For the first time ever, the powerhouse agencies behind Brand Break, brandRUSSO, Rally Marketing, Comit Developers, ThreeSixtyEight, and Brand State U, are coming together on one stage to share what's really working in today's marketing landscape.

This candid panel brings together Acadiana's most respected marketing minds to discuss the trends they're seeing, the challenges they're solving for clients, and the strategies that are driving real results in 2026. Whether you're navigating AI integration, struggling with limited budgets, wrestling with brand differentiation, or trying to prove ROI to leadership, these agency leaders have been in the trenches and are ready to share honest insights, practical advice, and insider perspectives you won't hear anywhere else.

This is your chance to peek behind the curtain, ask the tough questions, and learn from the collective wisdom of agencies who've built their reputations on delivering results for businesses just like yours—all while gaining a deeper understanding of how agencies think, work, and can become strategic partners in your marketing success.

Differentiate to Dominate: Stand Out to be Chosen
by Jaci Russo, P.C.M.

In a world drowning in sameness, Jaci Russo reveals why blending in with your competition isn't just ineffective—it's dangerous to your business survival. This dynamic presentation challenges the natural human instinct to play it safe and instead shows you how to become the vibrant standout in a sea of gray. Russo cuts through the noise to deliver game-changing strategies for discovering what truly makes you different, turning your business into a magnet that effortlessly attracts your dream clients while naturally repelling the ones who drain your energy and resources. You'll learn how to stop chasing customers and instead create an irresistible brand that draws them to you, craft an authentic promise that transforms one-time buyers into passionate advocates, and position yourself as the go-to specialist in your field.

Jaci Russo, P.C.M.

Brand Strategist & Speaker

Whether you're struggling to explain why customers should choose you over countless competitors or feeling exhausted trying to appeal to everyone, this presentation provides the clarity and actionable insights you need to finally break free from the pack and dominate your market.

Jaci Russo, P.C.M., is the CEO and co-founder of brandRUSSO – a strategic branding agency that represents a global portfolio of B2B clients. Jaci is a published author, entrepreneur, and sought-after speaker with over two decades of marketing experience. She founded Brand State U, GrowthX Academy, and co-host of the “He Said, She Said, Razor Branding Podcast”, and the “She’s So Bossy Podcast”. Jaci is a civic leader, mentor, mother of 4, and is part of the less than 1% of women-owned, founded, and led marketing agencies in the U.S.

SEO in a Generative Search World
by Marshall Brooks

As generative AI reshapes the search experience, the traditional rules of SEO are being rewritten. In this forward-looking session, Rally Marketing explores how the emergence of AI-driven SERPs—from Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) to ChatGPT-powered browsing—is disrupting keyword strategies, reshaping content visibility, and redefining what organic success looks like.

We’ll unpack why SEO still matters more than ever, share actionable insights for adapting your measurement frameworks, and provide real-time data on shifting traffic patterns. Whether you're an SEO veteran or new to organic strategy, this session will equip you with the tools to stay ahead of the AI curve and drive meaningful visibility in a generative-first future.

Marshall Brooks

Senior Account Executive, Rally Marketing

Marshall Brooks, Senior Account Executive, Rally Marketing
Marshall Brooks is a results-driven marketing strategist with 17+ years of experience across many marketing sectors. At Rally Marketing, he helps brands implement high-performance digital strategies. A specialist in SEO, AI integration, and paid and organic media, Marshall brings expert insight into how marketers can thrive in today’s generative search landscape.

Content That Converts: Frameworks for Leads and Sales
by Carissa McDaniel

Most marketers don’t have a content problem—they have a connection problem. In this fast-paced, interactive session, Carissa McDaniel shares how to turn scattered marketing efforts into a simple, measurable system that actually drives leads and sales.

You’ll learn how to connect every touchpoint back to your website, design content for how people really read, and tailor messaging for different user types—from quick-action buyers to research-driven decision makers.

Carissa will also demonstrate how free tools like Microsoft Clarity, and AI can simplify your process and amplify results. Walk away with five practical takeaways and a mini-audit framework you can apply the same day to start turning clicks into clients.

Carissa McDaniel

Sales & Marketing Specialist, Comit Developers

Carissa McDaniel has spent more than 20 years helping businesses figure out what actually makes people click, buy, and come back. She’s worked in just about every corner of marketing and project management, giving her a front-row seat to what works (and what’s just noise).

As a Sales & Marketing Specialist at Comit Developers and a Stanford-certified Design Thinker, Carissa helps brands turn their websites and content into real sales tools—not just digital brochures. Her focus is on creating clear, intentional messaging and user experiences that guide people from “interested” to “invested.”

She’s passionate about helping small businesses punch above their weight online and believes great marketing isn’t about shouting louder—it’s about saying the right thing to the right person at the right time.

Keynote: Every Business Has a Story to Tell
by Loren Feldman 

Every business has a story to tell, but not every business owner has figured out what that story is or how to tell it. In this interactive session, veteran journalist and 21 Hats founder Loren Feldman draws on more than two decades of covering entrepreneurship for Inc., Forbes, and The New York Times to explain why many owners are too close to their work to see what’s truly compelling about it.

Loren helps participants uncover the moments, tensions, and decisions that make their stories resonate with customers, employees, and the media. He’ll also demystify how journalists think, when it makes sense to work with PR, and how to decide whether to tell your story yourself or let someone else do it for you. Attendees will even have the opportunity to workshop their own stories live.

Loren Feldman

21 Hats Founder

Loren Feldman is founder and editor-in-chief of 21 Hats, an online community for business owners. He hosts the 21 Hats Podcast, a peer group conversation that has been tracking the experiences of business owners for six years. He also edits the 21 Hats Morning Report, a daily email newsletter that has been named the best newsletter for business owners by Inc magazine. Previously, he was a senior editor covering entrepreneurship at Inc, Forbes, and The New York Times. He has also been editor-in-chief of Philadelphia magazine and executive editor of George magazine. He has spoken and moderated discussions at numerous conferences and seminars on entrepreneurship.

Building Bespoke Bots for Busy Brands A Hands-On Workshop to Build Your First Customized AI Teammate 
by Cheryl Manley

Learn how to take AI beyond the hype and make it work for your brand. In this practical, non-technical workshop, you’ll walk through how to create a custom GPT that acts like a digital specialist. Your bot is trained to understand your brand’s voice, support your workflow, and take repetitive tasks off your plate. You’ll leave with a bot-builder blueprint that’s aligned with your goals and ready to grow.

Cheryl Manley (They/Them)
Shaped by two decades of performing and directing improv comedy, Cheryl believes that a great design strategy starts with a “yes, and” approach: building solutions brick by brick alongside clients, colleagues, and users.

Cheryl Manley

Senior Experience Strategist, ThreeSixtyEight

Cheryl has 12+ years of marketing and design experience spanning several industries including education, mental healthcare, and SaaS. Their work is built on the idea that design should give people more freedom, dignity, and choice - and always start with real human needs.

Today, Cheryl is helping organizations navigate a new frontier: the rise of AI agents. As businesses move beyond static tools into dynamic, decision-making systems, Cheryl helps teams design and manage custom agent workflows that blend human creativity with machine intelligence. Their philosophy is simple: the best AI outcomes come when humans act not as prompt writers, but as managers, setting clear expectations, guiding judgment, and building systems that think with people, not for them. 

“Make It About Them: Why the World’s Most Loved Brands Start with Audience Obsession”
by Rob Kirkpatrick

The world’s most powerful brands don’t guess who their audience is — they know them inside and out. Drawing lessons from companies like Disney, Apple, and Amazon, this session explores how deep audience understanding shapes offerings, messaging, and experiences that build loyalty, belonging, and long-term brand love. 

Rob Kirkpatrick is a strategic communications and brand leader who specializes in helping organizations maximize their message. He leans on a battle-tested ability to connect the right messaging with the audiences that matter most. As founder and principal consultant at KirkpatrickBrands, he blends creative direction, storytelling, and practical strategy to create marketing experiences that are clear, memorable, and effective. 

Rob Kirkpatrick

Founder and principal consultant of KirkpatrickBrand

Rob has worked with and for organizations including CNN, FOX Television, Townsquare Media Group, Airspace Technologies, and a range of nonprofit, higher education, tourism, and public service organizations. He's sought after for his ability to translate complex ideas into stories people instantly understand. Just as important to him is building community among marketers. Rob is passionate about sharing ideas, learning together, and creating spaces where collaboration leads to better work and stronger impact.

Ryan Lips

The Acadiana Advocate

Sean Trcalek

Vice President/General Manager at KATC

Nanette Lavergne

Townsquare Media

Lane Parker

Lamar

Whether you're navigating AI integration, struggling with limited budgets, wrestling with brand differentiation, or trying to prove ROI to leadership, these agency leaders have been in the trenches and are ready to share honest insights, practical advice, and insider perspectives you won't hear anywhere else.

This is your chance to peek behind the curtain, ask the tough questions, and learn from the collective wisdom of agencies who've built their reputations on delivering results for businesses just like yours—all while gaining a deeper understanding of how agencies think, work, and can become strategic partners in your marketing success.

What You Say Matters The Strategic Role of Copy, Design, and Delivery
by Michael Russo

Creative execution is often treated as the final step in marketing. Write the copy. Design the asset. Launch the campaign. But the words you choose, the way they’re designed, and how consistently they’re delivered shape how your brand is understood, trusted, and selected.

In this session, Michael Russo explores how strategic copywriting, messaging systems, and design work together to drive differentiation, guide decision-making, and improve real-world results. Attendees will learn how intentional language reduces friction, how tone influences credibility, and why consistent delivery across channels matters more than volume or novelty. This talk reframes creative execution as a strategic business tool, showing how clarity in messaging and design leads to more substantial alignment, faster decisions, and better performance across marketing and sales.

Michael Russo

Co-Founder and CCO of brandRUSSO

Michael Russo is an award-winning Creative Director, copywriter, and co-founder of brandRUSSO, a strategic branding agency that helps B2B organizations clarify their positioning and communicate with confidence. With more than two decades of experience, Michael specializes in turning strategy into usable messaging that aligns teams and drives measurable outcomes. He is the creative force behind brandRUSSO’sRazor Branding™ process and co-host of the He Said, She Said: Razor Branding™ Podcast.

Action is traction
by Ben Powers

Ben Powers from Developing Lafayette share a down-to-earth take on how real brand traction is built by simply taking consistent, authentic actions. In this talk, Ben will chat about overcoming procrastination, moving away from those inauthentic shortcuts—like relying too much on AI images—and listening to what your audience really wants. It’s perfect for anyone in marketing or running a business who wants to keep things real and connect more deeply with their audience. You’ll leave with a fresh perspective on how everyday actions can make your brand genuinely stand out.

In a world where everyone has an opinion but few take the first step, Ben Powers proves that momentum begins with action. Starting with just a Facebook page in 2012, Powers transformed his curiosity about Lafayette's growth into Developing Lafayette - a media powerhouse with almost 100,000 followers that has become the go-to source for commercial development news in Acadiana. 

Ben Powers

Founder and Creator of Developing Lafayette

In this dynamic session, Ben shares how he turned a simple idea into a thriving platform by consistently showing up, creating content, and serving his community - even when he didn't have all the answers. "Action is Traction" explores the power of starting before you're ready, building credibility through consistency, and how small daily actions compound into significant impact. Whether you're launching a business, building a brand, or trying to make something happen in your community, Ben's story demonstrates that perfection is the enemy of progress.