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From exploring cultural creativity and rethinking purpose to steering dialogue in multiple roundtables, Propeller’s week at Advertising Week New York was filled with conversations about how brands connect with people.
Our team hosted and moderated discussions across the week, joined clients on stage and attended and hosted awards ceremonies. They also had the opportunity to mark a significant milestone for Propeller U.S. with celebrations at Little Rebel with clients and friends commemorating its fourth anniversary.
Roundtables
The week opened with an Empower roundtable titled: ‘Purpose on Pause? What Happens When Key Issues Leave the Boardroom’, moderated by Propeller Chief Client Officer Rose Bentley, held in partnership with UK Advertising Export Group. The discussion explored how brands can foster inclusive creativity that transcends borders, making empowerment a lived value rather than a marketing claim.
Our second roundtable, ‘AdTech Without Borders: Driving Global Growth’, was moderated by Louise Watson, our Head of Growth Marketing and JP Escobar, U.S Senior Account Director. The session brought together industry leaders to discuss the realities of scaling globally in the adtech space. The session highlighted how adaptability, privacy-safe data strategies and collaborative creativity are driving international growth.
Culture in Motion
Propeller CEO Kieran Kent joined Sophie Mackie, Global Head of Sales at Advertising Week, to explore how B2B brands can build cultural relevance in a crowded media landscape.
In a conversation about storytelling, creativity and connection, Kieran shared insights on what it takes for B2B brands to stand out:
- Great content is built on curiosity: Marketers should consume culture as actively as they create it - watching, reading and listening broadly to understand the conversations shaping their audiences.
- Authenticity matters: It’s not about chasing trends; it’s about finding cultural moments that align with your brand’s values and expertise.
- Personality builds trust: Letting people do the talking makes a brand more relatable. Employees and leaders can be the most effective storytellers.
- Creativity needs structure: Turning cultural ideas into consistent, scalable programmes drives lasting engagement, not one-off moments.
Future is Female Awards
Monday evening saw the return of The Future is Female Awards in partnership with Adform, recognising women whose leadership and creativity are shaping the industry’s future.
Our own Louise Watson joined the stage as an award presenter, celebrating a line-up of honourees including Jennifer Quigley-Jones, Founder & CEO of Digital Voices, Margaret Johnson from Goodby Silverstein & partners, Kelly Mahoney from Ulta beauty, Nadja Bellan-White from M+C Saatchi Group and Asha Shivaji from SeeMe Index. The evening spotlighted the women driving innovation, advocacy and change across marketing, media and beyond.
Industry Journalists Tell All…
Our renowned journalist-focused panel returned for its third consecutive year at Advertising Week New York. Mary Cirinicione, Managing Director U.S., was joined by Lara O’Reilly, Senior Correspondent at Business Insider and Micharl Burgi, Senior Editor at Digiday, for a frank discussion about what cuts through with the media. Their advice?
- Journalists receive hundreds of pitches daily. The ones that stand out offer something genuinely new or useful.
- Business leaders should think more like editors. What’s the bigger picture or cultural impact?
- Media relationships aren’t one-and-done. Consistent, informed engagement builds trust.
- ‘Off the record’ or background briefings can be powerful tools when used to build long-term credibility.
- Do your research. Personalised, relevant outreach beats database-driven pitching every time.
Propeller US Turns Four
Advertising Week New York marked a special moment for Propeller US, as it coincided with its founding anniversary.
This year we celebrated four years since launching in 2021 with clients, partners and friends at Little Rebel in the East Village. The evening was an opportunity to reflect on the relationships and work that have shaped our growth stateside, and to look ahead to what’s next.
Client Conversations That Shaped the Week
Several Propeller clients and partners took to the stage throughout the week, each offering a fresh perspective on the future of the industry:
Apply Digital - Insight to Impact: Storytelling, Scale and AI
Chief Strategy Officer Lauren Milne shared how genuine personalisation begins with human insight, not data points. “The difference between ‘we know you’ and ‘we get you’ defines meaningful brand experiences,” she said, encouraging brands to use AI to deepen, not replace, connection.
Dept - From Legacy to Love: Coach’s Journey to Gen Z’s Heart
This session explored how Coach revitalised its heritage appeal by blending consistency with reinvention. The takeaway: heritage brands grow when they evolve with culture without losing their core identity.
MediaLink - The Commercial Imperative: A Transformation of the Modern CMO
Marketing leaders from Keurig Dr Pepper, SharkNinja and NASCAR discussed how today’s CMO must bridge creativity, commerce and technology. The modern marketing leader is now a growth architect, balancing storytelling with measurable results.
Relo Metrics - The New Playbook: Culture, Sports and AI-Driven Measurement
Jay Prasad, CEO of Relo Metrics, joined Sophie Mackie for a fireside chat where he outlined how AI is transforming sponsorship valuation - from logo exposure to real-time fan engagement. The call to action for marketers: measure impact by outcomes, not just impressions.
Good-Loop and Design Bridge and Partners - Rethinking Purpose for a More Skeptical World
This conversation challenged brands to rethink how they communicate purpose. As Amy Williams, CEO and founder of Good-Loop put it, “Purpose has to move from performance to proof.” Transparency, clarity and real action now define credibility.
Apply Digital and the San Francisco 49ers - The Fandom Advantage: How Strategies Can Fuel Brand Growth
This session featuring Apply Digital, the San Francisco 49ers and IT Cosmetics explored what consumer brands can learn from the way sports teams cultivate loyalty.
The key message: you can’t buy fandom, you have to earn it. Short-term activations may create buzz, but enduring brand love comes from the accumulation of small, authentic moments that make people feel seen and valued.
The takeaway: sustainable growth lies in nurturing communities, not campaigns. Fandom is built in the everyday, not the headline moment.
Adform - Respect as a Strategic Growth Driver
The session featured Lola Bakare, Inclusive Marketing Strategist at be/co, Dovile Buinickaite, VP Human Resources at Adform and Lana McGilvray, Founder and CEO at Purpose worldwide. The key takeaways? Shift your thinking from respect as a skill, to a measurable driver of growth and innovation.
Embedding respect into your culture enhances collaboration, creating a clear business advantage.
Pearlfisher - Designing the Non-Alc Category: The Look, Feel, and Future
CNBC’s Amelia Lucas sat down with Ben Branson, Founder of Seedlip and Sylva, and Matt Sia, Executive Creative Director at Pearlfisher, to explore how a small kitchen experiment grew into a global movement that redefined modern drinking culture.
Their conversation uncovered how design, storytelling, and a deep understanding of human behaviour helped shape an entirely new category, and what brands can learn from Seedlip’s journey from niche idea to cultural icon.
The key message: Seedlip’s success demonstrates how experimentation and storytelling rooted in nature and design can redefine entire categories, transforming a simple idea into a global movement shifting how people drink and socialise.
The key takeaway: Creating cultural change starts with understanding people’s needs, not just the product. By offering choice, emotional connection, and thoughtful design, brands can shift habits and open entirely new markets.
The Big Creator Challenge with Adobe and Digital Voices
Digital Voices partnered with Adobe and Advertising Week to put together a first-of-its-kind creator showdown, SharkTank-style. Creators applied online, were shortlisted and then 20 showed up on the day to live pitch Adobe executives (alongside a pair of top content creators), as well as Jenny Quigley-Jones, founder and CEO of Digital Voices.
That group of 20 were then further shortlisted for the chance to refine their pitch (using feedback from the morning session), to live pitch in front of the AWNY audience a second time for a chance to win an Adobe deal valued at $25K. The winner, Isiuwa I, Founder of Bestie Banter, won top prize, but Adobe confirmed on stage that they plan to work with all 20 creators.
Reflections From the Week
Across every stage and conversation, a clear theme emerged: the lines between culture, creativity and commerce are gone. From CMOs embracing commercial agility to brands redefining fandom and purpose, Advertising Week New York 2025 showed that meaningful connection remains the strongest driver of growth.
More blogs from Advertising Week New York 2025
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