Ep.119 - KC Chiefs CMO Lara Krug: Building a Bigger, Better (Marketing) Kingdom

Imagine the pressure of bringing a Founding Father's dream to life. You've just stepped into Lara Krug's shoes. In 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs hired Lara as the club's first Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The assignment? Build the Chiefs into a global brand. Not just a national powerhouse. GLOBAL. The mission was hatched by Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, at a time when a sports team's idea of a marketing “win” was simply selling out the stadium. Lara's approach is rooted in a lesson she learned as an athlete: winning often entails thinking outside the box. Trying something new. That philosophy's guided her through senior marketing roles at Anheuser-Busch, L'Oréal, and now one of the NFL's most visible franchises. Lara dives into some of the Chiefs' most creative marketing campaigns, the Taylor Swift Effect, and the origin story behind bringing a Chiefs rom-com to the Hallmark Channel. She also opens up to Bonnie Bernstein about how playing sports in middle and high school helped give her the physical and mental strength to navigate a potentially debilitating health condition... and how personal loss in recent years prompted her to pay closer attention to her mental health. TOPICS COVERED: Sports Marketing, Sports Business, Branding, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, Hallmark, Fan Engagement, Creative Marketing, Leadership, Athlete Mindset, Mental Health, Resilience, Grief/Loss ______________________________ THE ATHLETE EFFECT™: ► Subscribe on YouTube:    / @theathleteeffect   ► Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033etu1... ► Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ► Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1353-t... ► Listen on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/872... ► Listen on Audacy: https://www.audacy.com/podcast/the-at... ► Follow on Instagram:   / the_athlete_effect   ► Follow on TikTok:   / theathleteeffect   BONNIE BERNSTEIN: ► Follow on Instagram:   / bonniebernstein   ► Follow on LinkedIn:   / bonnie-bernstein