Shannon Shae Montoya, VP Head of Global B2B Marketing, Sponsorship, and Events at Yahoo, on why her team of live storytellers builds memories that drive future commercial decisions, how her time with a Superbowl-winning New York Giants team shaped her understanding of what winning culture feels like, and what Yahoo's 30th anniversary activation at Cannes Lions revealed about where the brand is heading.
"Relevance opens the door. Resonance is what you bring from an emotional standpoint. That combination creates memory."
Why experiential marketing builds the memories that drive future commercial decisions and what a Superbowl team teaches about winning culture
Shannon Shae Montoya led game day experience development for the New York Giants while completing her graduate degree at NYU, including being there for a Superbowl win under coach Tom Coughlin. She has since built a career across Time Inc., Meredith, Verizon Media, and now Yahoo, where she leads global B2B marketing, sponsorship, and events.
In this conversation Montoya explains why she frames her team as live storytellers whose job is to build memories that impact future decisions, how the relevance and resonance framework shapes every activation, and what it meant to bring Yahoo's 30th anniversary to Cannes Lions through a motel-inspired activation honouring the brand's famous 'nice place to stay on the internet' billboard.
"The common thread that connects them all is the opportunity to build memory for people. A memory is a past event that impacts future decisions. In sports, that was creating a lifelong fandom. At Yahoo now, that means creating consumer and client experiences that get them to take action and have a real deep sensibility for what Yahoo can provide."
The memory framework is both the personal through-line and the marketing philosophy.
"One of the greatest things is that I was part of a true winning team. Now when we talk in organisations about being part of a winning team and what does that feel like, I am like, well, I was there for a Superbowl. That experience shapes how I build culture and how I talk about what it means to win together."
Direct experience of winning culture is the most credible foundation for building it.
"Relevance opens the door, backed by data and insights. We want to be at the right place in front of the right audience at the right time. Resonance is the emotional quality and what you bring from an emotional standpoint. The storytelling that surrounds it is what makes the activation stick."
The two-dimensional framework that shapes every activation decision.
"Yahoo is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Nine out of ten US internet consumers come to Yahoo monthly. We brought the vibes of our famous billboard, a nice place to stay on the internet, to life through a motel-inspired activation. Paying homage to where we have been and communicating where we are going. That is what experiential marketing provides: a deeper understanding of the brand."
The activation translates brand history into present-tense experience.
"It has power because it allows you to feel a brand, not just see a brand. I call my team live storytellers. They find opportunities to create these memories that then drive impact to the future. In a world where you can see and read everything, the thing that makes you feel something is what you remember."
The distinction between seeing and feeling is the commercial argument for experiential.
"I call my team a team of live storytellers. They find opportunities to create memories that drive impact to the future."
Host What connects your career?
Montoya Building memory for people. A memory is a past event that impacts future decisions. I call my team live storytellers. Their job is to create memories that drive impact to the future. Relevance opens the door, backed by data. Resonance is the emotional quality. Together they create lasting memory.
Host Tell me about the Yahoo 30th anniversary.
Montoya Nine out of ten US internet consumers come to Yahoo monthly. We celebrated our 30th at Cannes Lions with a motel-inspired activation honouring our famous billboard: a nice place to stay on the internet. Paying homage to where we have been, communicating where we are going. That is what experiential marketing provides.
New leaders and insights. No noise.