Bianca Fernandez by no means thought she’d be on actuality TV—then got here an Instagram DM from somebody engaged on a brand new promoting competitors present, NBC’s On Model with Jimmy Fallon.
“I keep in mind calling my mother and being like, ‘Do you suppose that is legit?’” Fernandez instructed ADWEEK. “‘But in addition, if that is legit, how good is that this for me?’”
It was so good, in reality, that she gained all of it. On the present’s Season 1 finale that aired Oct. 31, Fallon and his co-host, Bozoma Saint John, introduced Fernandez because the present’s first Innovator of the Yr. Together with a money prize of $100,000, her idea for the ultimate shopper, Therabody, shall be produced as a industrial.
“It’s fairly surreal,” mentioned Fernandez, a Gen Z marketer primarily based in New York. “Going into the expertise, I had actually no concept what to anticipate, however I did know I actually needed to win, and I knew primarily based off of what was described to me that I’d have a shot if I gave it my all and didn’t maintain myself again.”
She embraced that ethos all through the season, usually turning into the mission lead on campaigns similar to making a viral drink for drive-in QSR chain Sonic and including a “spicy take” concept to Captain Morgan’s Tremendous Bowl marketing campaign. Whereas on the present, she even proclaimed her intentions to make the Forbes 30 Below 30 Record.
However success wasn’t straightforward. Fernandez famous there have been “lots of stress cooker moments” all through the season, with a few of the most irritating occasions not even making the ultimate lower. As an example, when assembly with graphic designers, contestants had equal however restricted time—what Fernandez described as simply “minutes”—to show their concepts into campaigns, typically in a single day.
As if that weren’t sufficient stress, every part was on the contestants, with Fernandez saying NBC made certain to advertise equity so the behind-the-scenes creatives didn’t impose their very own technique whereas translating contestant concepts into pitch shows, even when these concepts went awry.
The finale introduced on added challenges as Fernandez and fellow finalist Ryan Winn needed to create and shoot a complete industrial for Therabody, primarily by themselves and in an equal however “insanely quick period of time,” based on Fernandez.
