Ignite on Tour from Palo Alto Networks is a well-known, in-person event series in the cybersecurity industry. In 2025, we made a major format change by introducing a 100% virtual summit called Ignite: What’s Next to kick off the series. Our marketing objective was to ensure this format change didn't just maintain brand recognition, but amplified our authority in cybersecurity and our vision for the AI era.
Recognizing that virtual events can often feel disconnected and uninspired, our Palo Alto Networks Global Social Media Team created the Ignite: What's Next Watch Party on LinkedIn Live. We hosted this "event within an event" 10 days after the initial summit to offer a live, influencer-led breakdown that turned announcements into clear, actionable insights for our audience.
Our specific objectives for the Watch Party were:
Strategy: While “thought leadership” content (especially from B2B brands) is often saturated with overly-produced, one-way corporate broadcasts, our strategy was to shift the dynamic. With Ignite: What’s Next delivering the core news, our Watch Party was designed as a community experience led by real talk from the experts. By scheduling the event after the initial broadcast, we avoided the noise of launch day while creating a more authentic moment of reflection. Taking inspiration from other reaction-style concepts from non-tech industries (such as the Manning Cast on NFL broadcasts), we treated Ignite: What’s Next as not a final product, but as raw material for a live dialogue on LinkedIn.
360-Degree Expert Validation: Our execution relied on hand-selecting a trifecta of cybersecurity voices whose credibility is built on independence and technical rigor. We didn't just partner with them for their reach; we wanted their particular mix of viewpoints to offer a holistic reaction to our vision
Our influencers weren't reading from a script. They were reacting in real-time. Their deep subject-matter knowledge, combined with their on-camera presence and seamless banter with one another, allowed our audience to see the technology through the eyes of these experts whom they already trust.
Real-Time Community Management: On the LinkedIn Live platform, we transformed the Watch Party from a broadcast into a high-touch technical resource. While influencers provided the "on-air" commentary, our social team served as a bridge between the audience and Palo Alto Networks’ internal leads.
Challenges & Solutions: The biggest challenge with any 100% digital event is the "virtual fatigue" inherent in this format. To overcome this, we leaned into the Watch Party vibe, making it feel less like a webinar and more like a casual, high-value hangout. We even mailed confetti canons to our influencers to kick off the livestream and make it a literal party!
By the end of the Watch Party, we didn’t just repurpose a virtual event. We fostered an authentic community experience that was native to LinkedIn.
The Ignite: What's Next Watch Party was a definitive success, proving that a virtual, influencer-led "community review" could outperform traditional corporate broadcasts in both scale and sentiment. We didn't just meet our objectives - we created a new engagement model that is now embedded in our standard GTM playbook going forward.
Watch Party Impact:
Lastly, as a true testament to the success of our Watch Party “test”, Palo Alto Networks’ marketing leadership has decided to replicate this format for future key events such as our recent Quantum-Safe Summit, featuring select industry analysts which we’ve dubbed the “Analyst Takeover”.
