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Written by Katie Fitzpatrick
What’s most impressive about Sarah Smith isn’t her stellar career as a young marketing executive, her success as a woman in a male-dominated sport, or her incredible speed at which she continues to grow as a professional. That’s why she humbly credits these achievements to her family and her education in Ireland.
As Director of Marketing for the Chicago Bulls, Sarah leads the integrated marketing, brand and fan development, creators and community, and basketball programming teams with a focus on building and nurturing the brand’s global fan base. Sarah, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland and has a deep understanding of international cultures, is uniquely suited to lead one of the world’s most famous brands and is proud of her homeland. Basketball Demonstrates why she is the marketing MVP of her team.
international education
Sarah said she takes what she has learned from her family and her childhood and personal life and applies it to her current activities. Her father, Rory Smith, is from Goatstown, Dublin. He met her mother Mary during a boy’s trip to St. Louis. The Smiths got engaged in Dublin, married in St. Louis, and after traveling back and forth between Ireland and the Midwest, settled in the Chicago suburbs with their children, Adam, Shane, and Sarah.
“Being Irish was something we always talked about,” Sarah said of her childhood. “My father did a good job of instilling that in us. We understand our traditions and we come back for summers and weddings. We’re a family. We spent quite a bit of time there getting to know Ireland. Ireland was very present in our lives.”
Rory, one of five children, is the only Smith sibling to live in the United States, but Sarah remains close to her extended family across Ireland and England. There is no doubt that these international connections shaped her early professional career and paved the way for her to become a marketing executive for Chicago’s number one sports team.
From Champaign to Chicago to England and back again
Sarah graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She shifted to the field of marketing and public relations and landed her first job at Chicago’s Allied Integrated Marketing in 2011 after completing an internship with the U.S. Soccer Federation and worked with major film studios such as Lionsgate. I worked as a public relations representative for several clients.
Seeking a new adventure, she moved to London in 2013 and was employed by Harrods, supporting marketing efforts within the corporate services department. “Harrods is an iconic brand in its own right,” Sarah said. “It’s half tourist attraction, half high-end retail and has a strong English and London heritage.”
While she enjoyed the experience, being closer to her extended family and developing friendships overseas, she was intrigued by a job opportunity with her hometown Chicago Bulls. Sarah started her interview process from England and in August 2015 she officially started working with the Chicago Bulls. Sarah, who is currently in her ninth season, has worked her way up to the Bulls’ management team through a series of rapid promotions. Her work goes beyond sports to music, fashion, arts and culture to cultivate the Bulls brand within Chicago and around the world, creating unexpected and exciting projects near and far from the United Center. It takes place in space.
Creating the future while respecting the past
While the Chicago Bulls tradition remains unparalleled in the world of sports, much of Sarah’s work involves creating and sustaining strategic initiatives that will strengthen the Bulls brand for generations to come. is focused on.
“There is a lot of history in our championship and legacy,” Sarah said. “From a marketing perspective, we respect that but are very future-focused. How do we move the brand forward? But also exploring relevance to where we are now. It’s a unique and fun challenge.”
Sarah’s marketing efforts are designed to resonate with local and international audiences, whether winning, losing, trading, or hurt. She cites incredible statistics. “Less than 1 percent of fans actually come to games at the United Center.” With this in mind, her team has made decisions about whether (or how) the Bulls will play. , is constantly devising initiatives to engage fans, no matter where they are located. “The Chicago Bulls are such a global brand. We have fans all over the world, and we can leverage that to build a community around the world.”
She continues to find similarities between the organization and her own upbringing, which has helped her in this process. It’s no wonder that Sara looks beyond US sports to other brands for inspiration, including European soccer clubs. She credits this strategy to her father Rory, who is an avid soccer and rugby fan.
true team player
A true executive ‘talker’, Sarah attributes her department’s extraordinary impact to a talented and diverse marketing team. He said the Bulls intentionally hire professionals from diverse backgrounds, which allows the organization to make more holistic business decisions.
“Those of us who work for the Bulls feel a huge responsibility to protect the brand. Having these high standards is very important to us and we strive to instill that in our team and lead by example. I am.”
In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Sarah serves on the board of the organization’s Women’s Empowerment Resource Group. The group works to promote development opportunities for women in the office and across the sporting world. “It’s important for girls to understand that they can also work in sports,” she says. “The Bulls do a good job of fostering a sense of community. Everyone is welcome.”
best player
Sarah’s respect for the Chicago Bulls and their experience is a testament to her leadership style and accomplishments, and of course, her family.
“My parents always shared stories and taught me about our traditions. It was the right balance, the perfect combination.” Now that’s a winning record!
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