michael l. levitt
If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have visited Daytona International Speedway in the past year, there’s a good chance you’ve done so by walking through some of Sakiya Daniel’s work.
Daniel, a vice president at MKTG, formerly Team Epic, helps run the accounts for major NASCAR sponsors Toyota and Sunoco, both of whom landed one of the five frontstretch injector entrances that were built as part of Daytona’s $400 million renovation.
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Daniel has been with MKTG since 2008, about a year after Toyota entered NASCAR’s top level. Therefore, Daniel has been able to grow with the Japanese manufacturer, a company that, for myriad reasons, has become one of the most important brands in the sport.
“I sometimes think it’s better to be lucky than good, and I think that was one of those opportunities,” Daniel said of starting with MKTG right around the time Toyota came into the sport. “I was just very lucky in that they were open to hearing how they were going to position themselves in the sport, so to come and be part of that program, I was like, ‘That’s a no-brainer.’”
Daniel, who had previously worked for Chip Ganassi Racing, said what has piqued her interest about the agency side is being involved in meaningful decisions for brands that have an impact on society. She cited a time when Toyota was going through multiple trials as an example of that.
“Back in 2008 during the recession, we had a tsunami [in 2011], there was also a recall issue, and we were forced to say, ‘What are we going to do and say to the marketplace? How are we going to combat all these different things?’” Daniel said. “The result of that, and the interesting part about working at an agency, is we created the Toyota owners’ hospitality [that is now at many NASCAR races], because … the best people to tell our story is the people who own our cars.”
“It was opportunities like that to be involved in things that could grow the brand and do so in different ways that have tentacles and impact across the sport,” Daniel said.
— Adam Stern
SAKIYA DANIEL
MKTG | vice president
Age: 39
Where born: Birmingham, Ala.
Education: Auburn University (B.A., political science; M.A., communication)
Family: Husband, Nathan; children, Ella (9) and Lily (7)
What do you know now that you wish you’d known at age 20: Stick with the people who pull the magic out of you and not the madness.
Cause supported: Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School.
Guilty pleasure: A quiet house, a cup of tea and
a good English rom-com.
Person in the industry you’d most like to meet: Dawn Hudson.
I’m one of the best I know at … : Not taking myself too seriously.
2017 will be a good year if … : Auburn beats Alabama.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve ever done is … : Whitewater rafting down Colorado river.
You’d be surprised to know that I … : When I’m on the road, I’m always more comfortable when a colleague drives and I (with my phone, of course!) navigate.
