Age: 49
New title: Senior vice president, Navigate Marketing
Previous title: Chief operating officer and vice president, The Bonham Group Market Research Co.
First job: In high school, paid “small bonus money” for playing soccer at a local club.
College education: Bachelor of arts, Colorado College (1982); master’s of science, Brown University (1985); Ph.D., Brown University (1988)
Resides: In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just west of Denver with his wife and four kids
Grew up: Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; raised near Cologne, Germany
Executive most admired: Warren Buffett
Brand most admired: David Beckham as a brand
Favorite vacation spot: “Having lived on three different continents, I still enjoy my own backyard.”
Last movie seen: “Let the Right One In”
Favorite movie: “The Lives of Others”
Favorite band: Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule
What will be the biggest challenge in your new position?
At first I want to say growing the business in a tough economy, but as I think about it more, in our niche field, I think we have a lot of communicating to do regarding the value that Navigate’s research services can offer to corporations, leagues, teams and other agencies. Market research needs to have a seat at the sports marketing table.
How does the sports industry differ from other industries you have been associated with?
One of the things that the sports industry is working towards is having more accountability for the actions they are engaging in. A lot of deals, especially the naming-rights deals, that I was involved in were kind of subjective decisions on what people would want to sponsor. Especially in these more difficult times, but even before then, there was a push to have more accountability and more measurement, which is what I encountered in the financial services and communications industries that I worked in.
Has the current economic climate changed the way people view market research?
I hope so. Obviously everyone’s budgets are being trimmed and conducting market research costs money but the portion that you need to spend on research and measurement compared to what you are investing in sponsorships and activation is so minimal.
What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?
I started going into science and after being trained for many years in scientific research methods, there came a time in my life when I decided to switch to market research and get into the business world. It has turned out that having a science background has been very beneficial to what I do, but at the time I had no clue whether abandoning that goal would pan out or not.
What career advice do you have for people wanting into the sports industry?
Differentiate yourself, hard work and networking. Really networking the right way by trying to offer value and not being afraid to ask for help when you need it.
What is one story you are continuing to watch in the sports world today?
It is ticket sales. It’s really our consumer confidence index. If season-ticket deposits and single-game ticket sales go down, everything except maybe media will be hurt. Will our industry rise to the challenge and increase ticket sales efforts or will teams cut back on those efforts?
— Brandon McClung
