How Pillsbury Got Into the Super Bowl—for Free

A multimillion-dollar moment born from strategy, not ad spend.

🎥 Scene Setting:
As the lead on General Mills’ Instacart partnership, I negotiated Pillsbury’s placement in Instacart’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial—aligning our brand priorities and investment strategy under serious time pressure. I also made sure our slot worked alongside other General Mills initiatives planned for that moment.

I left the company just before the ad went live, but my role in the strategy, alignment, and partner negotiations made it happen.

What Shifted:

This wasn’t a lucky break—it was a strategic payoff.

I had built a strong, collaborative relationship with Instacart’s marketing team over months. So when they needed a brand to feature, they didn’t just ask for assets—they asked for alignment.

I had spent months building a collaborative relationship with Instacart’s marketing team. I negotiated Pillsbury’s spot under tight timelines and helped shape how General Mills showed up on game day.

🔍 The Insight:
The Super Bowl isn't just about airtime—it’s about positioning, patience, and partnerships.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 My Role:

• Managed $30M Instacart investment across General Mills’ portfolio

• Negotiated Pillsbury’s brand placement for Instacart’s Super Bowl debut

• Balanced internal campaign priorities across General Mills brands

• Aligned shopper strategy with media value under tight turnaround

• Served as day-to-day lead and point of contact for Super Bowl planning phase

• Secured prime placement valued at $8M in earned media

✨ What We Learned:

🤝 Partnership isn’t just access—it’s readiness
We didn’t “win” a placement. We were positioned for it.

🧠 Negotiation is creative work
It’s not just about dollars—it’s about timing, relationships, and shared incentives.

🎯 Strategy happens in the details
The value came from months of groundwork—not a single moment.

✨ Why It Still Matters:
Partnerships are built in the quiet moments—so you’re ready for the big ones. This project reminded me that value isn’t always bought—it’s built.

I love negotiating not just for deals, but for alignment. This moment proved how design thinking can apply to partnerships too: spot the shared goal, map the system, and make the unexpected inevitable.

This project is a reminder that design strategy isn’t just for products—it’s for partnerships too.

I love navigating ambiguity and spotting alignment others miss. In this case, that mindset turned a no-budget moment into an $8M brand win.