Q&A by Carson Reider '15

This week's Marketing Monday features a Q&A with Abby Peterson ‘13, Assistant Account Executive of Experiential & Relationship Marketing at Team One. Abby discusses cool technology at Madison Square Garden, how she differentiates regional marketing initiatives, and the benefits of the Ohio Sports Admin alumni network.

What is your day-to-day role as an Assistant Account Executive of Experiential & Relationship Marketing at Team One?
Team One is the advertising agency of record for Lexus and the Lexus Dealer Association. The experiential and relationship marketing team manages all aspects of sponsorship and event marketing for the Lexus dealer associations, including contract negotiation, activation strategy and partnership fulfillment. As the assistant account executive in the eastern region, I manage our efforts in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University basketball and Old Dominion University football, and I am also involved in the day-to-day fulfillment of our partnerships in the greater New York City area and Washington, D.C, where we work with the likes of Madison Square Garden, the New York Jets, New York Giants, the Washington Nationals, and the Verizon Center, among others.

How does Team One aim to differentiate its efforts from other agencies?
Team One is unique in that we have a full office based in Los Angeles, and then four field offices in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington D.C. At headquarters, we are working not only with Lexus, but also with 2K, the Anaheim Ducks/Honda Center, Häagen-Dazs International, JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton; and three of our field offices have teams dedicated to the Lexus dealer associations in their regions. I believe this is important in that we are better able to understand their individual markets and how different events and sponsorships may be received by the public. Effective marketing in Norfolk, VA is going to be very different than what is done in New York City, and I believe that this individual focus allows makes our efforts that much more successful.

What would you say is the biggest marketing challenge you face today?
As is the case for almost all brands today, we are having to quickly collect, track, and follow up on the data we collect at our events. The challenge is found in not only receiving the information from consumers, but also ensuring that that information gets into the hands of our clients. This becomes increasingly difficult in some of our smaller markets with limited budgets and is something that we are continuously looking to improve.

What have you and your team thought about to fix it?
Our headquarters in Los Angeles has recently brought on an individual whose main responsibility is to analyze the data we have collected, and look for patterns and ways to improve our methods. While similar positions have been popping up in the sports industry for years now, I think this is a need that is only going to continue to grow.

What is the coolest thing you've seen lately in marketing recently?
Branded playlists will be something I will be keeping an eye on in the coming months/year. I read a few articles recently (thanks to Brian Gainor '07 and the crew at Freshwire) that discussed how this is a segment of digital media that has not been fully utilized, and I think there is a great opportunity for sports teams and their sponsors to take advantage of such a powerful medium. Sports fans could listen to the same music before a game as their favorite athlete, and for some companies, especially automotive companies, there is a natural connection between their brands and music.

What was the importance of the Ohio Sports Administration program in your career and personal development?
The Ohio Sports Administration program has been the single most important piece in my professional and personal development. Not only did I learn of the opportunity at Team One from fellow alumna, Hallie English '12, who works in our Chicago office; but I believe that the values and work ethic instilled in us on campus provide a huge advantage in the professional world. It has also been a blessing to have so many experienced alumni to reach out to when I am in need of ideas and advice, and the ridiculous email banter between our class always makes for a laugh when you need it most.

What is the biggest piece of advice that you could offer someone trying to find a career in marketing?
Be adaptable and find ways to bring additional value to your team. We are a small field office, so it is essential that everyone is able to wear many hats. My daily activities often involve a mix of event planning, graphic design, and managing vendor and client relationships. I also believe that it is important to continue learning and add skills to your repertoire. One skill that I think is and will continue to become more valuable on the agency side is the ability to produce and edit video content. This really helps to bring presentations and events to life, and is something that I hope to be able to learn more about in the coming year.

Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you could share with us?
We recently completed a major installation of an interactive videowall at Madison Square Garden on the newly transformed Terrace Level. This large video screen allows fans and visitors to select the content they would like to view, giving them insight into the history of Lexus and Madison Square Garden, as well as the ability to enter into various sweepstakes and competitions. After months and months of work, we were thrilled to finally have the wall up and running; but now that everything is in place we have to continue to develop new content and participatory activities that will encourage fans to interact with our space and our brand.

Q&A by Carson Reider '15

This week's Marketing Monday features a Q&A with Abby Peterson ‘13, Assistant Account Executive of Experiential & Relationship Marketing at Team One. Abby discusses cool technology at Madison Square Garden, how she differentiates regional marketing initiatives, and the benefits of the Ohio Sports Admin alumni network.

What is your day-to-day role as an Assistant Account Executive of Experiential & Relationship Marketing at Team One?
Team One is the advertising agency of record for Lexus and the Lexus Dealer Association. The experiential and relationship marketing team manages all aspects of sponsorship and event marketing for the Lexus dealer associations, including contract negotiation, activation strategy and partnership fulfillment. As the assistant account executive in the eastern region, I manage our efforts in Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University basketball and Old Dominion University football, and I am also involved in the day-to-day fulfillment of our partnerships in the greater New York City area and Washington, D.C, where we work with the likes of Madison Square Garden, the New York Jets, New York Giants, the Washington Nationals, and the Verizon Center, among others.

How does Team One aim to differentiate its efforts from other agencies?
Team One is unique in that we have a full office based in Los Angeles, and then four field offices in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington D.C. At headquarters, we are working not only with Lexus, but also with 2K, the Anaheim Ducks/Honda Center, Häagen-Dazs International, JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton; and three of our field offices have teams dedicated to the Lexus dealer associations in their regions. I believe this is important in that we are better able to understand their individual markets and how different events and sponsorships may be received by the public. Effective marketing in Norfolk, VA is going to be very different than what is done in New York City, and I believe that this individual focus allows makes our efforts that much more successful.

What would you say is the biggest marketing challenge you face today?
As is the case for almost all brands today, we are having to quickly collect, track, and follow up on the data we collect at our events. The challenge is found in not only receiving the information from consumers, but also ensuring that that information gets into the hands of our clients. This becomes increasingly difficult in some of our smaller markets with limited budgets and is something that we are continuously looking to improve.

What have you and your team thought about to fix it?
Our headquarters in Los Angeles has recently brought on an individual whose main responsibility is to analyze the data we have collected, and look for patterns and ways to improve our methods. While similar positions have been popping up in the sports industry for years now, I think this is a need that is only going to continue to grow.

What is the coolest thing you've seen lately in marketing recently?
Branded playlists will be something I will be keeping an eye on in the coming months/year. I read a few articles recently (thanks to Brian Gainor '07 and the crew at Freshwire) that discussed how this is a segment of digital media that has not been fully utilized, and I think there is a great opportunity for sports teams and their sponsors to take advantage of such a powerful medium. Sports fans could listen to the same music before a game as their favorite athlete, and for some companies, especially automotive companies, there is a natural connection between their brands and music.

What was the importance of the Ohio Sports Administration program in your career and personal development?
The Ohio Sports Administration program has been the single most important piece in my professional and personal development. Not only did I learn of the opportunity at Team One from fellow alumna, Hallie English '12, who works in our Chicago office; but I believe that the values and work ethic instilled in us on campus provide a huge advantage in the professional world. It has also been a blessing to have so many experienced alumni to reach out to when I am in need of ideas and advice, and the ridiculous email banter between our class always makes for a laugh when you need it most.

What is the biggest piece of advice that you could offer someone trying to find a career in marketing?
Be adaptable and find ways to bring additional value to your team. We are a small field office, so it is essential that everyone is able to wear many hats. My daily activities often involve a mix of event planning, graphic design, and managing vendor and client relationships. I also believe that it is important to continue learning and add skills to your repertoire. One skill that I think is and will continue to become more valuable on the agency side is the ability to produce and edit video content. This really helps to bring presentations and events to life, and is something that I hope to be able to learn more about in the coming year.

Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you could share with us?
We recently completed a major installation of an interactive videowall at Madison Square Garden on the newly transformed Terrace Level. This large video screen allows fans and visitors to select the content they would like to view, giving them insight into the history of Lexus and Madison Square Garden, as well as the ability to enter into various sweepstakes and competitions. After months and months of work, we were thrilled to finally have the wall up and running; but now that everything is in place we have to continue to develop new content and participatory activities that will encourage fans to interact with our space and our brand.