U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association CMO MIKE JAQUET will leave the NGB in April after nearly five years on the job. Jaquet and President & CEO TIGER SHAW agreed to part ways yesterday after a recent series of discussions about the organization’s direction once the '18 PyeongChang Games conclude. Shaw denied he had any issues with Jaquet’s performance, saying last night he has done a “great job." However, he did foreshadow big changes for the role of the CMO and the NGB's entire approach to commercialization and revenue generation. He said he wants USSA to better sell its individual stars and develop content around them, to both help elite athletes pad their own bottom line and draw more corporate sponsors. LINDSEY VONN may have become a year-round celebrity and millionaire, but skiers and snowboarders just a few rungs down struggle to break out. "The point is, how do we utilize today’s power of social channels to help those kids develop their own brand, and their own personalities, which also supports the entire sport, and the national teams?” Shaw said. “You see it work effectively in other sports, but I think we’re a little behind the 8-ball.”
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE: Jaquet, who joined USSA in '12, said he had begun developing a strategy for the ’19-22 cycle, but also had been questioning whether he wanted to stay on. “You kind of start realizing that you’re either going to go toward Beijing (site of the ’22 Games) or you’re not,” Jaquet said. “And I think there was a lot of realization on both sides that maybe there were some other things I wanted to do, and some changes Tiger wants to make, and both agreeing that it’s going to be better for someone else to take over.” Jaquet will stay on through the rest of the winter sports season to facilitate a transition and support corporate sponsors. Shaw said he expects to hire a replacement in time for the pre-PyeongChang partner summit in June. Jaquet: “The plan has been more reactive in the past 24 hours or so. It’s something I’m happy about, and I’m excited for the future, but this hasn’t been super planned out on my side. But you know, I’m jumping into it now. And I’m excited to do it.” Since joining the organization, Jaquet spearheaded a major repackaging and sale of media rights to NBC Sports Group, which has led to a dramatic increase in linear or streaming coverage of skiing and snowboarding. He recently closed a seven-figure deal with Toyota for naming rights to the U.S. Grand Prix Tour and another deal with Hershey, and oversaw a 60% boost to sponsorship revenue over the quadrennial prior to his arrival. Well regarded in the Olympic marketing world for thinking aggressively, he helped spearhead the successful Big Air at Fenway event, a snowboarding event at Fenway Park last year that drew large crowds and live NBCSN coverage. Prior to joining USSA, Jaquet was Senior VP/Cable Sports Sales at CBS Sports.
