Whitney Wagoner
Director, Warsaw Sports Marketing Center | University of Oregon
Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES
Expert in sports marketing, fan engagement and experience, corporate sponsorships, athlete endorsements, and collegiate sports.
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Biography
Whitney Wagoner is an expert in sports marketing, fan engagement, fan experience, corporate sponsorships, athlete endorsements, collegiate sports and sustainability in sports. At the University of Oregon, she is the director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. Whitney spent seven years in a variety of corporate marketing positions with the National Football League (NFL) in New York. While at the NFL, she was responsible for the management of several key sponsorship programs, including Motorola, Sony, and IBM.
Areas of Expertise (7)
Sports Marketing
Fan Engagement
Fan Experience
Intercollegiate Athletics
Sports Sponsorship
Athlete Endorsements
Sustainability in Sport
Links (4)
Media Appearances (7)
Value of TCU in the Top 10? ‘It’s priceless. It’s immeasurable.’
Star-Telegram online
2017-12-01
“It is absolutely a driver for general university awareness, general university brand equity and enrollment of undergraduate students,” said Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.
Fresno State's Red Wave Turns Into Gray Wave as Bulldogs Struggle to Attract Young Fans
The Fresno Bee online
2017-02-11
“It has to be an entertainment experience that hits all of the buttons,” said Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, citing the vastness of competitive options. “It has to be interactive. There has to be a real, modern contemporary sense of what it is. The in-stadium entertainment has to stack up with all of the other entertainment options that they could potentially choose from. Music is part of that. Food is part of that. Engagement between timeouts is part of that. They could go to a club or they could go to a comedy show instead of going to a game, so the stadium experience has to deliver on all of those entertainment must haves.
Golden State Warriors shooting to join world’s sports elite
San Francisco Chronicle online
2017-10-08
The Warriors may have won two NBA championships in three years, but they are still fairly new as a powerhouse. Teams like Barcelona and the Yankees “have been on legacy status for decades,” said Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.
Michigan and Jordan Brand Are Up to Something With Groundbreaking Deal
Bleacher Report online
2016-10-11
Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, says that kind of hysteria is great for the momentum Harbaugh is trying to create at Michigan, which has long had a huge and passionate fanbase but has never been considered hip or cutting-edge. "If you combine hiring a new head coach with a larger-than-life personality that Harbaugh has, I think signing with a company like Jordan Brand helps re-establish them as a leader in the modern space," Wagoner says.
Whose Gold Medal Is Worth the Most?
The Daily Beast online
2016-08-12
“Not too many people have watched air rifling and said, ‘Oh my God, I want to do that,’” said Professor Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon in Eugene. “We look at athletes and want to be like them, or at least to be perceived to be like them. “In order for brands to invest in people, and to want them to encourage people to buy their products, you have to care about that person,” Wagoner said. “That’s why the athlete’s mystique is so awesome. People want to aspire—and be inspired.”
Lebron James Is Truly 'king James' When It Comes to NBA Finals Ratings
CNN Money online
2016-06-01
The NBA has long been the most star-driven of the major sports, said Whitney Wagoner, director of the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. But James has played an oversized role even by those standards, in part by ginning up interest among casual fans. "When you get beyond X's and O's and wins and losses, he starts to get to people who fall outside the NBA fan profile," Wagoner said. "The narrative is broadening the audience."
Hyundai Revs Up Sports Marketing to Boost Brand, Sales
Fox Business online
2016-03-23
Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, says Hyundai’s approach is “right on,” adding “The NFL is the dominant space for American sports on all metrics, potentially we’ll look back at this partnership as a paradigm shifter for Hyundai.” Wagoner spent seven years in the NFL’s corporate sponsorship department, but she had departed before the Hyundai deal was brokered. “Hyundai wants to connect with American auto buyers at their point of passion,” she adds, “It’s Americana and more than that, it’s getting to where consumers hearts and passions are, and nothing is a greater tool in this country than sports to do that. She says Hyundai is following Toyota’s (TM) lead: “Toyota used NASCAR as a platform to create an emotional connection with U.S. auto buyers. They’ve had success getting over that cultural hump and NASCAR has embraced Toyota as a partner.” Not for nothing, a Toyota last month won for the first time at the Daytona 500. Three of the next four drivers behind Denny Hamlin’s winning Camry also drove Toyotas.
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