Heather Wirsing, Powerstation Events Photography
After beginning her marketing career on the agency side, starting with Octagon in 1998 and then shifting to the property side in working with the NBA in 2008, Melissa Duhaime completed the trifecta when she joined Pepsi on the sponsorship side seven years ago.
Duhaime oversees all NFL, NHL and MLB partnerships and has built a reputation for creating owned brand platforms for the soft drink company, including the Pepsi Zero Sugar Shutout and the NFL Tailgate Tour.
“There’s never a down season, never an offseason for me, which is exciting,” Duhaime said. “With Pepsi, our sports initiatives circle back to our higher brand calling, which is to be culture-in. When you look at sports and music at major sporting events, they’re all huge cultural moments where we want to be making a difference and we want to be doing something that’s impactful.”
Melissa Duhaime
Director, Sports Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages North America
Born: Manchester, N.H.
Education: Ithaca College, B.S., sports management and marketing minor
For the past three years, Duhaime has led Pepsi’s Super Bowl strategy and activations, helping transform the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show from a media platform into a full 360-degree marketing campaign.
“The halftime show is obviously the biggest thing that we do in sports,” Duhaime said. “All eyes, not only in the U.S. but globally, are on the Pepsi brand, so for us it’s a critical moment to make sure that we do it right. It’s 12 minutes that are watched, but it’s really important for us to expand on those 12 minutes and make it a platform.” — Lucas Smith
More about Melissa
Biggest work/life adjustment in quarantine: I sold my house in Connecticut and moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C.! Still TBD if it is a permanent move or not, but as long as the office remains closed, I’ll enjoy the warmer weather this winter.
Guilty pleasure: Pizza … especially with wine.
Proudest professional achievement in current post: The honor of being named a Game Changer! To be recognized on this stage with these other amazing women is a true honor and the proudest I think I’ve ever felt.
Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: While I have met her (and she’s fantastic), I’d love to spend some quality time with Kim Pegula to understand how she does it all with such unprecedented success … first president of two professional sports teams, a music label, real estate development, mom of five, and countless boards and committees to support the growth of sports, diversity initiatives, women’s careers in sports, etc. Truly impressive and someone I could definitely learn a lot from!
