The Playbook

John Balkam, author of 3-Win Sponsorship, joins Rob Cressy to talk about next generation sports & entertainment marketing. Where is it going and why is Cause Marketing becoming so important? How important is it for companies to stand for something and live by those values? Why is having a marketing mix important to the way your fans engage with your brand? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to:...

Christopher Aumueller, CEO at FanWord, joins Rob Cressy to talk about how to tell better stories to engage fans. What is the value in storytelling and how can you get the most out of them? Why is developing your creative process so important? How can storytelling be simplified to make it easier to execute? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to: https://www.fanfoodapp.com/request-demo - In each episode of The Playbook presented by...

Chris Madden, Co-Founder at Matchnode, joins Rob Cressy to talk about what the in-stadium experience will look like in the future when fans return. Why will it be important to not have a “one size fits all” approach for messaging to fans? How can teams create more digital interactions to engage fans? What challenges will there be when fans return to stadiums? How can teams own the entire fan relationship, including after the game ends? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can...

Dewayne Hankins, Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer at the Portland Trail Blazers, joins Rob Cressy to talk about the Portland Trail Blazers mindset for success in social media and fan engagement. What is it like marketing around Damian Lillard? What did they learn from the NBA Bubble and what will they continue to implement moving forward? How do the Trail Blazers think about fan engagement and how has that helped them grow a thriving community? What’s on their mind from an innovation and...

Jason Howarth, Vice President of Marketing at Panini America, joins Rob Cressy to talk about the current state of the sports trading card industry and trends he’s seeing. What are the different demographics of the trading card industry and how is Panini engaging each one? Why does authenticity allow Panini to build a stronger community? From blockchain to case breaking, how is Panini embracing digital and putting themselves in a position to succeed in the future? To see how your restaurant,...

TJ Ansley, Director of Digital Media for the Columbus Blue Jackets, joins Rob Cressy to talk about how the Blue Jackets think about fan engagement. Being in a non-traditional hockey market, how do they build their fan base? How can they showcase the in arena experience digitally? When fans eventually return to stadiums and arenas, what can be done to elevate their experience? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to:...

Ken Cohn, CMO of cbdMD, joins Rob Cressy to talk about first time customer engagement and sports partnerships. How do you get users to try your product for the first time? How have they used sports partnerships with Bubba Watson, Lolo Jones, and Daniel Cormier to elevate the customer experience? Why is it important to think of your users as a community? How do you differentiate yourself in an industry of sameness? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s...

Jeramie McPeek, Founder at Jeramie McPeek Communications, joins Rob Cressy to talk about telling brand stories through digital channels. What are companies missing with their brand strategies? Why is being conversational and personalized so important? How do you build a culture of trying new things and being forward thinking? Do you need to be on every social media platform? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to:...

Eric Johnson, CEO of the Electronic Gaming Federation, joins Rob Cressy to talk about lessons learned from the growth of Esports. How does Esports do a great job of elevating the customer experience by speaking to their niche? How has being a technology first industry helped with building a community and creating content? The Big East selected the EGF as it’s first ever Esports governance, marketing, and distribution partner. How did that come about and what does that entail? What do we not...

Sean Pate, Brand Marketing & Communications Officer at Zenni, joins Rob Cressy to talk about how Zenni has used technology to improve the customer experience and differentiate themselves from the competition. How was Zenni able to overcome the challenges of the pandemic by helping people better shop online? Why is there a huge opportunity in telling your brand story and showcasing what you are all about? How does Zenni value the sports marketing partnerships they have, including the jersey...

Billy Ash, Chief Digital Officer and Managing Partner at Today’s Business, joins Rob Cressy to talk about social media strategy and how it can be used to generate growth. Why are so many companies missing the boat on social and not seeing the opportunities in front of them? How important is having a written social media strategy and what are the key elements in one? How can social media help customer experience and humanize your brand? How do you know if a branding campaign is working and...

Ben Fawkes, Vice President of Digital Content at VSIN, joins Rob Cressy to talk about creating a differentiated customer experience in the sports betting industry. How is the use of stats, information, and technology a great way for VSIN stand out and provide value? What is VSIN's customer experience? What role does content play and why should you focus on the things you do best? How do you deal with negativity on social media? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit...

Austin Cohen, Founder & CEO at FlexIt, joins Rob Cressy to talk about modernizing the customer experience in the fitness industry. Why is convenience and personalization so important to the modern consumer and what can you do to add more of it? How can your brand stand out in a sea of sameness? Should companies continue to use Zoom to engage their customers and if so how? How can you empower people so they can control their full experience? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue...

Cody Cejda, Football Operations & Strategy at Northwestern University, joins Rob Cressy to talk about how the Northwestern football program executes their vision by innovating, engaging, and staying ahead of the curve. What new technology have they used to help the program succeed and better connect with players and fans? How are they able to do more with less? How do they uphold the standard that Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald sets? How do they think about engaging the Northwestern fanbase and...

Stacey Moore, Founder and Commissioner of the American Cornhole League, joins Rob Cressy to talk about how the American Cornhole League has been able to grow during the pandemic. How has technology allowed them to engage their community and increase gameplay opportunities? What impact did having 4 hours of live cornhole gameplay a week on ESPN have? What is their fan engagement mindset and how are they leveraging social media? How are they working on player loyalty and what role does...

Amir Zonozi, President & Co-Founder at Zoomph, joins Rob Cressy to talk about fan driven marketing. How can you create marketing that your audience wants to see? How has the marketing & fan engagement landscape changed without fans in the stands? Why are digital & creative teams the most valuable assets right now? How do you get people’s attention and build a name for yourself? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to:...

Troy Machir, Sr Manager, Content Strategy at Rush Street Interactive, joins Rob Cressy to talk about the sports betting industry, the opportunities for fan engagement, and the role technology plays. Why is golf in a position to grow thanks to their use of technology and the way they are making the game more accessible for fans? How can you make your audience feel like you are betting with Big Cat? How can brands integrate with sports betting in a native way? How can technology allow sports...

Kris McCarthy, Co-Founder and COO at FanSaves, joins Rob Cressy to talk about engaging fans digitally and creatively. What can be done to engage fans without games being played? What are creative ways that teams can engage fans? How can we drive fans to digital portals where there are greater chances of engaging and delivering value for them? How important is fan loyalty and creating reward systems? Why is there a big opportunity for smaller brands & teams to differentiate themselves from...

Carson Goodale, CEO of FanFood, joins Rob Cressy to talk about the evolution of FanFood. How has FanFood pivoted in the last few months in a way that allows them to serve new businesses? Why is cashless a necessity, not a “nice to have”. How is this podcast going to evolve? What lessons in leadership has he learned in building the company? What role has content and webinars played in the evolution of FanFood? What opportunities are there in the market right now? What about challenges? Why is...

Aaron Zack, Co-Founder at Revolving Mind Media, joins Rob Cressy to talk about the changing times of athlete marketing. How are athletes engaging fans during the pandemic? Why aren’t more brands using live streaming? What opportunity does LinkedIn present for athletes? How can you learn more about emerging technology? To see how your restaurant, establishment, or venue can benefit from FanFood’s platform please go to: https://www.fanfoodapp.com/request-demo - In each episode of The GameDay...