What’s it going to take to build relevance in a brutal attention economy?
In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jennifer Rooney sits down with Jennifer Storms, chief marketing officer of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, to break it down.
Jennifer traces her path from Olympic dreams to sports marketing to PepsiCo to NBCUniversal, sharing how NBCUniversal thinks about brand salience across NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports.
She also discusses why the Olympics needed to be rebuilt as a year-round franchise, and how Legendary February turned three separate live events into one unified cultural moment.
What you’ll learn:
- Why a strong career north star should allow for strategic zigzags
- How CPG experience shaped Jenny’s view of consumer behavior and brand building
- Why brand salience matters when consumers have endless content choices
- How NBCUniversal turns campaigns into year-round franchises
- Why creators and athletes should be treated as storytellers, not just reach vehicles
- How AI makes human storytelling and live experiences more valuable
- Why live sports should be planned before, during and after the moment
About our guest:
Jennifer Storms is CMO of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, where she leads brand strategy, integrated marketing, media and consumer engagement across NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports. Her career spans the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Turner Broadcasting, PepsiCo and NBCUniversal, giving her a rare perspective across sports, media, entertainment and consumer brands. At NBCUniversal, Jennifer focuses on building distinct brands, driving audience growth across platforms and turning major cultural moments into year-round franchises.
Episode Highlights:
[07:14] Becoming a Chief Architect of Consumer Experience — At PepsiCo, Jennifer learned what it means to be the chief architect of consumer experience. That meant understanding not only what consumers need now, but what they will need next. It also meant standing in grocery and convenience stores, learning the realities of shelf space, linear feet and purchase behavior. That brand-side education now informs how she thinks about media, audience journeys and consumer connection at NBCUniversal.
[12:27] Why Brand Salience Matters in Streaming — With so many shows, platforms and brands inside NBCUniversal’s house of brands, Jennifer says the answer is not either/or. Consumers should connect with shows, but they should also have strong affinity for NBC, Peacock, Bravo and NBC Sports. The goal is brand salience: when someone sits down and wonders what they want to watch, NBCUniversal’s brands need to be top of mind. In a crowded streaming world, being remembered is half the battle.
