In our continuing series, SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal asks top sports personalities for their thoughts, ideas, aspirations and likes. Today, GMR Marketing VP & Group Account Dir TAMERA GREEN.
What I Like…
An influential person in my career: MAX MUHLEMAN has meant so much to me personally and professionally. He believed in me early on and gave me so many wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. He was always available for guidance and collaboration. He provided an amazing combination of wings and safety net to a young girl who was so eager to learn.
An out-of-the-box idea: Integrating sponsor product into the experience with relevant activation vs. slapping a logo on a wall, i.e., airline offering first-class seats in an arena. This requires real creative thinking by people who understand the sport and the fan perspective for it to truly be authentic and relevant.
A timeless idea: Getting it right. Making it work on all levels. Sometimes it’s a big win. Sometimes it’s a small one. But there’s a satisfaction in knowing you got it right for your clients.
A business deal: Integrating green initiatives into stadium designs and renovations.
A sports facility: Carmichael Auditorium was really special, but I do love the fact that we have a building that pays tribute to the all-time great DEAN SMITH! Of course, Augusta National is unparalleled.
A sports event: UNC vs. Duke basketball game -- though it causes me more anxiety than I care to experience and certainly I prefer the matchup more when the Heels come out on top.
A hire: People who take ownership and are eager to learn.
A brand: HBO -- because of how they’ve evolved their brand and remained an innovative leader in the entertainment world. Home Box Office was such a novel idea when it began, and the idea of watching current movies in your home was terrific back then. Now, they set the bar for original programming, and their sports features are award winning. Their current documentary on JOE NAMATH is outstanding.
A trend: Integration of social media into the live sports experience and the television viewing experience.
An innovation: Twitter and how it works so well with the live aspects of sports.
A pro league or team business initiative: The First Tee Program. The PGA Tour and others have found a way to use golf to teach both the game and life skills to young people who can use both for years to come.
A story that bears watching: Where college football ends up. There’s been so much change and shake-up over the last 5-10 years and it’s far from over. When it does settle, what will college football look like? Will its evolution come at the expense of what made it so special: the familiar rivalries within conferences through the years?
An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: Figuring out that you could sell $5 cups of coffee in a country used to paying 50 cents for a cup.
A fantasy job: Teacher.
What I Like About…
My job: The collaboration with clients and our internal teams. We have such deep resources and experience, and when we galvanize those minds with engaged clients, the work is so rich and so rewarding. Clients who treat agencies as partners and allow for a “safe environment” of exploration on concepts truly get more for their investment. Those relationships equal success every time and they are the most treasured.
Sports: I love the passion that sports bring out in people.
Sports business: The variety. Working on a college sport or Olympics or something with the NFL … they all bring unique opportunities and challenges. While you can have some shared learning among them, the processes and “go to market” approaches are very different. The uniqueness of each is part of the excitement.
Sports media: It is the one programming element that you still want live.
Sports technology: The way social media is being incorporated into the stadium experience to enhance the fan experience. It’s also playing a similar role with how it’s expanding the television viewing dynamic.
Competing: Preparation. Having the time and resources to be uniquely prepared.
Sports fans: Sports fans are so amazing to me. What they are willing to put up with underscores the passion more than anything else. Whether it’s game-time changes days before an event in college sports or traffic into a NASCAR race, fans stay committed. And the smack talk is hysterical -- especially around our office.
What I Would Like To…
Change: The danger of pricing the average fan out of the experience of attending a live sporting event, if that hasn’t happened already.
Change in what I do: Our programs are better when we are seated at the table with the client. It’s hard to build strategies without having a voice.
See more of in sports: Affordable tickets for families.
See more of in sports business: Sponsorships based on well-defined objectives with clear plan for measuring success.
See less of in sports: College game times changing to fit TV schedules.
Eliminate: ACC Sunday night basketball games.
What I Don’t Like...
In general: I don’t like “no.” I believe there are solutions and methods of getting to “yes” for every challenge.
Pet peeve: Traffic.
In sports: Unaffordable ticket prices for families.
In business: When people say it’s not personal, it’s business. Of course it’s personal. People invest a lot of time and energy into work and it often defines individuals. You ever noticed that the phrase is really used when it’s convenient for someone as an out clause? What they are really saying is that it’s not personal to them.
About sports fans: The ones who get unruly at a game and ruin it for those around them.
What I Like…
People: Sense of humor.
That would surprise those who know me: That I cry easily at movies and shows, whether it’s Disney or horror or an episode of “Little House on the Prairie.”
Above all else: Honesty and trust. It’s the foundation.
About myself: I’d like to think that I’m always true to my word.
Heroes: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Dean Smith and STEPHEN COLBERT.
Players: Currently, CAM NEWTON and KENDALL MARSHALL.
Teams: Tar Heels and Panthers.
Cities: Charleston, San Francisco and New York.
Possession: Family photos.
Memento: Tiffany’s crystal football to celebrate the Carolinas winning an NFL franchise.
Time of year (because): Spring, because of the feeling of a new beginning and the beauty of blooming flowers and trees.
Music: Let’s just say that my 12-year-old daughter is contemporizing my taste. I’m waiting for her to load some new songs from FLO RIDA on my iPod, and I’m hoping I can change her mind about JAMES TAYLOR!
Book: “Water for Elephants.”
Authors: PAT CONROY and anything my husband writes.
Magazines: There’s an interesting dichotomy on my den table. You’ll always find an issue of Time magazine, Southern Living, Sports Illustrated and usually a guilty pleasure like Us or People.
Gadget: iPad.
IPad app: Nike GPS.
Chores: Really? Is this in the “like” category?
Hobbies: Running, Yin Yoga and reading.
Trips: Hawaii, Italy.
Movie: “Love Actually.”
TV: “Boardwalk Empire,” “Modern Family,” “The Good Wife.”
Concert: JIMMY BUFFETT.
Artist: My daughter. She’s really talented, and I love her work!
Food: Cheeseburgers and homemade fries.
Dessert: My mother-in-law’s pecan pie and red velvet cupcakes.
Drink: A nice Cabernet Sauvignon and anything by ROBERT FOLEY.
Scent: Gardenia.
Vacation spots: Wild Dunes outside of Charleston. It’s my happy place.
Singer: DARIUS RUCKER.
Quote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” -- ALBERT EINSTEIN.
