Two days after the LPGA announced that chief marketing officer Chad Coleman would be stepping down less than a year after taking the job, the PGA of America unveiled its new chief marketing officer.
Coleman, one of commissioner Craig Kessler’s first major earnings after receiving the LPGA, told the tour that he was leaving to raise family funds. The former Dude Perfect chief executive officer joined the LPGA in January as part of Kessler’s efforts to modernize and increase the value of operations.
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The LPGA will not replace Coleman with another marketing officer. Instead, Taylor Strick, formerly the global head of Aon companies, will join the company as senior vice president of marketing, reporting directly to Kessler while also overseeing social media operations.
Less than 24 hours later, the PGA of America released their own statement about that crisis.
The organization named Marissa Bataille Daly as its new chief marketing officer, bringing with her nearly two decades of experience in sports marketing, content and audience development. Daly joins from the Los Angeles Rams, where he served as senior vice president of studies and marketing and oversaw a 50-person team responsible for creative engineering, production, digital marketing, game presentation, social media and strategy.
Marissa Daly is the new CMO of the PGA of America.
He will report directly to PGA of America CEO Terry Clark and will be based in the state’s Prisco, Texas, headquarters.
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“Marissa knows how to turn a strong sports brand into an experience that connects with people,” said Clark. “He led a talented team, created a memorable game day and found new ways to engage the audience before, during and after a major event.”
For the PGA of America, the award represents a significant investment in marketing and storytelling as the organization looks to elevate its sponsorship, strengthen its brand and reach its more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals.
As chief marketing officer, Daly will oversee the association’s brand, marketing, social media and content. His resume includes six Rams playoff runs, two Super Bowl appearances and a previous stop at Yahoo Sports, where he worked on audience growth initiatives, partnerships and major sports marketing campaigns.
“I am thrilled to join the PGA of America team and support the more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who bring the game to life every day,” said Daly. “I’m excited to get to know them, share their stories and create new ways to connect with our members, the game and our golfers and audiences.”
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Taken together, the move offered a fascinating snapshot of two golf organizations heading in different directions with their marketing leaders. The LPGA is eliminating its chief marketing officer less than a year after its birth, while the PGA of America is betting on an NFL executive to lead its marketing operation into its next chapter.
Tim Schmitt is the editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator for the USA Today Network.
This article first appeared in Golfweek: The PGA of America is hiring a new CMO who comes from an NFL team