Marketing Manager, Baseball/Softball

Wilson Sporting Goods Co.•Berwyn, IL

3d•$85,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Marketing Manager, Baseball/Softball will shape the brand marketing strategy for Wilson Baseball, Fastpitch and Slowpitch Softball products with an emphasis on accelerating brand affinity and market share in the Ball Glove category. The Marketing Manager, Baseball/Softball is the hub for all aspects of the Go-to-Market marketing mix including campaign development, creation of a Marketing Toolbox for internal and external stakeholders, demand generation as well as consumer engagement in all touchpoints including social, email, events, partnerships, grassroots, direct-to-consumer (D2C) and dealer support.

Requirements

We are seeking candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sports Management, Communications, or related field and a minimum of 4 years of experience, preferably in product marketing, or similar experience at an agency or brand. Experience with baseball and/or softball as well as exposure to travel sports is preferred.
Consumer Mindset - ability to create and execute consumer facing marketing strategies against insights, business opportunities and trends in the marketplace.
Self-Motivated - take initiative & ownership while continuously looking for ways to improve.
Organized - Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail. Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
Great Teammate - build effective working relationships throughout the organization; work autonomously and as a member of numerous teams; is dependable and trustworthy.
Strong Communicator - communicate verbally and in writing with team members horizontally and vertically; able to share ideas, problems and solutions, and receive feedback.
Digital and social media experience a must.
Active listener and learner.
An understanding of the full Microsoft suite, especially PowerPoint and Excel, necessary.
Available to travel approximately 25% of the time, including weekdays, weekends, and evenings as required by events and business needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience with baseball and/or softball as well as exposure to travel sports is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the marketing strategy for Wilson Baseball & Softball products – with a focus on Ball Gloves but also include balls, umpire gear and other categories – including brand objectives, integrated marketing plans and budgets.
Develop campaigns from brief to execution that live across owned digital, social and grassroots channels as well as those of retail and industry partners.
Generate consumer marketing plans by leveraging data and consumer insights to efficiently address business opportunities and drive toward KPIs.
Partner with internal creative teams, external agencies and cross-functional partners in E-Commerce, Product, Commercial and Sales to execute brand initiatives.
Plan photo shoots and curate best-in-class content with partners to fuel marketing needs. Leverage partnerships with MLB and professional fastpitch softball athletes (including Olympians), top college & travel teams, and established and emerging influencers.
Be an advocate for the ballplayer at all times. Communicate the needs of the baseball & softball player in core team planning sessions. Be an expert on the competitive landscape, as well.
Work with National and Specialty retail accounts to identify and execute impactful brand activations ranging from brand expression to product education to in-store activations.
Partner with internal channel experts to deliver a comprehensive social media strategy that aligns trending content opportunities with core business objectives, empowering data-informed decisions on content creation that maintain brand consistency and drive measurable results.
Work with the grassroots and events team to elevate events and programs prioritizing key objectives that create impactful on-brand moments with our core audiences.
Other duties as assigned.