On Brand with Jimmy Fallon is unlike other reality shows out there. It brings marketing and group work in one, encouraging some friendly competition. Azhelle Wade and Elijah Bennett were part of the two winning teams during Week 2 of the competition, and they chatted with us about the experience on this show.
Azhelle won two rounds during the week of episodes, being part of both the Marshalls and Sonic teams. Meanwhile, Elijah was there for the Sonic team, which was great for him, as that was the episode that saw someone go home. Let’s get into the experience of On Brand with Jimmy Fallon.
GeekSided: Azhelle, I want to start with you because out of everyone else, you and Bianca are so similarly minded when it comes to marketing. What has that been like for you throughout the competition?
Azhelle Wade: I will take that, first of all, as a huge compliment that you think I’m similarly minded to somebody who’s actually schooled in marketing.
Elijah Bennett: Take the compliment.
AW: When I first met Bianca, I knew she was going to be a fierce competitor. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was in my 20s, just so focused and go, go, go. It’s fun! I’m glad you see the similarities. I’m just hoping that America says, “If Bianca wasn’t there, you’d have had that one.”
GS: You ended up with some similar ideas, so what was it like having to pivot quickly, but then also sitting there and saying “Damn, did she have to go first?”
AW: So, actually, when she pitched her Marshalls idea, it was an idea that I had first, and I pivoted. Thank God, I didn’t use that! I would have been exactly the same.
When I see a pitch that’s similar, I just have to go up there and bring the Azhelle energy. Bring your vibe, and show the differentiator. Like, with Dunkin’, I was a superhero and she was a spy, so I leaned into the superhero.
GS: For both of you, what’s it like and what’s going on in your minds as you go from the individual pitches to the group stage?
AW: I said this to Lauren [Karowksi] that this job, this show, is a good exercise in learning to be happy for other people.
EB: Yeah!
AW: It’s one of those things where you know you have to pitch like it’s being at a real agency. Everyone has to pitch, but the end product is for the client. You have to let your idea go, because unfortunately, it’s not what they’re looking for.
EB: And yeah, sometimes, it kind of hurts, because you really like your idea. But I would agree with Azhelle. It’s working on being happy for other people, but sometimes, it was made very easy. Sometimes, I’d look at Bianca’s idea and I’d be like, “No, that is better than mine. This is what we should be doing.”
Sometimes, you hear the two ideas, and you’re like, “Oh, I hope I end up on that team.”
GS: Yes! I feel like there are bonds being created between you all in different ways.
EB: For sure! I feel like Azhelle and I bonded a lot because the two of us, we were not picked, but we were always picked to be on the same team. I remember sitting at the end of Southwest, and Azhelle and I looking at each other like, “Well, it was nice to work with you, but one of us is going home, and it’s going to be me.”
It felt good in a way because we got to work with a group of people. It’s nice to work with the same people over and over again, because you can pla with their strengths, right? Since Azhelle and I were on the same team multiple times, I feel like we got a better idea of what to expect from each other, and then we could help the team win.
AW: We definitely formed our own alliance. We’d support each other, or say, “No, we’re not doing that.”
EB: Like when Bianca was like space on an airplane.
AW: I mean, we had very little time, so I get why she was afraid to change it. But she should have changed it.
EB: But then your face would have never been on an airplane.
GS: You both have such creative minds and backgrounds, but this is using a slightly different side of creativity. What was that like for the two of you?
AW: For me, it wasn’t a different side of creativity. It was a different side of selling. The set up you seen here [on the Zoom video] is what I sell my program like, so I can sell the work that I do. Selling marking campaigns! I would look at Bianca and be like, “Oh my God, how does she do this? What is she saying?” She’s so good at selling marketing campaigns.
EB: I guess, I didn’t think of it as selling, even though it literally is. I think of it, like, if I’m ghostwriting or working on a screenplay, you have to go back to the why. Why are we doing this? That sounds really basic, but you have to focus on who you are speaking to and what you are trying to get across. I didn’t do enough, but I liked my tagline for Southwest—better than Ryan’s, sorry Ryan—but I sat there for a long time picking at the words. I feel like it’s flexing a different muscle.
GS: What was it like being on a winning team this week—or in Azhelle’s case, being on two winning teams?
AW: Finally! I get really hyped when we win. I cried, I jumped, I screamed. Finally, I feel like this means I’m not gonna go home.
EB: That was my first thought when Mahiri [Takai] won. I was like, “I’m so happy for Azhelle.” I was equally stressed. It was nice to see my friend do okay, but am I okay? I’d have to think about that at the next campaign, because we didn’t know what was factoring into eliminations.
When it came to Sonic, I was so stressed. And we were drinking caffeine in the morning, and the sugar! Everyone on set is drinking energy drinks and coffee, and I don’t do that. So, I think drinking Bianca’s drink sent my stress through the loop, but it tasted really good. But the wave of relief that I felt was unmatched. You’re telling me I might not get eliminated? Well, isn’t that nice!
I was so happy, I screamed. I think we both forgot what that meant for Raj [Srivastava]. When it was BT [Hale], we were all crying. Now I have this beautiful shot of my crying, and I didn’t think I was gonna get that from a television show, but then I’m thinking of how I wasn’t crying that Raj was leaving. I worried that would make me look bad. I am sorry, because Raj is the best, but I was so relieved.
GS: So, my last question is really just a one-answer question. When you went on the show, which campaign was the one you were most excited about?
EB: My pitch hasn’t aired yet, but I can’t wait for you to see my Pillsbury pitch. It was a really unique opportunity, and that’s all I’ll say.
AW: I was so excited for KitchenAid, because my commercial idea was really good.
On Brand with Jimmy Fallon airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c and on Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.