Since 1987, SXSW has evolved from a music festival into a global proving ground for culture, technology, and brand leadership, making it a fitting backdrop for this year’s repeated lesson: the strongest brands know exactly how and when to evolve to stay relevant and innovative.
The concept of brand endurance first surfaced during Mastercard’s Fireside Chat, where Cheryl Guerin, EVP of Global Brand Strategy and Innovation, joined moderator Lisa Rosenberg of Allison Worldwide to unpack what endurance means for the brand. Surprisingly, the answer wasn’t rigid adherence to brand guidelines. It was discipline. Endurance, as Cheryl framed it, is about knowing what must evolve and what must remain constant. Longevity comes from maintaining brand trust while modernizing how people experience it. Mastercard’s slogan, “For everything else, there’s Mastercard,” created in 1997, still serves as the foundation the team builds on to create new consumer experiences keeping the brand fresh without straying too far from its roots.
That same discipline echoed in Rivina CFO Claire McDonough's remarks at Rivian's Electric Roadhouse, where she spoke candidly about the founder’s challenge of learning to say no. Growth doesn’t come from chasing every adjacent opportunity, but from choosing the few things that matter and doing them exceptionally well. The strongest brands know that innovation doesn’t mean stretching the core brand to cover every new idea, it can also mean creating space for innovation to grow on its own terms. Rather than diverting energy into launching an electric bike under the Rivian name, the company spun out a new micromobility tech company, ‘Also,’ from their internal incubator. The presence of Also reinforced the larger SXSW theme: innovation works best with a side of discipline that protects the integrity of the core brand.
New technology was around every corner, and questions about AI, unsurprisingly, surfaced in nearly every panel. The most credible leaders talked about it with that same discipline. They didn’t frame AI as an equal human replacement poised to take everyone’s job, but as a tool to make better predictions, understand customers more specifically, and support smarter decision-making. Selena Sykes, VP of Digital Marketing and Social First for Unilever drove home a great point when she stated, " Unilever should hire me for me and my AI – how I use it as part of my own ecosystem, how it supercharges me, and how I supercharge it to really deliver better outcomes to my business."
At the same time, speakers were clear about the risks: bad signals create cloudy outcomes, impatience leads to overconfidence, and, as Katka Renckens, Head of Brand at Rituals, put it, “Using AI for creative work is a very fast way to just simply be mediocre.” Her point was clear: AI should be used as a sparring partner, not the work itself, and The collective message from brand executives was one of responsible use in support of sharper strategy and stronger creative judgment.
From the panels, it was clear: the brands winning right now are balancing conviction with curiosity: protecting the core, embracing change where it matters, and applying innovation with intention. The leaders who stood out weren’t chasing novelty. They were making sharper choices about what deserves to evolve—and what should remain unmistakably theirs.
Link to the Interview from the Leadership in Brand Marketing Summit at SXSW with Jesse Johnson, VP of Marketing at Chili's Bar and Grill. Moderated by Rosie Reynolds, Senior Director of Business Development at The Trade Desk.
How Chili's Became the Hottest Restaurant in America.
“Casual dining was dead.” That was the general consensus, according to Jesse Johnson, VP of Marketing at Chili's Bar and Grill, until Chili’s decided to prove otherwise.
Over the past three years, Chili’s has gone back to what brought consumers in the first place: simplifying its menu and doubling down on fan favorites. They’ve leaned into online moments, turning something as simple as an organically viral mozzarella stick “cheese pull” video into a marketing machine.
The key is their strong social listening-- paying close attention to what audiences are actually engaging with and responding quickly.
“Once we saw the Triple Dipper going viral over the summer [of 2024], we knew we had to fan the flames,” said Chili’s CMO George Felix.
It’s not reinventing the wheel. The Triple Dipper had been on the menu for years. But by recognizing the potential, Chili’s introduced new flavors, expanded influencer partnerships, and created their own Triple Dipper social content. As a result, sales of the Triple Dipper jumped more than 70% year over year.
What the process looks like in 2026
"This summer, in addition to interning at Shimek, I’ll be a Brand Marketing Intern at Intuit Credit Karma. I have nothing but good things to say about my process with CK-- the application requirements were unique and fun, the interviews were genuine and made me feel valued as an individual. I can’t wait to join the team in Charlotte, N.C., this May. Unfortunately, this positive experience seems to be few and far between.
- Susanna Mann, Shimek's Gen Z Insider
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