Recap
The FCS Young Members Circle (YMC) held its third annual “Anatomy of a Winning Campaign” event at Dotdash Meredith’s HQ in NYC. Staying true to its purpose, the after-work reception once again spotlighted the year’s most innovative, Portfolio Award-winning work. This year, the event shook things up with a new format designed to spark engagement, inspiration, and connection—featuring dynamic presentations from rising stars in financial marketing.
Using a breakout session model, attendees were assigned into two groups and stationed in separate rooms, where two speakers each gave a 30-minute interactive presentation about the campaigns they led and the steps they took to take home Portfolio Gold.
The two speakers were Nira Headen, Senior Marketer of Sponsorship Marketing at Invesco QQQ, and Meredith England, Senior Vice President and Partnership Marketing Director at Bank of America.
Here is an overview of their campaigns, and some takeaways from them:
Celebrating Innovation in Food and Wine in partnership with Invesco QQQ
Winner of the Best in Show Consumer trophy, Invesco QQQ’s multi-pronged campaign featured the “Recipe for Innovation” series where five celebrity chefs created five recipes each based on companies within QQQ’s holdings; over 100 pieces of social content, a spread in Food & Wine magazine, and sponsorship of several food festivals, including the 2024 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. Altogether, the campaign generated 88 million video views, 8 billion impressions, and 3.4 million website visits.
Nira Headen explained that the idea came about when the team was considering what appealed to Invesco QQQ’s target audience of investors and financial advisors. A shared sensibility for culinary experiences came up repeatedly, whether that take the form of dining at a trendy restaurant or experiencing celebrity chef fare. Innovation was the key to success, according to Nira, as the culinary experiences that made up the campaign created novel ways for the team to think and converse about ETFs. In turn, this allowed for the team to ideate more creative ways of reaching new audiences.
Looking toward the future, Nira expressed that Invesco QQQ is interested in continuing its “Recipe for Innovation” series and bringing it to more food festivals, but with revamped content that integrates well into the existing food content ecosystem.
Topics of conversation among the group included brand partnerships, obstacles around compliance, and how to maintain the project timeline when working with talent.
2024 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America
Bank of America’s “2024 Boston Marathon” campaign won big at the 31st Annual FCS Portfolio Awards, including Best in Show Corporate Image, Best in Show Corporate Responsibility and Best in Show Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Last year was Bank of America’s first year partnering with the iconic marathon, made up of over 30,000 elite runners with incredible athleticism. Meredith England explained that the partnership marketing team decided to narrow their campaign’s focus to just the 10% of those runners who ran the marathon to raise money for causes they care about. Of those 3,000 runners, Bank of America chose 29 individuals to spotlight in their campaign. A defining item of the Boston Marathon campaign was the “Find a Runner, Help a Cause” runners bib, which the team then spun off into personalized bibs for their 29 featured runners. Even though the bibs highlighted specific runners and their respective causes, consistent creative across channels kept the campaign cohesive in look and goal.
With over 6 million followers across BofA’s channels, social was the heart of the bank’s Boston Marathon campaign. To spread the word about the 29 runners and their charities, on top of Bank of America being a first-year partner with the Marathon, social posts were scheduled at specific cadences: pre-event, day-of, and a month after the event. Meredith also noted that the team timed organic social with big media moments like the Oscars and March Madness to capitalize on digital engagement.
Topics of conversation among the group included how to translate a campaign vision into a budget for executive leadership, the value of a high media efficiency ratio, earned media, influencer marketing, and the importance of tapping into local markets.
In gratitude to the speakers, FCS YMC donated $1,000 to the children’s charity, Child Mind Institute, which is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need.
(Photos: Dotdash Meredith hosts Joe Raccuglia and Kevin Holt pose with Nira Headen and Meredith England; Nira interviewed by Joe; Meredith presents at a workshop)
— reported by Juliet McAlee, FCS Admin/Comms Coordinator and YMC member
This event is sold out. For inquiries, please contact Juliet McAlee, FCS Administrative and Communications Coordinator, at [email protected]
For the third consecutive year, the FCS Young Members Circle (YMC) is proud to present its annual “Anatomy of a Winning Campaign” event—a dynamic after-work reception that will break away from the traditional panel format. On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, we’ll be introducing a fresh, interactive structure this year — one that’s designed to maximize engagement, foster meaningful connections, and deliver actionable insights for all attendees.
What makes this year’s event unique?
Instead of a standard panel discussion, this event will feature dynamic speakers and rising stars from brands whose campaigns recently earned Gold at the FCS Portfolio Awards. Each speaker will lead a 30-minute interactive presentation in two separate breakout rooms. Attendees will be assigned to one of these rooms, ensuring a focused and intimate environment to explore the strategies, challenges, and creative thinking that shaped these award-winning campaigns. You’ll stay in your assigned room, but the speakers will rotate to ensure all attendees have a chance to hear each presentation and ask questions in the small group setting.
After the breakout sessions, everyone will come back together for an extended networking opportunity. This portion of the evening is designed to encourage mingling and idea-sharing with participants from other breakout rooms, allowing you to compare notes, share insights, and gain perspectives from all three discussions.
Our featured speakers include:
- Meredith England, Senior Vice President, Partnership Marketing Director, Bank of America
- Nira Headen, Senior Marketer, Sponsorship Marketing, Invesco QQQ
- additional speakers to be named
Here’s how the evening unfolds:
- 5:30 PM: Arrive, grab a drink, and connect during our 30-minute networking session as attendees settle in.
- 6:00 PM: Gather in the cafeteria for a quick 10-minute overview to introduce the evening’s unique format.
- 6:10 PM: Dive into your two 30-minute breakout sessions! Two rooms, two distinct focuses—each designed to peel back the layers of an award-winning campaign. You’ll be assigned to a room for the focused and interactive discussions. The speakers will rotate, giving you a chance to hear from everyone.
- 7:10 PM: Reconvene for networking and a debrief session. Mix and mingle with attendees from other breakout rooms to cross-pollinate ideas and share the insights you’ve gathered.
- 7:30 PM: Departures
Why attend?
If you’re age 39 or younger, this is your chance to hear directly from your peers who are redefining excellence in our industry. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your skills, expand your professional network, or immerse yourself in a collaborative learning experience, this event has something for everyone.
Seats are limited, so don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to connect, learn, and grow. Reserve your spot at YMC TALKS today!
