Feature
Research Report
Power Personalized CX with AI That Remembers What Customers Don’t Want to Repeat
The Gist
- A CMO rivalry returns. Tom Wentworth and David Hillis revive a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl debate with equal parts fandom, city pride and executive-level conviction.
- Two leadership philosophies collide. Wentworth leans on confidence, talent and a clear game script, while Hillis frames Seattle’s run as a case study in resilience, focus and “mission over BS.”
- Marketing lessons sneak into the smack talk. From “chasing edges” to fan experience, both CMOs turn football into a proxy for how teams build culture, handle noise and win under pressure.
Round 2.
Chief marketing officers Tom Wentworth and David Hillis went at it back in 2015 on behalf of their beloved teams playing in the Super Bowl.
Wentworth for the Patriots. Hillis for Seattle.
We know how that one turned out. And 11 years, the same teams are back, ready to duke it out again in Santa Clara, Calif. Sunday, Feb. 8 in Super Bowl 60.
Wentworth, the chief marketing officer at incident.io, comes in hot with a Patriots-first recap of the last Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl moment that still lives rent-free in New England’s collective memory: “Malcolm Butler intercepts Russell Wilson at the 2-yard line with 25 seconds left.”
Hillis, the chief marketing officer at Ingeniux, answers with a Seahawks worldview rooted in identity, resilience and organizational discipline — the kind of language content leaders and marketing execs actually use on Monday morning.
Table of Contents
- Wentworth’s Case: Boston, Belichick Energy and a Scripted Patriots Win
- Hillis’ Case: 'Mission Over BS' and the Seahawks as a Leadership Template
- Boston vs. Seattle: Coffee, Weather and the 'Different' Advantage
- The Final Word: Two CMOs, One Super Bowl, Zero Middle Ground
Wentworth’s Case: Boston, Belichick Energy and a Scripted Patriots Win
Wentworth’s opener is less “film room” and more “city debate meets dynasty confidence.” He’s traveled to Seattle plenty, but he doesn’t exactly sell it as a destination: “I can't think of a single reason why I'd want to live in Seattle versus living in a world class city like Boston.”
He turns coffee into a proxy war — “We've got Dunkin Donuts. You've got Starbucks.” Then pivots to tech pride: “What tech company ecosystem we've created pioneers like HubSpot and Toast. You've got Microsoft and Amazon.” And then closes the lifestyle argument with weather as the knockout punch: “We have four seasons here.”
Once the pregame chirping is out of his system, Wentworth gives Seattle its due — especially defensively — but only after framing the matchup on Patriots terms. He calls out the Seahawks’ ability to make passing hard, noting: “They usually play with seven people back, so it's hard to throw against them. Patriots are gonna have to be super patient in the passing game.”
Then he goes back to the main point: the Patriots have the quarterback, the weapons and the defense.
His confidence peaks with a projected game flow and an exact score prediction: “Patriots are going to win 24-21. It's not going to be that close.” And did you notice his subtle dig at Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold? "Great game manager."
Folks, that is NOT a compliment.
Wentworth even lays out how he expects the touchdowns to land, building a narrative arc that sounds like the kind of internal win-story a marketing leader wants going into a make-or-break launch: clear roles, clear execution, clear outcome.
Hillis’ Case: 'Mission Over BS' and the Seahawks as a Leadership Template
Hillis starts where Wentworth ends — with identity. He frames the Seahawks’ season as an organizational reset tied to “a whole new philosophy, a whole new coaching staff and approach for the season.”
And because Hillis is talking to “fellow content professionals,” he does what a good marketing executive does: translate sports into leadership and culture lessons.
His foundational quote comes from a postgame moment: “we did not care.” Hillis explains it as a statement of internal focus led by Coach Mike Macdonald — “It was about us, not them. It's always been about us.”
From there, he introduces the team mantra that doubles as a business filter: “Mission over BS.”
Hillis describes it as a commitment to “ignoring all the noise, focusing on what matters, leaving the egos at the door.” In his telling, the result is a team that plays like an organization with tight alignment: “They never stopped. They were all bought in.”
He adds a second lesson with a phrase that could live in a quarterly planning deck: “chasing edges.” Hillis frames it as “finding unfair advantages in places that most people don't look,” and points to Seattle's special teams as a concrete example of how marginal gains can flip outcomes.
Finally, Hillis goes to the fan and customer angle — the idea that a team’s environment is part of its execution engine. He ties it to one of Seattle’s signature identities: “12 as one.”
In Hillis’ view, it’s not just about noise in the stadium. It’s about proximity to the people you serve: “In the business world, it's really about people. It's about having no space between you and your customers.”
Related Article: 10 Super Bowl Marketing Moments That Made History
Super Bowl 60 CMO Scorecard
A quick side-by-side of how each marketing leader frames the matchup — and what they think matters most when the pressure spikes.
| CMO | Team | Core Framing | Leadership Mantra | Key To Winning | Prediction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Wentworth | Patriots | Talent, execution and a clear game script | “we all we got, and we all we need” | Patience vs. a defense that “usually play with seven people back” | “Patriots are going to win 24-21; it's not going to be that close.” |
| David Hillis | Seahawks | Culture, resilience and edge-chasing discipline | “Mission over BS.” | Win the hidden game: “chasing edges,” special teams and “12 as one” | “My money's on the Seahawks” |
Boston vs. Seattle: Coffee, Weather and the 'Different' Advantage
Wentworth’s Boston pitch is straightforward: better coffee, better seasons, better living. Hillis doesn’t deny Boston’s history — “Boston's an incredible city, incredible history” — but argues Seattle’s differentiation is the point.
He frames Seattle as a place that thrives on being outside the mainstream: “Seattle is different, right? Seattle's here on kind of the edge of the continent, opposite side of the United States, and we've always been kind of pioneers looking at the edge.”
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It’s a subtle but real split in marketing worldview: one leader sells stability and legacy; the other sells edge and reinvention.
Boston vs. Seattle: The City Rivalry Behind Super Bowl 60
Patriots vs. Seahawks is more than a football matchup. It’s a clash of cities, culture and attitude.
| Category | Boston | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Founding Era | Founded in 1630 with deep American history and tradition | Founded in 1851 with a frontier and pioneer mindset |
| City Identity | Historic, intense, proud and unapologetically competitive | Innovative, unconventional and shaped by edge-of-the-map thinking |
| Weather Reputation | Four distinct seasons, including cold winters and colorful falls | Mild temperatures, frequent rain and long stretches of gray skies |
| Coffee Culture | Dunkin’ is a lifestyle, not just a beverage choice | Deep-rooted specialty coffee culture and café obsession |
| Sports Fan Persona | Demanding, vocal and championship-driven across all sports | Unified, loud and famously passionate as the “12s” |
| Tech & Innovation | Strong startup and enterprise mix fueled by universities and legacy brands | Home to global tech giants and product-driven innovation culture |
| Vibe on Game Day | High expectations, zero patience for excuses | Relentless energy and crowd participation as part of the strategy |
| Leadership Archetype | Confidence, discipline and “next-man-up” mentality | Resilience, alignment and “mission over BS” focus |
| Signature Advantage | Experience under pressure and belief built over decades | Unity between team, fans and city identity |
| CMO Energy | Bold predictions and belief in execution | Culture-first thinking and edge-chasing discipline |
The Final Word: Two CMOs, One Super Bowl, Zero Middle Ground
Wentworth sees a Patriots win with a clean story arc and a late Seahawks score that flatters the final margin. Hillis sees a Seahawks team built for adversity — “When things get tough, they get tougher” — and trusts the identity they’ve reinforced all season.
But in the end, Wentworth makes the simplest case — the kind that’s hard to argue with if you’re already wearing the hoodie and living the narrative:
“We all we got, and we all we need. Go Patriots.”