When ESPN became part of the Walt Disney Company in 1995, "synergy" was almost a dirty word. "It was hard to get a response to it. It made some people laugh and other people nervous," says Heather Campbell, ESPN's vice president of brand management and, yes, synergy. Campbell came on board in 1999 as a synergist,
a position that had never before existed at the network. Her job was, and still is, to ensure that ESPN makes the most of its relationship with corporate parent Disney, and vice versa. She and her two-person team accomplish this by creating opportunities for cross-promotional fan events and getting sports-loving Disney talent (Bernie Mac, for example) involved with network ventures such as the ESPN Web site. Campbell, a Stern MBA, also enjoys a perk that makes her the envy of eight-year-olds everywhere: frequent business trips to the Magic Kingdom.
Thursday_April 1_10:37 a.m.
"I'm in my office [in midtown Manhattan] on a very rainy day writing some follow-up notes from a meeting I held on Tuesday. We're looking at a possible fun celebration for ESPN's 25th anniversary, and seeing if there's a way to let other areas of the company tap into that. The beauty of sports is that almost everyone is a sports fan, whether you enjoy watching them or playing them."
Monday_April 5_2:11 p.m.
"My boss just walked by. I'm assuming she's going to come in here in a few minutes to talk to me about a new project we're working on. Hartford, [Connecticut,] where ESPN is based, is doing a downtown refurbishment project that ESPN wants to be a part of. [The city is] trying to attract and engage the people who are already there, as well as attract more business traffic. We're looking at what we could build as part of an ESPN experience to entertain people and also help with our branding initiatives. If you think of ESPN, it's SportsCenter, it's giving news and information to sports fans. But how do we expand upon that and reach different niches within that world?"
Monday_April 12_3:15 p.m.
"I'm at the Disney offices in Celebration, Florida, right near Orlando and the parks. I have a lot of younger cousins, and it kills them that I have to go to Disney World for work. I was just with Kevin Young and Sharon Springsteen-they work in marketing for Disney World-discussing what's happening here on July 31 and August 1 for ESPN's 25th anniversary. We're going to celebrate with our fans down at the Disney-MGM Studios with two days of events where they'll be able to look back at the last 25 years in sports, seeing and hearing from athletes and ESPN talent who have been a part of it. One of our ad agencies came up with this great line that I love: 'It might be our name on the cake, but it's everybody's party.' And that's really what this weekend is about. It's not about, 'Isn't ESPN amazing?' It's about, 'Aren't sports incredible?' "
Saturday_April 17_12:14 p.m.
"I'm being helloed by many people here at the ESPN Zone. I'm sitting with Theresa Moore, who is one of our directors and works with ESPN.com and all of the leagues, and Nina Roth, who is the senior marketing manager for the ESPN Zone. The WNBA Draft is happening right now in Secaucus [New Jersey], so we have a satellite event here where some current players will be interviewed for a live shot. My department works with the ESPN Zone and the league to make sure we've created an event that is possible for television, which gives ESPN great content and gives the Zone good exposure. It's also excellent because it creates an event that brings our fans closer to a league that's very important to us, the WNBA. [Former UConn point guard Diana] Taurasi's supposed to come here later. She went number one to the Phoenix Mercury."
Tuesday_April 20_9:24 a.m.
"You caught me in the hallway. We're having a staff meeting in five or 10 minutes, so I'm getting some stuff together. Every week we have a meeting of the entire marketing department, where we talk about upcoming promotions, new shows, and campaigns. I have this unique and wonderful job where I basically get to think about what's important to us, what's important to the rest of the company, and how I can get people playing together in a way that makes sense and ultimately is good for our fans."
