CMO Spotlight | Melissa Proctor - Atlanta Hawks + State Farm Arena
The CMO Spotlight is a chance to get an inside look into the minds and journeys of high performing marketing leaders.
Setup CEO Joe Koufman virtually sat down with Melissa Proctor, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. The full conversation covers Melissa Proctor’s path from a ball girl for the Miami Heat to the CMO of an NBA team, the Hawks’ community-driven purpose and strategy and their efforts to increase voting numbers, the book writing process, and an authentic and family-oriented leadership mentality.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW AND READ THE RECAP BELOW.
Q1 | Tell us about your career path.
As a Communications major at Wake Forest University, Proctor had not taken a marketing class during her time in college. Her first exposure to marketing was as a Marketing intern for TNT at Turner Broadcasting (now WarnerMedia) where she gained exposure to digital marketing and brand strategy. Working in both the Atlanta and London offices, Proctor was able to show off her creative and marketable skill as an artist. She then landed a role within Turner Sports for a startup called Upwave which inevitably shut down, leading her to opportunities with the Atlanta Hawks as VP of Brand Strategy, then Head of Strategy, and now Executive VP and CMO.
“To be honest, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, but, the idea of being open to the journey and the opportunities that come forth, it’s really been a lot of what has led me.”
Q2 | What is your super power?
Proctor considers her ability to bridge the gap between creative and strategy as one of her strengths.
“I think the whole world of marketing really plays into my strengths in both creative and strategy.”
Due to her visual arts background and experience working in multiple roles, she has an ability to problem solve and, as a leader, understand the nuances of a project’s process.
“My strength is being able to take a blank sheet of paper and create something, whether it’s a whole department or an opportunity or a campaign, versus kind of copy and pasting what’s been done in the past and just duplicating it.”
Q3 | Is there a piece of advice that you would like to pass onto other marketers?
“ Just come in and listen.”
Listen
“The one thing I would say which is probably the best advice that I got is: just come in and listen,” Proctor shared. She continued, “Especially if you're starting a new role. You can be a bull in a China shop and think you have all the answers, and all the coolest things..but there are also so many things that you may not know, so taking a beat to really pause and listen and understand...not just around the work that has to happen, but also the culture that's being built. Because having a strong team and strong culture ultimately will mean good business.” So I think that's a critical one.
Find inspiration from everywhere
“Look at juxtaposed worlds,” she also shared. “I think a lot of times people get focused on their industry, and, if I only looked at sports, that would be a travesty...cause in order for us to kind of move the business forward, I have to look at best practices from other worlds. And so I would say building your relationships with people and disciplines or businesses outside of yours and really seeing how you can apply those thoughts to improve the work that you're doing would be critical.”
Q4 | What is the biggest challenge that you're facing in your current role?
Proctor mentioned a few challenges that included defining the Atlanta Hawks brand story while not being able to control the product - game outcome and players. But with those challenges, she was exposed to the brand passion and energy of the city.
Rebranding an entire building from Philips Arena to State Farm Arena was another unique challenge. “We transformed the entire building.” They strategically built it for the next generation of Atlanta and also optimized it with new premium spaces to entertain clients in the B2B realm.
“Covid has had a lot of unique challenges, but also a lot of opportunities.”
She also mentioned the development of a practice facility in partnership with Emory and the G League growth, but the pandemic has caused a unique challenge of its own because entertainment and sports really took a dive as things initially closed in March. She mentioned how the Atlanta Hawks took a turn to be there for their community. “Really shifting our business from being live events in a close arena, to looking at how we become a community asset” was a focus point. They’ve done this majorly through providing voting facilities and assisting during the election. Their purpose-driven work has really had a positive and exciting impact on the staff.
Q5 | What are the most important values that you demonstrate as a leader, or that you may even demand from people on your team?
“Being an authentic leader that's really looking at how to help others grow and develop servant leadership is really important,” Proctor stated. She mentioned how the biggest compliment is when someone wants to recruit one of her team members because others see their potential and value. “I want people to continue to grow and develop.”
“The biggest [value] for me is authenticity.”
Proctor also brought up how important it is that her team enjoys working with one another, so she strives to create an open and collaborative environment where it feels like family and not work. As a leader, she emphasizes understanding the needs of her team and being flexible and giving grace where necessary.
“Life is always going to be more important than work,” she emphasized. “And that idea of work-life harmony or balance is critical. At work you give 100% when you're there. But, ultimately, if you're not fulfilled and living a life that brings you joy, you're not going to do your best work. And so I really think about that for my team and want to ensure that I give them the space they need and the time they need in order for them to be their best so that they can come and do their best work as well.”
Q6 | Tell us about your book.
This year, Proctor published her first book, From Ball Girl to CMO, to detail her journey and offer her mentorship to others. When her mother passed away a few years ago, she realized there were so many questions left unanswered. This book is an attempt to provide guidance to her own daughter and inspire others to gain new perspectives as well as teach them tips and tricks to use throughout their journey.
“It's really hard to be something if you can't see it.” Proctor added that she had no idea that, as a child, she could one day be the Head of Marketing for an NBA team. So now she strives to be the vision for others and encourage them to reach for their dreams and achieve the seemingly impossible. “And so I really am proud to be in the position that I am, but I also take great responsibility in simply being myself and when I look at my daughter I'm hoping that I inspire her. I wrote this book to inspire her and, hopefully in doing that, it will inspire others.”
Other highlights include Proctor’s outlook on the importance of authenticity and diversity when it comes to working with an agency partner. Having your marketing represent your audience is extremely important to Proctor and the Atlanta Hawks since they were the first NBA team to hire a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of a sports marketing executive, be sure to watch the full interview with Melissa Proctor, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.
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