Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Leagues and Governing Bodies

NBA’s investment in marketing brings new CMO

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver continues to put his stamp on the league, last week announcing the creation of a chief marketing officer position to be filled by industry veteran Pamela El amid a new marketing strategy.

El, who comes to the NBA from Nationwide Insurance and 11 years previously at State Farm Insurance, begins her job Aug. 18. She will report to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and will help direct what Tatum calls a new 365-day approach to marketing the NBA’s brand.

El

“We think there is an opportunity to grow our fan base, and a way to do that is strategic marketing where we are marketing the brand every day,” Tatum said. “What is different is that we are going to invest in marketing and go out and identify opportunities to grow our sport. We will market every day of the year, and it will be very targeted.”

One particular area of focus, Tatum said, will be for El to beef up the league’s CRM effort. “We will use data to identify the people we need to go after, and she brings that as well,” he said.

The NBA has cycled through several senior marketing executives in recent years. Jamie Gallo, former NBA executive vice president/marketing, served from June 2012 until leaving the league in January. Carol Albert was NBA senior vice president of marketing from 2008 to 2009 before joining Madison Square Garden, and Gary Zarr worked as executive vice president of marketing and communications for the NBA from 2007 to 2008. Greg Economou worked as senior vice president of marketing for the NBA in 2006.

El has a familiarity with the league: While at State Farm, she played a key role in the company’s sponsorship deal with the NBA and its endorsement deal with LeBron James.

“She has been on the other side doing marketing with the NBA,” Tatum said, “so she has that credibility.”

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/07/14/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NBA-CMO.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2014/07/14/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NBA-CMO.aspx

CLOSE