“You Can Fire Me If It Fails”: What Instacart and Angel Soft’s Super Bowl Bets Reveal About Modern Marketing Leadership

Instacart CMO Laura Jones' boss asked, ‘How do I know it’s going to work?' when she pitched making the brand's debut Super Bowl spot. “And I said, ‘You can fire me if it doesn’t.’”

It was a sentiment echoed by Angel Soft’s brand director, Desiree DeRose, who also took a professional gamble to bring her brand’s first Big Game spot to life this year.

Both leaders now find themselves shortlisted at Cannes Lions for those very campaigns. On an LBB Beach panel, joined by Diageo CMO Grainne Wafer and moderated by LBB AUNZ managing editor Brittney Rigby, the marketers said such bets are required to build brands in a volatile, high-stakes environment.

High Risk, High Reward Still Matters

Both Instacart (a US and Canadian delivery platform) and toilet paper brand Angel Soft's Super Bowl plays were more than just media buys -- they were career-defining bets. Laura’s campaign brought together a surreal cast of grocery aisle mascots, delivering a nostalgic punch that drove a 72% increase in new-to-site visitors and a 14% sales lift in for the ‘We’re Here’ Big Game spot.

Desiree flipped category conventions on their head with an unexpected call-to-action in Angel Soft's debut Super Sunday spot, ‘The Big Game Potty-tunity’ by urging viewers: “Don’t watch the ad – go to the bathroom instead.”

Every Impression Performs

Both marketers made it clear that brand and performance are no longer separate tracks. “Every dollar must perform,” said Laura. “And every impression builds your brand – whether you like it or not.”

At Instacart, that thinking has led to a full-funnel approach, where top-of-funnel initiatives like the Olympics and Super Bowl are tied to measurable business outcomes. For Desiree, every execution must “pay rent back to the brand,” even in a functional category like toilet paper.

Creative Courage Requires Organisational Support

Laura’s “fire me” moment might sound dramatic, but it underlines a truth: CMOs can only be courageous when the C-suite allows them to be. “You have to trust the process,” she said of making the internal case. Both she and Desiree spoke of needing to not only advocate for bold ideas but also to justify them with clear rationale and defined outcomes.

This underscores a growing theme in marketing leadership: bravery doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires organisational trust, cross-functional buy-in, and a willingness to back talent when the stakes are high.

The Long View Still Counts

Diageo CMO Gráinne Wafer – whose portfolio includes Guinness, Smirnoff, and Baileys – offered a masterclass in strategic thinking and revealed that a big creative idea is always worth the investment.

“We pay people to bring us great ideas,” she said. “So when the spark appears, we have to fund it -- even if it wasn’t in the original plan.” She spoke of balancing global brand consistency with local cultural resonance, of building in agility so great creative can move fast, and of spending “every penny wisely.”

Not every marketing win needs to be a viral spike. Long-term brand building, rooted in curiosity and cultural understanding, remains essential.

At a time when CMOs are being asked to do more with less, these CMOs reminded the audience of the need for being bold and remaining accountable. Whether it’s placing a Super Bowl bet with your job on the line or rethinking a media mix to reach unexpected audiences on Twitch, the most impactful marketers aren’t playing it safe. They’re playing it smart – and playing to win.