How do retirement plan advisors “slay” the competition? Forget marketing, entertain instead.
How you truly stand out and set yourselves apart in the increasingly always-on, hyperconnected world is the focus of a Sunday afternoon keynote address at the NAPA 401(k) Summit in Tampa, Fla., April 19 – 21, 2026.
Titled “Entertain or Die: Day Trading Attention for the 21st Century,” it features Mike Cessario, Founder and CEO of Liquid Death, one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage brands.
“Advertising is easy,” Cessario notes. “Ask the average person if they could come up with a great idea for a commercial. Most will say yes. That’s because the bar for 99% of advertising is so low. But if you ask them if they could write a hit comedy TV show or create an Instagram account with three million followers, almost none of them will say yes. Entertaining is hard. But people actually care about entertainment.”
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Claiming no one cares about marketing and it’s easily tuned out, Cessario will discuss the ability for retirement plan advisors to “generate outsized returns in the modern media landscape with an entertainment-first approach to brand-awareness and brand-loyalty.”
More specifically, attendees will learn about:
- Differentiating their services, building loyalty, and creating memorable client experiences beyond investment returns.
- Attracting attention with cool, creative, and exciting ideas that cut through the noise and entertain prospects.
Cessario, recognized by Time 100 Next 2024 as an emerging leader shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership, does just that. Liquid Death is the first beverage company “using comedy and entertainment to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun.”
According to the company, it takes the healthiest thing you can drink and packages it into recyclable tallboy cans that can compete with the fun marketing of unhealthy brands across energy drinks, beer, and junk food. A portion of Liquid Death’s proceeds goes to non-profits that are helping to fight plastic pollution and bring clean drinking water to those in need.
As mentioned, the Summit will take place in warm, sunny Tampa, Florida — affectionately known as Cigar City — from April 19 to 21, 2026.
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The “Future Driven” theme will feature 24 workshops, five general sessions, three certificate bootcamps, and a CPFA Exam Cram, in addition to Summit After Dark.
Industry vets know that making conference content real and ensuring it sticks —thereby providing a solid ROI for attendees and actionable ideas they can immediately implement in their practices — is an ongoing challenge, but one on which the Summit Steering Committee is hyper-focused.
Four content tracks will cover everything advisors need to thrive — including business growth and prospecting strategies, emerging industry trends and regulations, efficient practice management and advisor wellness, as well as in-depth technical guidance on plan design, compliance, and correction strategies.
REGISTER TODAY!
date: 2026-02-10 14:06:00