pamela chen / aaron richter
Few social media platforms are seeing as much momentum and growth as Instagram, and the company’s lead sports marketing executive Brandon Gayle is on a roll right along with it.
Gayle was recently promoted to director of North America sports partnerships for Facebook, overseeing that platform plus Instagram, Messenger and Oculus. Prior to the promotion, Gayle was head of global sports partnerships for Instagram, which says 240 million people — or roughly one third of its users — are sports fans.
Gayle credited Instagram’s overall success to its unyielding focus on simplicity. He has focused on helping athletes leverage the platform, building out its ad products and working with global soccer properties.
“Basically one in three people who are using Instagram every month are following sports accounts, so for us it’s about, ‘How do we get the best content onto the platform to satisfy the appetite that that audience has?’” Gayle said. “If you’re following Neymar, who speaks Portuguese, you can follow him and see how his life is playing out even if you’re back in Brazil, which is a unique opportunity.”
In his new role, which will see him lead the team that manages partnerships with U.S.- and Canada-based sports properties, Gayle will report to Dan Reed, Facebook’s head of global sports partnerships. Recent projects include developing business solutions for sports teams on the platform, from helping the Warriors sell merchandise to helping the Sharks sell tickets.
Still, Gayle said that sports fans on Instagram appear most interested in getting a peek at their favorite athletes’ lives away from the playing field. He cited data showing that they follow 10 sports accounts on average, with eight of those being athletes.
“[It’s] to see not just the things they’ll see on ESPN or the teams,” he said, “but to get a view of what it’s like to be a pro, college or high school athlete off the court.”
— Adam Stern
Age: 37
Where born: Rochester, N.Y.
Education: Harvard University, B.A. with honors, economics; Harvard University, MBA
Family: Wife, Saamra, child, Myles (16 months)
What gets you fired up? Any song by Kendrick Lamar.
What do you wish you could tell yourself 10 years ago? Having compelling data usually isn’t enough to influence how decisions get made — having strong relationships almost always are.
Profession other than your own you’d most like to attempt: President of a Premier League club.
Something your friends would consider “so you”: Being the person who wakes up at 6:45 a.m. on a weekend to try and snag the latest Air Jordan or Air Max sneaker release.
Cause supported: The East Bay Innovation Academy in Oakland.
Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve done: Zip lining through a jungle in Costa Rica. I am afraid of heights.
