Sports Marketing Manager

ESPN’s Marketing team is a centralized group of strategic brand marketers, leading the overall campaign & media strategy, spending, budgeting, and fan engagement, across brands, events, platforms and shows.  They work collectively to enhance promotion for critical league partners, inclusive of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, CFB, NCAA, F1, WNBA, PGA, as well as vital priorities such as ESPN+, among many others.  Additionally, they are responsible for fostering a culture that embraces new audience growth with strategies that engage youth, women, Black, Hispanic, and other multicultural audiences throughout the ESPN ecosystem.

The Marketing Manager is a part of the Sports Marketing team, which supports a variety of sports across global ESPN, Disney+ and the broader Walt Disney Company (TWDC). This position will focus specifically on the strategic development and execution of WNBA and NWSL. Additionally, this position will build internal relationships and collaborate within ESPN/TWDC departments such as programming, content, media, etc. and build external partnerships with leagues and agencies. This position reports to the Director Sports Marketing. This position is in New York, NY.

Responsibilities:

• Manages and expands day-to-day relationship with internal stakeholders
• Plan and coordinate activities with external partners to include agencies and leagues
• Manages the development of promotional plans, in addition to overseeing campaign execution for owned and paid marketing support
• Manages campaign and creative development, from inception to approvals and execution as well as brand launch campaign shoot details and execution
• Utilizes fan insights and research to inform marketing strategy
• Partners with Director for League communication, campaign extensions and implementation
• Heads creative development and asset delivery for ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and other TWDC platforms
• Leads development of marketing briefs to internal and external partners in support of priority programming
• Contributes to weekly planning meetings with cross functional teams (ESPN+, Media, Programming, Production, Affiliate) to ensure alignment on plans and initiatives
• Manages pre-production and production logistics and timelines supporting live action and photography shoots
• Provides training, guidance, and project leadership to Associate Manager and Coordinator Marketing teammates

Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of related marketing or business experience with an understanding of marketing fundamentals, long range campaign planning, creative evaluation, and budget management
• Strong base of analytic thinking for Consumer & Market Insights
• Excellent creative instincts and experience working with internal and external creative partners
• Superb written and verbal communication skills (copywriting experience a plus)
• Inspiring work ethic and strives for 100% accuracy in all work performed
• Top notch time management and organizational skills – ability to prioritize and multi-task on a high-profile, high-volume portfolio while leading functional projects and teams from time to time

Preferred Qualifications:

• Operates well in a team environment
• A healthy appreciation of the role sports plays in popular culture
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.  Holds self and others accountable for creative and executional excellence
• Embraces social media and has a basic knowledge and understanding of all social media platforms
• Knowledge of and interest in the evolving media landscape and media consumption habits

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Marketing, Business or a related field

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