The NBA is adding some marketing muscle by hiring advertising industry veteran Jamie Gallo as the league’s executive vice president of marketing.
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Gallo
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Gallo, 45, will join the NBA on June 18 and comes from TBWA/Chiat/Day where he has worked as president of the firm’s New York office since 2009. His role at the NBA will be to manage the digital and traditional global marketing efforts for all league assets, including the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League.
“Most important is the whole coordination of a global marketing campaign as our footprint grows, along with the integration of digital marketing and social media,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “We need to make sure that everything we do on a global marketing basis has a consistent branding philosophy and a consistent digital and social media strategy. We thought we needed someone who has run something big to lead the effort.”
Gallo will report to NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver.
From 2009 up to Gallo’s hire, Danny Meiseles, NBA executive vice president and executive producer, production, programming and broadcasting, has coordinated the league’s marketing efforts. Meiseles now will continue to head up the league’s programming, production and broadcasting groups, along with the NBA’s interactive services department.
Gallo’s hire comes as the league in the past few years has cycled through several senior-level marketing executives.
Carol Albert was NBA senior vice president of marketing from 2008 to 2009 before joining Madison Square Garden, while Gary Zarr worked as executive vice president of marketing and communications for the NBA from 2007 to 2008. Current Madison Square Garden Sports executive Greg Economou worked as senior vice president of marketing for the NBA in 2006.
Gallo will have no league communications management responsibilities in his new job. He takes over with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners as the NBA’s agency of record.
“The marketing function is a huge infrastructure issue for us and we wanted someone who had agency experience and who could deal with a large client roster,” Stern said.
The NBA did not use a search firm to fill the job.
Gallo joined TBWA/Brand Architecture International in 2001 and has worked as global brand leader, managing director, and executive group director prior to becoming president of TBWA/Chiat/Day’s New York office.
“My job is to focus on building the league’s relationship with the fans and expanding the business in that way,” Gallo said. “As a brand marketer, I can add value, but I have to get the lay of the land. This is not a fixer-upper. This is about how to accelerate and expand the brand.”
