INTEGRATED MARKETING LIKE A BOSS
When I started with the Dallas Cowboys, my mission was to “punch up” the social media presence of the franchise’s Pro Shop retail brand. Within my first month, my boss abruptly left and I began managing the digital and in-store presence across a dozen channels. This anecdote defined my Jerry World era. Excitement. Ambiguity. Adapting to the unexpected. Extending impact. Win. Repeat.
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The Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop brand personality was cold and impersonal. It was my job to make it inviting and familiar to Cowboys Nation, football’s most passionate fans.
I developed a fresh identity anywhere the Pro Shop had something to say through one simple lens: it is the only place on Earth made to solely serve Dallas Cowboys fans.
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Integrating a new brand approach across all marketing channels took more than a library of copy and clear creative briefs.
Influences both on the field and through the franchise’s unique structure and culture meant I had to establish content production processes, cross-functional relationships, and new products that kept DCPS ahead of the game.
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To elevate the Pro Shop brand, it required strategic transcendence.
Traditionally seasonal products become year-round lifestyle symbols.
Teammates and influencers become ambassadors and evangelists.
Fans become focus groups, contest winners, even apparel models.
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Product placement with players, media, and entertainers to extend brand awareness and cool factor.
Data informing custom welcome, product recommendation, and abandoned cart campaigns.
Content that engaged fans beyond the products they purchased, helping them earn rewards and connect more deeply to the team they love.
A pioneering focus on female fans that helped us earn the NFL’s Retailer of the Year award.
Our fresh identity with unique initiatives added up to record-setting daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, and annual sales results. Below, you’ll find five of my favorite projects proving how I helped the DCPS brand prosper.
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What more would I do today:
Lean further into NFL priorities to gain Latino and/or young fans
Prioritize capturing video in retail stores to discover and tell more Cowboys Nation stories
Make more special activations centered on popular collections from brand partners
Develop a better understanding of the local intricacies of fan bases outside Dallas-Fort Worth
1. BEST-SELLING fan vote tees
A internal contest allowed anyone to submit a t-shirt design to be sold in team Pro Shops based on Cowboys fan voting
In year one, my teammate and I co-created our “88 Collection” shirt, which ended up being the highest selling design from the contest
In year two, we defended our crown with our “LOYALTY” shirt, which was not only the best seller—it outsold the other 3 top vote getters COMBINED
2. CELEBRATING CHAMPIONS WITH WHATABURGER
I led the initiative to recognize back-to-back Texas high school football champs, the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears, hosting them for a one-of-a-kind celebration at Cowboys world headquarters
The occasion included a Cowboys player visit, Whataburger lunch and check presentation, and a tailored tour at The Star in Frisco across every department of the Dallas Cowboys organization
We connected the Cowboys to a huge community moment, engaged young fans to show them the variety of futures they could have in football, and delivered a new activation to our Whataburger partners
3. GROUNDBREAKING JORDAN BRAND APPAREL
As a sneakerhead and streetwear aficionado with an intimate knowledge of football fans, I joined the apparel design team for the NFL’s first-ever officially licensed Jordan Brand collection
It was a cross-collaboration with graphic design, licensing, wholesale, marketing, and public relations to bring the collection to life to the satisfaction of our main “client,” superstar quarterback and Jordan Brand athlete, Dak Prescott
The first collection of unisex adult and youth shirts and hoodies sold out at retail, prompting a follow up collection the next season that also performed well
4. REIMAGINING A holiday campaign
I produced a weekly video series with mascot Rowdy and fan favorite former Cowboy, Joe Looney, who tag-teamed to promote all of the holiday season gifts and deals featured at the Pro Shop
We broke out of the holiday branding “box” to build narrative-driven videos into a campaign with matching holiday branding and product stories in store, email, display, and out-of-home channels
Holiday sales increased while we generated our highest ever reach and engagement for our annual mid-November through Christmas holiday campaign
5. DRIVING AN ANNUAL FAN PHOTO CONTEST
Each year, we would host an online Pro Shop fan photo contest, receiving thousands of unique entries for the chance to win an all-expense-paid VIP trip to Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, CA
From gathering legal rules, commissioning entry pages, and selecting finalists to tallying winner votes from executives, booking the travel itinerary, and hosting fans for player meet & greets like the ones pictured here, I ran (and named) the entire “Star Days Of Summer” contest
The fans ended up supplying us with hundreds of pieces of user-generated content we integrated into marketing messages across all channels. The contest added authenticity to our brand and helped cement a first-class reputation amongst our fans