An interview with Brian O’Connor
By: Olivia Belasco
Brian O'Connor- VP of Global Marketing, Jordan Brand
There is no right answer, no blueprint for success, no path to a dream job. The easiest way to find happiness is through authenticity. As a Business of Fashion Society member at Villanova, I have attended my fair share of industry insider presentations. I have heard stories of career journeys and advice from those who have "made it," listening intently, hoping to soak in that perfect word that will help shape my career. Oddly enough, throughout my two years with the group, the most impactful presentation I’ve attended was my first: a 2022 in-person career presentation from Villanova alumnus Brian O’Connor, the VP of Global Marketing for Nike’s Jordan brand. In his presentation, Brian explained his marketing strategies, showed us rare sneakers (as a sneakerhead, I just about fainted), and explained his career in a way that naturally integrated lessons. I was left mulling over every one of his words in my head, wondering how to apply them to my life. Having felt so impacted by this presentation, I wished everyone could hear his advice as I had. Last week, I was lucky enough to speak one-on-one with Brian to better understand the lessons he learned in his career and share them with everyone in the BoF community.
After attending Villanova and graduating with a major in Communications and a minor in Business, Brian experienced possibly the most relatable post-grad experience: working as a waiter while looking for a job. But thanks to his great Villanova education, he soon found a place at a New York City ad agency and began his fated professional life. Working on the agency side of advertising for ten years in New York and California, he explained, "The work is the work, but what makes the difference is how you’re getting after the work. If you work with great people who will push and challenge you every day and support you every day in any career, that's a home run." To truly push himself and do great work, it was crucial to choose an environment that felt authentic. It is this attitude that led him to his position at Nike. After a decade of work in the advertising industry, Brian turned down a more stable job to take a chance at a dream.
Nike HQ, Oregon
Before transitioning to Nike, Brian was at a crossroads in his career. He found himself working in a freelance finance consulting position in Boston, and although a stable position, numbers were not a passion for Brian. With a hunger for a more fulfilling job, he turned down an offer for a full-time role in consulting. As he described, “This was a constant thread in my career, choosing something that was bad on paper, but good on the personal side.” Living in Boston with no plan ahead, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime: an interview at Nike. Thanks to a relationship built in his co-ed softball league, an informal network he wasn't even aware of afforded him the dream opportunity. But he made sure to explain, “The network will get you to the door, but you have to get through the door. So that’s on you to be prepared when you show up.” As a longtime fan of Nike and an advertiser with over 10 years of experience, he earned his new opportunity. Down to the wire with a second interview and an expiring offer at his consulting firm, Brian was offered a role in U.S. Advertising at Nike.
Nike 2012 London Olympics “Find Your Greatness” Marketing Campaign
After being recruited by Nike, Brian worked his way through the company. Originally in advertising at Nike, he recounted his hesitancy in switching to marketing when the opportunity became available. However, making the transition allowed him to experience working as the Global Marketing Director for Nike Running, Nike GM of the London Olympics, and eventually VP of Global Marketing for the Jordan Brand. He attributed his growth at Nike to his experience-first attitude, explaining that "people aren’t mind readers, so if you want something, you have to raise your hand." It was his openness to change and understanding of the importance of challenging himself that helped his career grow. And with a highly decorated career at Nike spanning over 20 years, he had no shortage of challenging moments and advice to share.
Aleali May, Designer and influential female Jordan collaborator
"What makes someone worthy of a Jordan collaboration?" I asked, looking for a glimpse into what helped him uphold the Jordan identity from a marketing standpoint. He very candidly replied, "Nike is for everyone, but Jordan isn’t." He explained that Michael Jordan, as a player and a businessman, has a disregard for rules that are archaic and old—not a disrespect, but an attitude geared towards pushing boundaries and making waves. This mindset is what is so special about Jordan collaborators, he explained: "Each must earn their Jordans." Each potential collaborator is filtered through a series of questions: What has this person accomplished? What have they done to be unexpected? How will they continue to defy what is "possible"? Every athlete, designer, or artist representing Jordan has intangible qualities that make them irreplaceable, an aura of greatness as Jordan has exemplified in his career. Brian explained that today he sees these qualities in spaces like the WNBA, where women are pushing the limits of what is expected. When marketing Jordan, it was crucial to keep an understanding of the identity that the brand stemmed from—a lesson any young marketer should understand. These Jordan qualities are also an amazing way to pave a career in any field. As a young professional, pushing expectations, making surprising choices, and staying true to oneself all serve as amazing bits of advice to utilize with every decision.
Jordan Brand Website
With a career committed to the Jordan brand from the early 2010s, I wondered how Brian and his team saw the assimilation of social media into the brand’s marketing strategy. He shocked me when he said, "We had just bought the URL of Jordan.com when I started. We didn’t even have a person designated to digital media. There was one person who split their time between advertising and digital." Building a digital footprint from the ground up, Brian and his team worked to craft a platform-first strategy for telling the brand and product story. He told me frankly that some things did not need a "Jordan point of view," but rather a display of Jordan relationships and inspiration. There was no need to apply "Jordan" to something not already in its world. This very self-aware strategy was used to create the Jordan website, social media, and blog, and connect Jordan to the digital age. In marketing, it is crucial to understand that sometimes less is more; understanding a brand identity supersedes any expectations.
Jordan Wings Scholarship Recipients
Jordan’s aspirational brand identity is nothing without its community. Its social media presence, product design, and marketing decisions all cater to the community. A core part of Brian’s role as VP of Global Marketing was helping to bring these projects to life. With the final question to round out the interview, I asked if there was one campaign he worked on that made a tangible impact on the Jordan community. Without hesitation, he responded, "Yep, Wings." The Wings project came on the backend of another initiative that had seemed to wash away. Seeing this emptiness in the Jordan community, Brian decided he wanted to create something entirely new that gave back authentically. With support from his visionary coworkers, Brian and his team made the Wings project a stunning success. He described that the new "Wings" project stemmed from Michael Jordan's motivations. "Education for him is key, and education came from standardized teaching, coaches, and mentors in the community, so that's how we set up the pillars." A true blueprint for a great campaign, Wings grew from the Michael Jordan identity and expanded to give back in more impactful ways. Eventually, Wings went from a Chicago-based initiative to a global initiative. The campaign stood out for its diligent work in providing education scholarships and resources to face other barriers like standardized testing and application fees. The Wings campaign has become the template to successfully support a community and craft a marketing campaign from brand identity.
Michael Jordan “Shattered Backboard” Game 1985
The work done in Brian O’Connor’s career speaks for itself. In his time as VP of Global Marketing at Jordan Brand, he helped to launch the brand into the digital age and cement the stronghold of Jordan in the 2010s and 2020s. As a leader in such influential spaces throughout his career, Brian left our conversation with words of wisdom for success:
"As you look out over your career because you will have a career, work on your personality. As you become a leader, think about how you show up and how you want people to follow you because of the direction you give. You need to develop your leadership personality. From the start of your career, be around people you respect as leaders and like the way they lead, and take that in and learn from people that you don't like how they lead."
Crafting a leadership-driven personality is an important part of formative professional years. Working under the guidance of all different types of leaders and learning what styles you do and don't respect is a great learning opportunity each day.
As one of the most influential voices at Nike for over two decades, speaking with Brian O’Connor was without a doubt one of the most exciting conversations I have ever had. His astonishing professional history and his willingness to share advice are truly a testament to his voice as an industry leader. There is no amount of questions I could ask him to truly take in all the wisdom he has to offer or hear every cool sneaker story he has to tell. But with this glimpse into his career and a few key pieces of his advice set in writing, I know he will continue to inspire others as he has inspired me. When starting fresh in any industry, decisions are daunting, and improvement seems slow. But by staying true to oneself and taking advice from others, success can be found. I continue to worry endlessly about how I will grow into the best version of myself, as I’m sure every other college student does. But Brian’s final piece of advice, while short, may be just the thing to ease the worries away: "You will have a career."