Craig Lyon
Vice President of Brand Strategy at Adopt- Claim this Profile
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Bio
LinkedIn User
Craig Lyon is a winner and his track record at Nike shows it. From his individual projects to those of the teams he’s led, winning has been a constant. During my two years working for Craig, I watched him use a combination of storytelling, strategic thinking, creativity, and relationship building to help us take Nike Basketball marketing to new heights. One of Craig’s talents is his ability to drive alignment and resources around BIG ideas. He does this by beginning with a compelling narrative. He takes complicated ideas and simplifies them into a story that pulls the audience in. From there he blends strategy and creativity. He builds sound strategic pillars that help reach enterprise goals while using his creative eye and ear to ensure distinction. That combination sets the table for impactful campaigns that move the needle for consumers and the company. Because of Craig’s talent and experience, he’s been tasked to work with some of the world’s biggest athletes (Kyrie Irving, amongst many others), entertainers (Drake, for example), and brands (Pepsi Co., in addition to a handful of others). His success with those partners is a result of his ability to build relationships quickly and the skill set he brings to the table. Collectively speaking, Craig has the full suite of modern marketing tools to take any brand to new levels. I learned so much from him and I watched him lift our team to new heights time and time again. You can be sure he’s going to keep pushing himself to better, and keep helping his teams get the big wins.
Robert Zajac
Craig is an incredibly gifted marketeer and leader. He is the full comprehensive package. He thrives in the whitespace and excels at turning ambiguity into substance. His creativity and strategic acumen come together to create powerful ideas that are both visionary and grounded. He is a natural storyteller who understands the power of the pitch and has the ability to weave together inspiration with facts. Craig has also had the opportunity to be fully immersed across all disciplines of a modern marketing organization resulting in the ability to lead with ideas and coach with tactics. Lastly, Craig is an inspiring leader. He is a firm believer in setting a course for his team and leading from the front with guts. Craig Lyon is an all-star.
LinkedIn User
Craig Lyon is a winner and his track record at Nike shows it. From his individual projects to those of the teams he’s led, winning has been a constant. During my two years working for Craig, I watched him use a combination of storytelling, strategic thinking, creativity, and relationship building to help us take Nike Basketball marketing to new heights. One of Craig’s talents is his ability to drive alignment and resources around BIG ideas. He does this by beginning with a compelling narrative. He takes complicated ideas and simplifies them into a story that pulls the audience in. From there he blends strategy and creativity. He builds sound strategic pillars that help reach enterprise goals while using his creative eye and ear to ensure distinction. That combination sets the table for impactful campaigns that move the needle for consumers and the company. Because of Craig’s talent and experience, he’s been tasked to work with some of the world’s biggest athletes (Kyrie Irving, amongst many others), entertainers (Drake, for example), and brands (Pepsi Co., in addition to a handful of others). His success with those partners is a result of his ability to build relationships quickly and the skill set he brings to the table. Collectively speaking, Craig has the full suite of modern marketing tools to take any brand to new levels. I learned so much from him and I watched him lift our team to new heights time and time again. You can be sure he’s going to keep pushing himself to better, and keep helping his teams get the big wins.
Robert Zajac
Craig is an incredibly gifted marketeer and leader. He is the full comprehensive package. He thrives in the whitespace and excels at turning ambiguity into substance. His creativity and strategic acumen come together to create powerful ideas that are both visionary and grounded. He is a natural storyteller who understands the power of the pitch and has the ability to weave together inspiration with facts. Craig has also had the opportunity to be fully immersed across all disciplines of a modern marketing organization resulting in the ability to lead with ideas and coach with tactics. Lastly, Craig is an inspiring leader. He is a firm believer in setting a course for his team and leading from the front with guts. Craig Lyon is an all-star.
LinkedIn User
Craig Lyon is a winner and his track record at Nike shows it. From his individual projects to those of the teams he’s led, winning has been a constant. During my two years working for Craig, I watched him use a combination of storytelling, strategic thinking, creativity, and relationship building to help us take Nike Basketball marketing to new heights. One of Craig’s talents is his ability to drive alignment and resources around BIG ideas. He does this by beginning with a compelling narrative. He takes complicated ideas and simplifies them into a story that pulls the audience in. From there he blends strategy and creativity. He builds sound strategic pillars that help reach enterprise goals while using his creative eye and ear to ensure distinction. That combination sets the table for impactful campaigns that move the needle for consumers and the company. Because of Craig’s talent and experience, he’s been tasked to work with some of the world’s biggest athletes (Kyrie Irving, amongst many others), entertainers (Drake, for example), and brands (Pepsi Co., in addition to a handful of others). His success with those partners is a result of his ability to build relationships quickly and the skill set he brings to the table. Collectively speaking, Craig has the full suite of modern marketing tools to take any brand to new levels. I learned so much from him and I watched him lift our team to new heights time and time again. You can be sure he’s going to keep pushing himself to better, and keep helping his teams get the big wins.
Robert Zajac
Craig is an incredibly gifted marketeer and leader. He is the full comprehensive package. He thrives in the whitespace and excels at turning ambiguity into substance. His creativity and strategic acumen come together to create powerful ideas that are both visionary and grounded. He is a natural storyteller who understands the power of the pitch and has the ability to weave together inspiration with facts. Craig has also had the opportunity to be fully immersed across all disciplines of a modern marketing organization resulting in the ability to lead with ideas and coach with tactics. Lastly, Craig is an inspiring leader. He is a firm believer in setting a course for his team and leading from the front with guts. Craig Lyon is an all-star.
LinkedIn User
Craig Lyon is a winner and his track record at Nike shows it. From his individual projects to those of the teams he’s led, winning has been a constant. During my two years working for Craig, I watched him use a combination of storytelling, strategic thinking, creativity, and relationship building to help us take Nike Basketball marketing to new heights. One of Craig’s talents is his ability to drive alignment and resources around BIG ideas. He does this by beginning with a compelling narrative. He takes complicated ideas and simplifies them into a story that pulls the audience in. From there he blends strategy and creativity. He builds sound strategic pillars that help reach enterprise goals while using his creative eye and ear to ensure distinction. That combination sets the table for impactful campaigns that move the needle for consumers and the company. Because of Craig’s talent and experience, he’s been tasked to work with some of the world’s biggest athletes (Kyrie Irving, amongst many others), entertainers (Drake, for example), and brands (Pepsi Co., in addition to a handful of others). His success with those partners is a result of his ability to build relationships quickly and the skill set he brings to the table. Collectively speaking, Craig has the full suite of modern marketing tools to take any brand to new levels. I learned so much from him and I watched him lift our team to new heights time and time again. You can be sure he’s going to keep pushing himself to better, and keep helping his teams get the big wins.
Robert Zajac
Craig is an incredibly gifted marketeer and leader. He is the full comprehensive package. He thrives in the whitespace and excels at turning ambiguity into substance. His creativity and strategic acumen come together to create powerful ideas that are both visionary and grounded. He is a natural storyteller who understands the power of the pitch and has the ability to weave together inspiration with facts. Craig has also had the opportunity to be fully immersed across all disciplines of a modern marketing organization resulting in the ability to lead with ideas and coach with tactics. Lastly, Craig is an inspiring leader. He is a firm believer in setting a course for his team and leading from the front with guts. Craig Lyon is an all-star.
Experience
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Adopt
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United States
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Advertising Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Vice President of Brand Strategy
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2022 - Present
Joined this innovative agency that believes in the power of sport, the potential of the athlete and the future of holistic wellness, as a brand strategy advisor. Promoted into an executive leadership role within six months. Serve in a dual capacity—leading vision, ideation and execution of brand strategy work with iconic brands in the sport/athlete/culture space while partnering with Adopt founders in developing the agency’s brand identity, culture, services and products. Joined this innovative agency that believes in the power of sport, the potential of the athlete and the future of holistic wellness, as a brand strategy advisor. Promoted into an executive leadership role within six months. Serve in a dual capacity—leading vision, ideation and execution of brand strategy work with iconic brands in the sport/athlete/culture space while partnering with Adopt founders in developing the agency’s brand identity, culture, services and products.
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Connected Cannabis Co.
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United States
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Manufacturing
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100 - 200 Employee
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Vice President of Marketing at Alien Labs & Connected Cannabis Co.
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2021 - 2022
Became the first Vice President – Head of Marketing for Connected International Inc., one of the premiere cultivators of high-end cannabis in the world (Best known for the Alien Labs brand). Built and lead a high-performing team of 10 (20 indirect reports) in creating a marketing engine to fuel rapid growth of the company’s brands, drive product demand and accelerate profitability. Served on the executive leadership team with additional accountability for expansion planning, investor relations and formation/implementation of the company’s vision and strategic priorities. Key Wins: Forged a strategic partnership with world-renowned artist Travis Scott, working collaboratively with Cactus Jack Design to launch Scott’s name brand cannabis line, Cactus Farms. Also, set the company’s first long-term product line planning and assortment strategy, including the introduction of a classic genetics pricing tier and the launch of six new genetic franchises. Show less
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Nike
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United States
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Retail
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700 & Above Employee
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Sr. Director of Brand Marketing, North America
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Mar 2020 - Feb 2021
Hand-picked to serve on Nike’s North America Brand Leadership team as head of marketing for the Central U.S. and Canadian marketplace. Partnered with peers across the continent to develop strategically aligned brand strategy and go-to-market plans, ensuring the brand’s voice and energy extend across all products and activations.Key Wins: Led a complex decoupling of two distinct markets – Central U.S. and Canada – to better serve consumers in each marketplace. Delivered powerful campaigns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against racial injustice in America and to encourage Americans to vote. Show less
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Senior Brand Director, Global Basketball
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2017 - Mar 2020
Led Nike’s Global Basketball marketing team and offense across all signature athlete businesses, performance innovations and influencer marketing / collaboration programs. Created world-class product narratives that fueled consumer experiences around the globe by transforming insights into stories of inspiration and propelled athletes towards their most audacious goals. Key Wins: the introduction of signature athlete Giannis Antetokounmpo and forging never-been-done partnerships and influencer collaborations with players from the design, art, gaming, professional sports, food and airline industries (including the NBA, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, General Mills, Pepsi and NASA). Show less
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Brand Director / Brand Manager, Global Basketball
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2013 - 2017
Led the Signature Franchise development and introduction of NBA icons Kyrie Irving and Paul George, with accountability for athlete brand identity, business growth strategy, product narrative development, athlete insights, creative development, consumer experience concepting, brand partnerships, storytelling and creative agency briefing. Key Wins: Drove the fastest growth business units in Nike’s portfolio. Developed new models of athlete engagement across brand and sports marketing, and transformed the Brand Marketing function, taking it from a passive content machine to a cohesive, strategic force that unified the athlete, merchandising and the overall business. Show less
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Community Specialist, Global Basketball
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2012 - 2013
Brought in to grow Nike Basketball’s social footprint and drive engagement and product conversation on Nike.com. While here, led development and launch of @NikeBasketball on Instagram, which today has 15M+ followers. Also, played an integral role in the 2013 redesign of Nike.com, creating a more genuine consumer experience.
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Brand Communications Specialist, Emerging Markets
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2011 - 2012
After serving as a digital marketing intern, was offered a full-time role as Brand Communications Specialist. Landed dream job on the heels of the U.S. economic crisis, starting Nike career just three weeks after graduation. With agency partners, introduced “Just Do It” campaign in Brazil, Argentina and South Africa.
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Education
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Indiana University Bloomington
Bachelor of Science - BS, Telecommunications Production & Industry Management
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