ADSYNC SUMMIT NY ONLINE AND IN-PERSON OCTOBER 6-7  CURRENT AGENDA AND SPEAKERS

Monday, October 6

Day 1

9:00 AM – In person and online

Keynote: A Conversation with Shaker Maker founder Emma Quigley

With a wealth of music industry expertise, Emma Quigley joined PepsiCo as Head Of Music & Entertainment in September 2014 and founded her music agency Shakermaker in February 2020. Shakermaker works across PepsiCo’s portfolio of beverage & snack brands — Emma’s focus is to continue to evolve and grow the brand’s storied relationship with music and within pop culture. In her six years of working with PepsiCo, Emma has overseen numerous award-winning, music-driven campaigns across the company’s portfolio of brands, Pepsi’s presenting sponsorship of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, an acclaimed integration during Season 2 of Fox’s hit series “Empire” and The Sound Drop music platform, among many other achievements. Emma has been recognized by Billboard’s 2019 Branding Power Players and Variety’s 2020 New York Power of Women Impact, among many other industry accolades.

Emma began her career in the UK working for independent labels Acid Jazz and Independiente, holding the role of Head Of International at both labels. During that time, Emma played a critical role in creating a new global cultural movement by the creation of the Acid Jazz brand and was a key member of the team working with Travis, whose album The Man Who is one the biggest selling albums of all time in the UK.

In early 2001 Emma moved to Universal Music, initially as a consultant for Polydor Records, and then as Senior Director at UMGI for the Island Def Jam label, where she was directly responsible for some of the best selling albums globally during that time.

In 2003 Emma moved across the pond to begin her new role as Vice President Marketing for 19 Entertainment. Emma was a core part of the team that transformed the way people viewed television in North America, as “American Idol” became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television, and created groundbreaking viewer engagement and brand integrations. From 2009 to 2014, Emma held the position of Vice President Global Priorities at EMI Records / Capitol Music Group, creating global success stories for her artists, selling millions of records in the process.

Throughout her career, Emma has worked with and achieved great success with an impressive roster of iconic artists including: U2, Jay–Z, Chance The Rapper, Post Malone, Missy Elliott, Janelle Monae, HER, Lady A, Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, George Michael, Lionel Richie, Travis, LL Cool J, The Bee Gees and Thirty Seconds To Mars, among numerous others.

10:00 AM – In person and online

What Does Your Brand Sound Like?  Why Every Brand Needs a Sonic Branding Strategy.

Good sonic branding choices lead to greater brand recognition, greater customer loyalty, more effective marketing and more sales of products and services, with an over 8X likelihood of higher performance of creative communications.  Why is it then that so many brands – and so many brand managers – lack a cohesive sonic branding strategy? 

As witnessed by brands that do have a sonic branding strategy like Pepsico, Apple, CocaCola, Amazon and others, the advantages of having a holistic sonic branding strategy are obvious: your brand is more connected to customers, your brand is cooler, it is better defined, it is more memorable and it sells more product.

This panel will discuss how brand managers, brands and agecies can benefit from a well-defined and implemented sonic branding strategy that combines high-level ideation around mnemonics, sonic logos, artist partnerships, experiential marketing and music choices for all forms of advertising and social media to develop award-winning, effective creative.

11:00 AM – In Person and Online

Who are the real music decision makers at ad agencies and brands?

At brands and ad agencies, the process of sourcing, evaluating, and ultimately commissioning or licensing music is complex and often doesn’t involve traditional music supervisors. While some agencies and brands have dedicated music departments, most rely on a wide range of individuals—many of whom are not music experts—to make critical music decisions.

This includes Creative Directors, account managers, producers, brand managers, post-production editors, legal teams, and a network of outside consultants, third part music supervisors, and licensing professionals. In short, there are many cooks in th kitchen. This fragmented decision-making process creates challenges both internally and for music makers and rights holders trying to break through.

In this panel, experts from across the brand and agency spectrum will identify who the real decision makers are, how they influence music discovery and integration, and how artists and music rights holders can connect with the right people to build lasting business relationships. We’ll also explore how the industry can streamline this process to create more clarity, opportunity, and efficiency in music-for-media collaboration.

12:00 PM – lunch break

1:00 PM – In person and online

Experiential Marketing: Immersing the customer into the brand experience

In today’s crowded media landscape, brands are turning to experiential marketing to cut through the noise—and music is proving to be one of the most powerful tools in this approach. This roundtable explores how brands can work with music and musicians to create unforgettable experiences across platforms like social media, interactive content, live events, educational activations, branded gifts, showcases, and more. By fusing the emotional impact of music with the immersive power of experiential marketing, brands can build deeper connections with audiences—driving brand love, loyalty, and ultimately, sales.

2:00 PM – In Person and Online

The Great Disruption – AI Music, Advertising, Brands and the Future of Music for Messaging

The quality, ease of creation, and customizability of AI-generated music is advancing rapidly, making it a viable alternative to traditional custom scoring and production music libraries for brands and advertisers—except for one critical issue: most current AI music platforms, like Suno and Udio, are trained on copyrighted music without permission, making the resulting tracks legally unusable in commercial media.

But that’s about to change.

A new wave of ethically trained AI music platforms—built on properly licensed and commissioned music—promises to deliver scalable, legally sound, project-specific music to advertisers and brands at unprecedented speed and cost. This evolution will create significant opportunities and challenges across the music, advertising, production, and brand ecosystems, and it will inevitably disrupt current creative and business models.

In this roundtable, we’ll explore how agencies and brands can integrate AI-generated music into their workflows, what this shift means for composers, rights holders, and music libraries, and how the legal, creative, and economic implications will shape the future of music in advertising.

3:00 PM – In Person and Online

HOW MUSIC MAKES GREAT CREATIVE: A CLIO MUSIC SHOWCASE

Since 1959, the Clio Awards have recognized excellence in the bold work that propels the advertising industry forward, inspires a competitive marketplace of ideas and fosters meaningful connections within the creative community.

Clio Music celebrates the visceral power of music to connect consumers and brands around the world. The program is dedicated to awarding the creative contributions of the marketers and communicators that push boundaries, permeate pop culture, and establish a new precedent for artist promotion, music marketing, brand collaborations, and the use of music in advertising and trailers.

This panel featrues a conversation with Clio Music Award winners and representatives from the Clios to highlight and discuss the best of creative work in advertising, and how the effective usage of music makes camigns more creative, more interesting and ultimately more impactful and effective.

4:00 PM – In-person and online

Afternoon Keynote: A Conversation with Damien Escobar, Global Chief Music Officer, Havas Creative & Havas Health Networks

Damien Escobar isn’t just a violinist — he’s a force. A two-time Emmy Award winner with over 20 years in the game, he’s broken barriers, redefined genres, and built a lane entirely his own. From topping Billboard charts to selling out tours worldwide, Escobar has flipped classical music on its head — all while staying unapologetically authentic.

But music is just the beginning. With no blueprint and no shortcuts, Damien built an empire from scratch. Through his company, LCM Entertainment, he’s helped rising artists find their voice, applying the same branding brilliance that launched his own career.

His creativity doesn’t stop at the stage — brands like Nike, Fenty Beauty, Crayola, and Disney have tapped into his visionary spark. Now, as Global Chief Music Officer at Havas, Damien is leading a new wave of sonic innovation. He founded Art of Sound, Havas’ premier sonic marketing agency, where he’s crafting music-driven experiences that move audiences and shift culture.

Escobar isn’t just playing music — he’s rewriting the rules. In a world where attention is everything, he knows how to make people stop, feel, and truly listen.

5:00 PM – In-person and online

Networking Reception – Sponsored by Empire

Join us for drinks and networking – and some great music sponsored by our friends at Empire.

Founded in 2010 by San Francisco native Ghazi Shami, EMPIRE has become the premier independent music company with its innovative approach to label, distribution and publishing services.

For over a decade, EMPIRE has been a pioneer in early stage artist development, helping launch the careers of global superstars XXXTentacion, Anderson .Paak, Asake, Jay Wheeler, among others. Their most recent breakout star has been Shaboozey with his record breaking hit: A Bar Song (Tipsy).

Now the Bay Area and arguably, the world’s hottest indie label has grown into a global music powerhouse, with an international roster of talent, making it a major player.

Tuesday, October 7

Day 2

9:00 AM – In-Person and online 

Morning Keynote: The Brand  Perspective on how Sonic Branding Builds Audience and Sales

Defining and executing on a brand’s music strategy is complex. You’re responsible for shaping how your brand connects with current and potential customers, aligning internal goals with external messaging, and overseeing the entire marketing ecosystem—from creative to campaign execution.

That means collaborating with a wide array of partners across social, digital, experiential, and traditional media to define how music integrates into your brand’s voice, identity, and market position. It also means managing its integration into design, copywriting, ad buying, production, and outreach, all through the lens of strategy and customer growth.

And yet—despite all this strategic thinking—most brands still lack a clear, consistent sonic branding strategy.

Empirical evidence shows that strong, well-integrated sonic branding creates deeper emotional resonance, enhances brand recall, and drives customer engagement and loyalty. So why is it still an afterthought?

In this keynote, we sit down with the lead music decision maker at the Google Brand Studio, Anh Do, to explore how developing and implementing a strategic, integrated approach to music and sound across all marketing and sales touchpoints can lead to stronger brand identity, greater customer connection, and better business results.  Here’s Anh’s bio:

Anh Do is a creative director and marketing executive.

As Music Supervisor at Google Brand Studio, she defines the sonic identity of Google, collaborating with creatives, designers, marketers, and strategists to deliver world-class campaigns.

Previously, she served as Executive Creative Director and Head of Music at Expedia Group, where she led music supervision and creative strategy across its portfolio of brands, including Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

Do began her career as a musician in the seminal indie band The Tyde, which released albums on Rough Trade Records. She later co-founded IAMSOUND, a hybrid creative studio and visual artist management firm, earning three Clio Music Awards for campaigns with Billie Eilish and Solange.

She also works as a music supervisor on films; most recently, The Stroll premiered on HBO in 2023.

A Vietnamese refugee, Do is a passionate advocate for inclusion and mentorship.

10:00 AM – in-person and online

Where does music belong in the ideation process?

When developing an ad or product marketing strategy, the initial creative process typically blends product knowledge, market data, copywriting, and visual direction—guided by both the ad agency and the brand team. However, in most campaigns, music and sound are not considered until late in the production cycle—often during post-production.

This delay overlooks the fact that music and sound are among the most emotionally resonant and memorable elements of a campaign. Treating them as an afterthought weakens the overall creative impact and can diminish audience connection, brand recognition, and sales performance.

This panel explores why integrating music and sound strategy from the earliest stages of campaign ideation leads to more effective storytelling, stronger audience engagement, and better results—and why brands and agencies must bring music and sound into ideation at its onset, every single time.

11:00 AM – in person and online

The New Era of Music Partners: How Creators and Companies are Redefining their Agency and Brand Services

Music for Ads and Brands comes from a lot of sources – in-house and third-party composers, cusom music houses that work with brands and agencies to help define and execute on music to internal/external production music libraries, sync agencies, labels, publishers and artists – basically wherever we can find or whoever can create the music that makes the campaign or branding effective, memorable and impactful.

And, as music needs, campaigns and sonic branding evolves, so does the role of the music provider.  On this panel we’ll discuss the evolving role of the people and the companies that make and provide music for ads and brands, including the services they provide, the focus of those services, their diversification and expansion into areas like sonic branding, sound design and ideation, and how they are evolving their businesses to meet the challenges and opportunities of AI and technical automation and integration in all its forms.

12:00 PM – in person and online 

Lunch Break

1:00 PM – in-person and online

Turn On, Tie In, Cash Out:  Creating Successful Artist-Brand Partnerships

At their best, artist-brand partnerships are a true win-win. Brands gain cultural credibility and access to new audiences by aligning with an artist’s music, lifestyle, and influence. In turn, artists benefit from expanded exposure, funding, and integration into high-profile campaigns that can drive ticket sales, music streams, merchandise revenue, and fanbase growth.

But successful partnerships only work when there’s a genuine connection between the artist and the brand. When authenticity is lacking on either side, campaigns can fall flat—failing to move product or connect with audiences.

In this roundtable, industry experts who develop and execute artist-brand collaborations will share real-world insights, highlighting what makes these partnerships succeed, what causes them to fail, and how to build impactful, mutually beneficial relationships between artists and brands.

2:00 PM – in-person and online

The Future of Ad Production: Evolving Tech, Tools, and Music in the Creative Process

The landscape of ad production is rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in technology that are reshaping how advertising producers create, edit, and execute their campaigns. From AI-driven editing tools to real-time collaboration platforms, the technology available today is transforming the creative process.

This panel will explore how these innovations are streamlining workflows, enhancing creative possibilities, and allowing for greater precision in ad execution. Additionally, we’ll dive into the impact of music creation, management, and discovery tools—whether AI-generated soundtracks, adaptive music libraries, or dynamic syncing platforms—on the way music is integrated into advertising.

Our experts will discuss how these cutting-edge tools are empowering producers to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced, tech-savvy advertising environment while maintaining creative integrity and elevating brand messaging.

3:00 PM – in-person and online

A Spotlight on Independent Music for Ads, Brands and Messaging With A2IM

Independent artists, labels, publishers, and managers are the backbone of music licensing, sonic branding, and original composition for media. From crafting custom tracks for ads and experiential campaigns to licensing catalog music and partnering on brand initiatives, the indie sector delivers quality, flexibility, creativity, and pricing that meets the demands of agencies and brands alike. Whether it’s a reimagined cover, an existing track, or a bespoke composition, independent music consistently delivers impact—both creatively and economically.

In experiential marketing especially, indie musicians offer a unique advantage: authenticity, agility, and the ability to directly engage with audiences through meaningful brand partnerships that drive sales and cultural relevance.

Still, the independent music community faces growing pressure to compete—with major labels, custom music houses, AI-driven platforms, and a crowded market of providers. Now more than ever, a focused, strategic approach is needed to showcase the value indie music brings to agencies and brands.

Presented by Sync Summit in collaboration with the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), this panel will explore the evolving role of independent music in branding and advertising, share real-world case studies, and highlight how indie creatives are shaping the future of music in media.

4:00 pm – In person and online

Behind the Ideation: The Making of an Iconic, Music-Centric Ad Campaign

For our final discussion, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the most iconic, music-centric advertising campaigns of the last decade.

This panel brings together the key creatives—from agency leaders to music supervisors and brand executives—who conceived, developed, and launched a campaign that not only captured global attention but also set a new standard for how music can elevate brand storytelling.

Through an in-depth conversation, our panelists will walk us through the entire creative journey—from the initial concept and music selection to the production process and final execution. We’ll explore how the right music became the emotional and strategic centerpiece of the campaign, why it resonated so powerfully with audiences, and what measurable results it delivered.

This session will offer behind-the-scenes insights into how music and advertising come together at the highest level—and why sound remains one of the most powerful tools in the creative arsenal of modern brand marketing.