Editors' Note: The following article features Brian Camen (Delta Upsilon/Arizona State 2006).
Brian Camen is the sr. director of content & public relations at Ferrara Candy Company, the leading sugar confectioner in the United States. In 2023, Camen was listed in Brand Innovators' 40 Under 40 for midwest advertising professionals. Camen's most recent professional triumph involved Ferrara's advertisement campaign with Nerds candy for the upcoming Super Bowl LIX. Brian connected with our communications team to speak on his Theta Chi experience, his professional journey, his role in the planning and execution of the ad campaign, and how his time in the chapter led him to where he is today.
Q: What attracted you to Theta Chi during your collegiate years?
A: I went to IFC's recruitment fair during the spring semester of my freshman year at Arizona State and met some of the brothers during the event. After that, I went to their scheduled activities and events and the rest is history. As a collegiate brother, [I] saw the chapter grow from 10 guys to 90. I held various leadership positions and made friendships that I’ve had for the past 20 years. Theta Chi will always have a special place in my heart. So many great memories.
Q: How did you get into your current industry?
A: I started my career in public relations working at a business school in Arizona. At the time I was the only millennial at my place of employment, and social media for brands was just becoming a thing. By default, I was tasked with driving the business school’s social media presence. After nearly three years, I moved to Chicago and spent about the next 10 years working for a large advertising agency and then a large public relations agency, always in the social media and digital marketing space. I got a taste of working across verticals and industries and really liked CPG. Six years ago, I transitioned over to the "brand side" when I landed a job at Ferrara Candy Company, the leading sugar confectioner in the United States. Ferrara has 30+ brands including NERDS, SweeTARTS, Trolli, Brach’s, Jelly Belly, and Laffy Taffy. When I first started at Ferrara, my role was focused on social media. Since then, it has expanded to include all things content, advertising, and public relations.
Q: What kind of work did you do specifically for the upcoming Super Bowl commercial?
A: This is the second Big Game campaign I’ve gotten to work on, and it’s career-defining work! Ideation for our NERDS Super Bowl campaign started nearly a year ago. I work on a marketing services team at Ferrara where we partner with a brand marketing team to strategize and execute campaigns that drive brand objectives. I was involved with the creation of the Big Game spot and all surrounding content – from concepting, pre-production, production-on-location, to post-production. The Big Game is considered the biggest day in sports and advertising. It’s the one time of the year when you can really capture viewers’ attention on linear television and get them talking about the ads just as much as the game itself. Extreme precision is required for the level of detail that goes into the creation of a Big Game spot – and all surrounding content.
In addition to the content, my team and I led a public relations plan to drive relevance between NERDS, the Big Game, and football overall. We started by driving awareness around NERDS two football-themed, limited-edition NERDS Gummy Clusters candy and a “Make the Rivalry Sweeter” sweepstakes in early fall. From there, we announced our return to the Big Game with two features in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times in October. We had partnerships with multiple media and sports entities in December and January and, finally, we released a teaser for our Big Game spot featuring Grammy-nominated artist Shaboozey last month. All the above (and a lot more) was supported by a paid media plan, too. It’s one thing to create the content, it’s another to ensure we get the right eyeballs on it, too.
I’m really happy with the multi-sensorial experience we created with this content for the NERDS brand. I believe we created a campaign that will drive more households to purchase NERDS Gummy Clusters candy.
Q: What did you learn from your time in the chapter that has helped you become the professional you are today?
A: So much - I don’t even know where to start. Responsibility, punctuality, how to lend a Helping Hand, how to coach others, and developing communications skills to name a few. I served as both Vice President and Marshal during my time. I learned so much from those who came before me and served with me. I always tried to instill the ideals of Truth, Temperance and Tolerance on those who came after me.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experiences I had in Theta Chi. I’ll carry them throughout my career.
Q: Who do you think will win this year's Super Bowl?
A: I don’t know who will win, but I know it will be a great game surrounded by great commercials!
Well said! Congratulations on your professional successes, Brian. We're thankful Theta Chi was able to leave a lasting impression on you and helped to develop you into to a well-rounded professional in your sweet industry!