Chicago Bulls
Half a world away, Susan Goodenow had an epiphany. She was in the Himalayas, hiking in remote barren land some 400 miles away from Delhi, when she saw an anonymous boy appear from the top of a hill. She did a triple-take — because there on the outskirts of India, he was wearing a bright red Chicago Bulls T-shirt.
It was circa 1998, and it proved to Goodenow beyond a doubt that Bulls legend Michael Jordan was, is and always will be ubiquitous. Little did she know that, 25 years later, that would be her job and her challenge: what to do with Jordan’s legacy.
“We’re really lucky that our brand is one that we have literally fans around the world,” said Goodenow, who has been with the team for 11 years. With a nod to that foundation, she said, “part of our job is now to say, ‘OK, we’re stewards of the brand for the time that we’re here. How can we protect, promote and grow the brand?’”
She has accomplished that by turning local Chicago artists loose, asking them — through one of their key sponsors, BMO Harris Bank — to create a series of six hats with a variation of the classic Bulls logo. Similar activations, in continuing attempts to evolve the brand, have taken place at the United Center, such as an event Goodenow directed this August, the Bulls Fest. Sixteen artists painted new Bulls iconography there to rave reviews, even from MJ fans.
“Our logo has never changed,” Goodenow said. “We’ve had the same logo from the beginning of the franchise. So that is a foundational part of who we are as organization, and we’re never going to go away from using the Bulls logo that we all know and love. But where we have opportunities to embrace sort of the current culture and the current trends that are out there, that also is a great way for us to celebrate Chicago. And we plan to do that as an international brand, as well.”
The Himalayas included. — Tom Friend
Susan Goodenow
Executive Vice President, Brand and Public Affairs, Chicago Bulls
Born: Port Chester, N.Y.; grew up in suburban Atlanta
Education: University of Georgia, bachelor’s degree, journalism; Georgetown University, master’s in American studies
More about Susan
Something that instantly makes my day better: A SoulCycle ride or an iced coffee.
If I did not work in sports, I would be in … : Landscape architecture, law, or something involving fashion or design.
Proudest professional achievement: Building the brand and public affairs group at the Bulls. It is the group that represents all the outward-facing functions of the organization — content, community engagement, communications, entertainment and marketing. It didn’t exist in its current form before I came to the Bulls, and over the last 11 years, this group has grown and evolved to reflect changes in the sports industry, in business, and in our culture.
