The Digest: Fairfield County Marketing & Media Pros

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Digest.

It is Super Bowl week, and for Fairfield County, the "Big Game" is a local story. While the Patriots and Seahawks prepare to meet in Santa Clara, the broadcast itself is a Stamford production. NBC Sports is deploying nearly 750 people to deliver the coverage, anchored by the team at their Connecticut headquarters. The local stakes are high on the commercial side, too: Stamford-based Charter (Spectrum) is returning to the Super Bowl for its third ad in a decade, joining the ranks of brands vying for attention in an increasingly fractured media landscape.

This tension between "mass scale" and "niche connection" is the defining theme of the week.

The corporate world is chasing gravity. Netflix and Warner Bros. spent Tuesday in the Senate defending a proposed $72 billion merger, a move designed to secure the "dependable, repeat viewing" that Nielsen data shows audiences now crave. Meanwhile, Google is "going for the jugular," doubling its capital expenditure to outspend all of Big Tech in the AI arms race.

Yet, as the giants merge, the soul of the industry is shifting elsewhere. Hank and John Green are turning their studio into a nonprofit to prioritize "trustworthy content" over profit, and even the BBC is bypassing its traditional channels to fund digital-first creators on YouTube and TikTok. These moves suggest a new reality: the universal "water-cooler" viral moment is dying, replaced by deep dives into specialized subcultures and community-driven conversations.

As the creator economy matures, the economics are finally catching up with the scale. But a word of caution for marketers: in an era of "community" marketing, connection cannot be a forced KPI. As our Insights section highlights, when community feels like a corporate outcome, it often results in consumer "desperation" and pushback.

The best way to navigate these shifts is in person. Join AMA Connecticut this Thursday for a Super Bowl Ad Preview Party to see the creative before it airs, or stop by my Friday Office Hours at Third Place by Half Full in Stamford to talk shop.

The local job market reflects this economic growth, with heavy-hitting senior roles appearing this week:

• Brand & Consumer Marketing: New leadership roles at Philips Norelco, Beiersdorf (NIVEA Men), and Newell Brands.

• Media & Strategy: NBC Sports is hiring for Digital Audience Development, while Publicis (TWINOAKS) is seeking a Director of Strategic Planning.

• Product Focus: Conair and Mastercard are both looking for managers to drive global product and cybersecurity marketing.

Finally, our Video of the Week looks at the "industrialization" of childhood, exploring how private equity is reshaping youth sports into a multi-billion dollar business.

That’s it for this week. Enjoying this newsletter? Please feel free to share with others and let me know your thoughts.

What’s Next?

This digest is a starting point. The goal is to build a community of senior marketing and media professionals in Fairfield County. If you have news to share, a campaign to highlight, job opportunities, or an event to promote, please email me at [email protected] 

Best,

Shawn