SXSW 2025
Kayfabe Meets Commerce: Brands As Characters in Culture
Description:
In a landscape flooded with brands vying for attention, embracing “Kayfabe” from WWE might be the ultimate game-changer. Kayfabe, the art of staying in character, isn’t just for wrestlers — it’s the secret sauce for your brand’s persona. Think Tom Hanks’ nice-guy image or Liquid Death’s irreverent branding. In WWE, as in today’s culture, you choose your character or the world chooses for you. This panel explores the wild parallels between wrestling’s scripted realities and modern branding strategies, plus how to harness kayfabe to drive commerce.
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Takeaways
- Unlock the secrets behind creating and maintaining a brand persona that grabs attention and doesn’t let go, inspired by WWE.
- Learn to recognize the dangers of becoming your brand character 24/7 and how to balance authenticity with a captivating persona.
- Get hands-on tips and tricks to leverage Kayfabe to ensure your brand cuts through the noise, builds loyalty, and also drives commerce.
Speakers
- Jeron Smith, CEO, Heir
- Stacy Tarver Patterson, Head of Brand Strategy, Code and Theory
- Ben Majoy, Executive Creative Director, Crispin
- Ginny Golden, Executive Creative Director, YETI
Organizer
Will Leivenberg, Director of Marketing and PR, Code and Theory
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