Mar 18, 2024
Welcome to episode 140 of Sports Management Podcast.
Brad Ross is the VP Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing and Partnerships at The Coca-Cola Company. Brad started at Coca-Cola in 2007. He moved to Google for two years between 2019 and 2021 and then boomeranged back to Coca-Cola. He is born and raised in South Africa, but is currently living in Atlanta, where Coca-Cola has its global headquarters. Sport has always been a fundamental part of his life and shaped many foundational memories for him growing up.
In this episode we spoke about:
- Why Marketing is a team sport
- Coca-Cola’s 100 year partnership with IOC
- Their new partnership with the International Cricket Council, ICC
- How Coca-Cola prepares for Paris24, FIFA World Cup 2026, LA28 and more
- How his upbringing in South Africa shaped him
- Africa as a sport continent on the rise
- Brad’s memories from FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa
And much more!
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/7h_vaj9rTsQ
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:41 Marketing Is a Team Sport
02:25 Sports Marketing and Partnerships at Coca-Cola
05:32 Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
13:35 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
16:47 Brad's Upbringing In South Africa
17:51 Africa's Potential with Sports
21:10 FIFA World Cup 2026
24:43 Working Multiple Mega Events Simultaneously
27:09 Partnership With International Cricket Council
28:19 Ideal Length of a Partnership
30:34 How Brad's Interest For Sport Started
34:05 Learnings From Sport to Business
37:46 Coca-Cola Is a Great Place to Work
40:51 Bumps On The Road
42:42 Brad's Best Advice
44:12 Outro
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