Partnerships today are built to entertain. From stadium takeovers to livestream spectacles and fan-first stunts, brands are teaming up in ways designed to grab attention and keep audiences talking. Entertainment partnerships are no longer quiet co-signs; they are cultural performances, meant to break out of traditional marketing lanes and create must-watch entertainment moments. This panel explores how partnerships are evolving into live, shareable experiences, that makes them feel authentic rather than overhyped, as well as how brands can collaborate to entertain audiences while still delivering marketing impact. We’ll look at how spectacle, creativity, and timing transform partnerships into cultural phenomena.

From guild halls and Discord servers, to late-night D&D campaigns and trading card tournaments, play has always been where community thrives. Games of every kind — digital, tabletop, or collectible — have cracked what most marketers dream of: brands people don’t just buy into, but belong to.

This panel explores how communities in games and tabletop function as both culture-makers and marketing engines. We will look at how developers, publishers, and property owners work with players to build loyalty, how fan-led initiatives amplify visibility, and how strategies like lore-building, creator events, tournaments, and drop culture keep communities engaged. Most importantly, we will ask what makes belonging feel authentic? And how brands outside of play can apply these lessons to build connection, loyalty, and hype?

Creators have become the most influential voices in pop culture marketing. What sets them apart is not distance but proximity: they rise from within the communities they serve and remain embedded in those spaces, translating community energy into cultural influence. Post-pandemic, this shift has made creators trusted partners for brands looking to connect authentically.  This panel explores how marketers can collaborate with creators who are community-first. We will look at how creators shape conversations, move quickly to tap into trends, and co-create content that resonates. We will also discuss how successful brand partnerships empower creators to stay authentic while building campaigns that spark loyalty, drive culture, and deliver marketing impact

From conventions to immersive fan events and surprise street activations, pop culture marketing is no longer just something audiences watch; it’s something they step into. Experiential marketing lets fans inhabit their favorite worlds, creating memories that outlast any billboard or trailer. This panel explores how brands are using the full spectrum of experiential; from pop-ups to large-scale activations to creator events, to spark buzz and build loyalty. We’ll dig into what makes an experience feel authentic, how to measure impact beyond the selfie wall, and why experiential marketing is now one of the most powerful tools for creating cultural moments.

Anime has quietly emerged as one of the most powerful cultural forces of the last decade, yet its marketing playbook remains largely invisible to mainstream marketers. While Crunchyroll dominates globally and Netflix pushes anime to top 10s, how does anime marketing actually work? Unlike traditional entertainment marketing, anime operates on different principal: from community-first strategies to cross-media campaigns spanning manga, games, and merchandise. We'll decode the unique marketing mechanics that make anime so effective at building passionate fandoms. What makes anime's approach so different from Hollywood's playbook, and how does it create cultural moments that traditional marketing misses? Understanding anime's underground success offers crucial lessons for building authentic, lasting cultural impact.