Conference Agenda

WELCOME REMARKS

Elliot Lum

EVP, Community and Growth ANA

THE BAD BUNNY PLAYBOOK: SCALING CULTURE WITHOUT COMPROMISE

Bad Bunny’s rise shows what happens when an artist scales globally without sanding down what makes them culturally specific. Rooted in Puerto Rican identity, Spanish-language expression, and an uncompromising creative point of view, he built a movement that made the mainstream come to him. Brand partnerships helped amplify that momentum but they worked because they extended his world, not because they manufactured it. This session examines how authenticity, cultural specificity, and strategic partnerships can work together to turn an artist into a global force.

Marissa Solis

SVP, Global Brand and Consumer Marketing NFL

FROM VIRAL BREAKTHROUGH TO GLOBAL STAGE: HOW ARTISTS SCALE THROUGH CULTURE AND BRAND PARTNERSHIPS

Breaking an artist today requires far more than a hit song. It takes the right mix of cultural relevance, fan engagement, live experiences, creator ecosystems, and strategic brand partnerships that extend an artist’s reach beyond music alone. This session will explore how artists build momentum from digital discovery to global visibility, and how brands can authentically participate in culture to help amplify connection, community, and long-term growth. The conversation will also include an interactive workshop component where attendees break into table discussions to explore new partnership ideas, emerging cultural trends, and the future of artist-brand collaboration before sharing key takeaways back with the broader audience.

CULTURE ON SCREEN: HOW REPRESENTATION DRIVES GROWTH IN ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment today is no longer just about visibility. It’s about building stories, franchises, and cultural moments that audiences genuinely see themselves in. From film and television to creator ecosystems and family entertainment, companies are rethinking how representation can deepen fandom, expand reach, and unlock long-term business growth. Hear how leaders across the entertainment industry are approaching storytelling, partnerships, and audience engagement in ways that drive both cultural relevance and commercial impact.

Moderator:

SEDUCING THE LGBTQ+ AUDIENCE IN THE AGE OF AUTHENTICITY

Asian-born brands are evolving from niche cultural favorites into powerful business growth engines across entertainment, food, retail, and lifestyle. Fueled by fandom, community, and cultural authenticity, these companies are building deep emotional connections with younger consumers while expanding rapidly in the U.S. market. This session will explore how Asian brands are translating cultural relevance into scalable growth, mainstream adoption, and long-term brand equity.

Moderator:

FEATURED SESSION

CULTURE IS CURRENCY: WINNING LONG-TERM LOYALTY IN MULTICULTURAL SPORTS MARKETING

In order to drive true customer lifetime value, brands, leagues, and teams must move beyond surface-level campaigns toward deep cultural integration. This powerhouse panel brings together critical perspectives— brand, team and league—to dissect the business of cultural relevance. Discover how these distinct stakeholders collaborate to align marketing spend, navigate community impact, and prove that authentic multicultural engagement is the ultimate driver of scalable business growth.

Moderator:

CLOSING REMARKS

BREAKFAST ROUNDTABLES

On the first full day of the Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Conference, we’ll be offering themed and hosted breakfast discussions. Conference attendees will have the option to join a themed table and have breakfast with peers knowledgeable about and interested in a similar topic. It will be very informal and allow attendees to connect with other marketers in similar roles. To join a table, simply look towards the front of the breakfast room for the tabletop sign with the breakfast theme you’d like to attend- no need to register in advance.

OPENING REMARKS

WELCOME REMARKS

Bob Liodice

CEO ANA

HOST OPENING REMARKS

FEATURED KEYNOTE

FEATURED KEYNOTE

OPERATIONATIONALIZING THE INCLUSIVE MARKETING MINDSET

Securing buy-in for inclusive marketing is an important first step, but long-term success depends on embedding inclusive thinking into the way an organization operates every day. As companies seek to better reflect the high growth consumers driving growth, marketers are increasingly focused on how to integrate inclusive marketing across strategy, planning, creative development, media, measurement, and organizational decision-making. In this panel discussion, marketing leaders will share how they are moving beyond individual campaigns to build scalable, repeatable practices that make inclusion a core business capability creating greater relevance for consumers while driving stronger business outcomes.

Erica Hughes

Senior Director, Sports, Consumer & Lifestyle Public Relations Ally

FEATURED KEYNOTE

VANGUARD’S APPROACH TO TRUST AND CULTURAL RELEVANCE AMONG BLACK INVESTORS

With Black Americans representing less than three percent of stock market investors, financial brands and advisors face a critical challenge and opportunity. This session explores how Vanguard designed a culturally grounded marketing effort focused on trust, transparency, and conversation rather than products. Learn key insights for advisors and plan sponsors looking about how to better connect with Black investors and support long term wealth building across generations.

Jackie Gelman

Head of Brand Activation, Global Brand Marketing Vanguard

THE CMO PERSPECTIVE: DRIVING CULTURAL RELEVANCE AT SCALE

In this SeeAll Marketing Alliance (SAMA) panel discussion, leading chief marketing officers share how their organizations are embedding cultural insight and inclusivity into their marketing strategies revealing how brands translate cultural awareness into creative, media, partnerships, and measurement that drive relevance and growth at scale.

Moderator:

FEATURED KEYNOTE

FROM INSIGHT TO INTERNAL BUY-IN: HOW AFLAC BUILT ALIGNMENT AROUND HISPANIC GROWTH

For many organizations, growth opportunities tied to Hispanic consumers are clear. The harder challenge is creating the internal alignment, education, and organizational commitment required to unlock investment at scale. In this session, Amanda Free from Aflac will share the multi-year journey behind building support for Hispanic marketing internally from securing executive buy-in and aligning cross-functional stakeholders to navigating budget hurdles, measurement questions, and organizational change management. Hear how persistence, data, and internal advocacy helped transform a growth opportunity into a broader business commitment.

Amanda Free

Strategic Brand Initiatives Leader Aflac

CLOSING REMARKS

The 2026 Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards celebrate the year's best multicultural advertising campaigns raising awareness and providing exposure for the outstanding work being done across 20 different categories including Hispanic, African American, LGBTQ+, Entertainment Marketing, Digital Excellence, Experiential Marketing and more. The Multicultural Awards Gala celebration is an exciting event to celebrate individuals and organizations that have achieved outstanding success. We hope to see you there!

Elliot Lum

Executive Vice President, Community & Growth ANA

WELCOME REMARKS

INSIDE THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE: WHAT THE GRAND JURY LEARNED FROM THIS YEAR’S BEST WORK

Fresh off the heels of the awards celebration, join members of the ANA's Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Awards Grand Jury for an inside look at the creative, strategic, and cultural insights emerging from this year’s most celebrated campaigns. This conversation will explore the key takeaways, shared themes, and unexpected learnings that surfaced across the work—and what they suggest about where the industry is headed next.

Moderator:

CITY OF CULTURE: HOW LOS ANGELES BRANDS TURN LOCAL IDENTITY INTO GLOBAL IMPACT

Los Angeles is more than a market. It’s a living ecosystem where sports, entertainment, transportation, street culture, food, fashion, and community collide to shape culture in real time. This session will explore how organizations rooted in Los Angeles build authentic connections by tapping into the unique energy, diversity, and neighborhoods that define the city. From civic engagement to fandom to everyday cultural moments, hear how brands use local relevance to create experiences that resonate far beyond LA. The conversation will also explore how major cultural moments, evolving communities, and the city’s creative DNA continue to influence the future of brand building and audience engagement.

Ellen Chen

Co-Founder Mendocino Farms

FEATURED KEYNOTE

FROM COMMUNITY TO CULTURAL MOVEMENT: HOW NEXT-GENERATION BRANDS ARE SCALING THROUGH IDENTITY AND CULTURE

A new wave of challenger brands is emerging by building from the ground up with culture, community, and identity at the center of their business. These founders are not simply selling products. They are creating movements rooted in lived experience, modern consumer values, and authentic connection that resonate across food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and beyond. In this session, entrepreneurs will share how they transformed culturally inspired ideas into fast-growing brands by leveraging storytelling, social platforms, grassroots fandom, and community-driven growth. The conversation will explore what larger brands can learn from these next-generation companies about relevance, loyalty, and building cultural equity from the start.

Panelists

THE FUTURE OF INCLUSIVE MARKETING: SHAPING THE ROAD AHEAD

As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, so too must the strategies, priorities, and leadership guiding the future of inclusive marketing. This interactive discussion brings together ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Committee leadership to reflect on the progress made, explore the trends and challenges shaping the years ahead, and discuss how marketers can continue to drive growth through cultural relevance. Attendees will have the opportunity to share feedback, discuss emerging priorities, and help shape future programming, research, events, and community initiatives that will support the next chapter of inclusive marketing in 2027.

Lanae Jackson

Senior Lead, Business Intelligence Nissan Motor Corporation

CLOSING REMARKS