How Abby Stevenson-Greiss Turned a Viral Video Into a Career in Experiential Marketing

Communications alumna pushes the creative boundaries of event marketing, champions Gen Z’s place in the industry

Before Abby Stevenson-Greiss (corporate communications, ‘20) had ever heard the term “experiential marketing” she had already run her first e campaign: leveraging a young influencer’s fame to help draw tourism interest to one of America’s most rural states. 

 Stevenson-Greiss began her postgraduate marketing career in tourism advertising for South Dakota. Right around the time she began, the viral “corn kid” was gaining popularity on TikTok for singing about his love of corn during an episode of Recess Therapy. Once Stevenson-Greiss found out about his overnight fame, she developed a plan to have him visit South Dakota’s Corn Palace and revitalize interest in the state’s staple crop. 

“I had never been to South Dakota before I started working for them,” Stevenson-Greiss said. “But the minute I came across Tariq’s video where he was talking about how much he loved corn, I knew we needed to get him to visit the Corn Palace. I knew it would be a great experience for him and amazing coverage for us.” 

Stevenson-Greiss flew Tariq and his family to South Dakota where he created a travel itinerary for future Corn Palace tourists, was crowned the Corn-bassador of South Dakota and was given his own national holiday. As her campaign gained traction online, a close friend reached out and asked Stevenson-Greiss when she had started working in experiential marketing.  

“I had to ask her what that was because I had no idea at the time,” Stevenson-Greiss said. “And I don’t think experiential marketing really had an official name yet because it was all still so new, but I definitely left that conversation wanting more.”  

Within a year, Stevenson-Greiss joined her friend’s experiential marketing agency and began building brand experiences that bridge the gap between companies and consumers.  

Now, she serves as senior director of marketing for MAS, an experiential marketing agency. She uses her position and platform to spread the word about the benefits of  experiential marketing and advocate for bringing Gen Z into the experiential marketing field, where they can directly influence creative strategies for the brands they’re consuming and promoting online.  

“Most conversations about how companies can connect with Gen Z or reach out to Gen Z don’t include Gen Z onstage or in the audience,” Stevenson-Greiss said. “And we can’t contribute to rooms we’re not a part of.” 

Turning Authentic Campaigns into Lasting Memories 

Experiential Marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on creating memorable, real-world interactions between brands and their audiences. Rather than simply delivering a message through an advertisement, experiential marketing creates circumstances where audiences are invited to participate in events, or “activations” designed to build deeper connections between brands and their consumers.  

Stevenson-Greiss works with brands all over the world, helping them to create experiences audiences can’t find elsewhere. One of her most recent campaigns began with a scavenger hunt around New York City for prizes that contained QR codes linking back to an artist’s new music video. A few months after, Stevenson-Greiss helped the singer throw a massive Halloween party in Barcelona, attended by fans who had all seen the video after it gained traction earlier in the year.  

“Everything about that campaign was so authentic,” Stevenson-Greiss shared. “Everyone genuinely cared about making this experience special for the fans, from start to finish.” 

After completing that campaign, Stevenson-Greiss was encouraged to submit an application in January to be one of AdAge Magazine’s “Gen Zers to Watch in Marketing and Advertising.” During her birthday week in early February, she learned that she was on the winning list.  

“Sometimes I feel a bit of imposter syndrome, but the connections I’ve made as a member of this group are priceless,” Stevenson-Greiss shared. “And that’s what motivates me to work towards opening more of these doors for young people in our industry. Everyone deserves a shot at working towards something like this.” 

Brand Activations That Build Communities 

A brand activation is a type of marketing event where companies can have face-to-face interactions with their consumers. These events can look like pop-up installations, live events, product demonstrations, festivals and other immersive, interactive experiences. The goal  is to move beyond basic brand awareness and create moments that people can connect with on an emotional level long after leaving the interaction, ideally to create long-term brand loyalty. 

Through her work, Stevenson-Greiss has found that creating lived experiences for consumers formed authentic bonds that can’t be replicated in traditional marketing and advertising. Giving people the power to interact with brands in their own ways left room for lasting cultural change, not just viral moments.  

“The challenge in traditional marketing and advertising is that work can often leave you feeling like you’re trying to convince people of something they don’t fully connect with,” Stevenson-Greiss said. “With experiential, you’re just creating these awesome experiences where the audience can participate and decide how they feel. It’s very powerful.” 

Creating Industry Change at Cannes Lions  

Stevenson-Greiss remains vocal in her pursuit of creating more professional opportunities for Gen Z in brand marketing. In July, she was given the chance to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the world’s largest gathering for creative marketing, and speak on the LinkedIn activation stage about experiential marketing jobs.  

Commonly known as “Coachella for brands,” Cannes Lions was originally designed as a way for young professionals to connect and find mentorship opportunities but has since evolved to accommodate more established professionals over time. During her talk, Stevenson-Greiss asked any Gen Z professionals in attendance to raise their hands. Only one person did, which struck a deep chord with Stevenson-Greiss.  

“After speaking, I connected with the young woman and found out that even though she’d been nominated for awards three years in a row, she was relying on family support to come to Cannes because her company wouldn’t send her. There’s a common saying in our industry that there’s enough clients and everyone can share the love,” Stevenson-Greiss said. “So why is it any different for young people? There’s a desire among young professionals to learn from those who came before us, and I want to see that become common practice in our profession.” 

Advocating for an Emerging Profession 

Since returning from Cannes Lions, Stevenson-Greiss continues to use her growing platform to find more opportunities for inclusion and mentorship in her field. She’s also collected two more accolades: giving a headlining talk at the Professional Convention Management Association’s annual southeast chapter meeting and being named a 2026 BizBash Fresh Face: "Up-and-Coming Event Professionals You Need to Know Now." With every LinkedIn post notifying her network of a new achievement comes a thoughtfully worded message about how more young professionals need access to similar opportunities.

The caption on her BizBash award announcement reads: “One of my dreams has been democratizing the experiential industry for all creatives. It doesn’t matter where you started, how long you’ve been in the room or what’s on your resume. That’s just pomp and circumstance. We want creatives encouraged to go bold.” 

In thinking about the future paths for the young professionals she connects with, Stevenson-Greiss credits her family and the creatives around her with championing her dreams and inspiring her to keep moving forward and making space for others.  

In an interview she did with BizBash, Stevenson-Greiss said this: “What I know about my path is this: Every time I’ve planned it, God has a way of changing it for the better. I love the industry I’m in, I want to work hard with good people, and I want to do what I can to open doors for the future generation of experiential marketers."