Challenge

CDC’s Cancer Division secured a rare half-page placement in the official NFL Super Bowl Program—requiring a compelling national cancer screening message within one of the most competitive media environments in the world.

The brief emphasized humanity, family, and representation across communities most affected by cancer, with just three weeks to concept, design, clear, and deliver a fully print-ready placement.

The challenge was to create emotional clarity and visual impact under extreme time constraints without compromising credibility or quality.

Creative Direction & Execution

As Creative Director, I led concept development, creative direction, and execution strategy for the campaign. I assigned the work to a senior designer with advanced compositing expertise while structuring collaborative review sessions across the broader creative team.

Given the compressed timeline, we used AI-assisted concepting (Adobe Firefly and Midjourney) to rapidly explore multiple creative directions. Three concepts advanced based on SME input and strategic alignment.

From there, the work required precise refinement. AI-generated artifacts were corrected through high-resolution enhancement and detailed compositing in Photoshop to ensure anatomical accuracy, cohesive lighting, and print-ready quality.

Throughout the process, I led structured feedback loops with CDC SMEs and stakeholders to align emotional resonance with scientific credibility.

Stakeholder Navigation & Team Development

The project landed just before Thanksgiving with a hard December deadline — effectively compressing a national campaign into a window that included a federal holiday and zero buffer.

Rather than pulling in my most experienced resources and executing top-down, I made a deliberate choice to use the pressure as a development opportunity. I gave a senior designer the creative lead — my strongest individual contributor, but someone who hadn't yet operated with real leadership accountability. I asked him specifically to build a review process that brought the broader team in, not just execute in isolation. Watching him step into that role — and lean into AI tools in ways he hadn't before — was one of the better leadership moments of the project.

On the clearance side, the stakes were high and the chain was long. The CDC Cancer Division created the brief and required direct alignment first — they were in the weeds with us reconciling every comment. From there, approvals moved through Cancer Division senior leadership and then CDC senior leadership. At each tier the feedback had to be incorporated without losing the emotional clarity of the original concept. I managed that review process in parallel with production, keeping momentum through a holiday week while maintaining scientific accuracy and brand integrity at every stage.

Impact

The final ad was published in the official NFL Super Bowl Program and amplified through NFL promotional channels reaching 36M+ followers. Additional distribution through sports and media influencers extended the campaign’s reach to an estimated 18M+ additional viewers.

The campaign became one of CDC’s most widely viewed cancer awareness messages, expanding national visibility during a peak cultural moment while demonstrating the effective integration of emerging AI-assisted workflows.

My Role

As Creative Director, I led creative direction, team coordination, and stakeholder alignment—ensuring the work met both emotional and scientific standards under an accelerated timeline.

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