renowned keynote speaker with a distinguished track record, having presented for industry giants like Nike, Meta, Verizon, Amazon, Delta, and Harvard. Chris also provides strategic counsel to select large private enterprises in culture, leadership, sales, marketing, and digital innovation.
Doug Busk – Bringing a builder’s perspective to strategic communications, Doug Busk is currently focused on the space of “story-scaling.” He draws inspiration from career milestones such as leading the 2008 Obama mobile organizing effort – as well as creating Coca-Cola’s first global approach to social media!
George Huff – CEO and Co-founder of Opal, George Huff created Opal to help his marketing friends have a purpose-built central HQ for their work. He loves to discuss brand marketing, emerging technology, and growing up in the wilds of Alaska!
Conversations
What started as a panel discussion evolved into a rapid fire FAQ that left no stone unturned. From technology, to brand building, and even career growth, these were some of the most interesting topics:
🔵 That ONLY 11% of people are in jobs that truly match their personality!
🔵 The fact that brands hire content marketers to find a “silver bullet” which will drive sales and pipeline – yet most brands do content wrong!
🔵 Brands MUST know their audience – and they must be willing to walk away from any platform or channel where their audiences aren’t spending time.
🔵 In marketing, it is desperation that drives innovation.
🔵 Making movies based on brands – ala Barbie – earns you profit twice over. Firstly, ticket sales, and secondly because it grows toy sales. Expect to see more of this.
The Next Brand Futures Event
For the final Brand Futures event of 2023, we’re having a homecoming of sorts. On Wednesday, December 6th, we’ll be hosting Brand Futures: Portland!
If you’re in the PDX area, we hope to see you there!