San Diego Padres' Connolly Wants You to Follow Your Passion, Make Consumers Smile

After a year of closed stadiums when sports teams had to reinvent their positioning in digital, fans are taking their seats once more with the 2021 baseball season underway. Christopher Connolly, Senior Vice President of Marketing at San Diego Padres, shares how they navigated the online landscape to deliver and exceed expectations for enthusiastic fans stuck at home, plus how he predicts consumers will behave as businesses continue to open their doors. Discover why Connolly says YouTube is still an emerging platform, why you should never give up on your dream career and how he created pets for all the Disney princesses. Adweek: How did you get to where you are today? Any noteworthy aha-moments along the way?Connolly: On the second day of my professional career working in public accounting, I came to realize that this was not a field I would be passionate about long-term. After that aha-moment, I have followed my passion and worked within industries that interest me like toys, movies, theme parks and sports. What's the most innovative thing you're currently working on?Expanding the Padres fan base! Over the past few years, our club has been so exciting on the field that our marketing team is very focused on building the Padres brand while expanding our fan base. What new or up-and-coming innovation(s) are you most excited about and how do you think it will change the future of marketing?While certainly not brand new, YouTube still remains an emerging platform in my mind that every marketer needs to focus on. Deciding how best to leverage YouTube to tell your brand’s story and importantly stay relevant with the kids, teens and young adults using this platform daily is critical. https://youtu.be/lP2sR0WP0r0 What’s one piece of work from your career that you’re the proudest of?In 2013, I decided to create pet animals for all the Disney Princess characters. It was an idea that I conceived in my mind and leveraged all the resources of The Walt Disney Company to make Disney Princess Palace Pets a reality. This line of toys, merchandise and children’s books were quite successful. I believe the app remains the most successful children’s app in Disney history. As we all know from the internet, never underestimate the power of puppies and kittens! Was there ever a time where you questioned your career path?I always wanted to get into sports marketing out of UCLA, yet unfortunately had no internship experience in the field. I’ve always wondered over the past few decades what it would be like to work in sports marketing and finally have gotten the chance with my San Diego Padres svp of marketing role. It’s certainly natural to question one’s career path and my advice would be to never ever give up on your career dreams. I am living proof of that! What is one skill that you think is currently underdeveloped in Marketing?Attitude. I feel a positive attitude is critical to success in both your personal and professional life. I recently read that Paul Van Doren, the late founder of Van’s skateboard shoes, tore up candidate’s resumes prior to interviews and instead questioned candidates solely for their attitude and fit with his iconic Van’s brand and company culture. How do you pick and develop the talent on your team?I have interviewed several hundred candidates over the past three years with the Padres and Disney. I look for “GRIT” in a candidate, which is a term for whether they possess resiliency, determination, passion, positive attitude, tenacity and drive. GRIT is more important to find a successful hire, in my opinion, than simply focusing on a candidate’s prior work experience. What's a way that you predict marketing will change as more people begin traveling/going out again?I don’t feel consumers are going to immediately be ready to return to indoor settings in the coming year or so. Therefore, we as marketers need to rethink the way we create experiences for consumers outdoors, whether that relates to dining, movies, concerts, trade shows and more. Our Padres venue, Petco Park, is the No. 1 rated ballpark in the U.S. and is thus uniquely positioned to capitalize on this outdoor trend from a baseball, music concert and special events standpoint. SAN DIEGO, CA - APRIL 02: Players, coaches and staff line the base paths for the pre-game ceremonies before the San Diego Padres face against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on April 1, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) What’s the first post to come to mind when you hear “best-in-class social”?I feel some of the best-in-class social media I’ve seen in recent years is UGC developed by fans of a brand. In my opinion, it’s easier for a true fan to capture and post those “moments” that demonstrate their passion for a given brand than is to ask your ad agency to attempt to recreate such moments. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?ALWAYS exceed expectations when asked to do an analysis, lead a project or perform a task. Never meet expectations, always try to exceed expectations in whatever you do. What one question would you ask the marketing community and why?Is there anything better than seeing a consumer smile or hearing positive feedback after a consumer has enjoyed your product, service, or experience? That has always been my favorite part about Marketing over the years and hope that there are other marketers who would agree. How the Marlins and Nike Tapped Into Local Culture to Design These Wildly Popular City Connect Uniforms

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San Diego Padres' Connolly Wants You to Follow Your Passion, Make Consumers Smile

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