BRAND ACTIVATION MANAGER | Sponsorships & Partnerships
Built and scaled the local brand activation function from zero to market-defining for an emerging, high-growth non-alcoholic craft brewery. Led end-to-end strategy and execution, establishing the operating framework for sponsorships and field marketing that anchored the brand’s local presence. This executive recap outlines the roadmap used to convert a blank-slate territory into a dominant market.
bestdaybrewing_arsherrill by Alicia SherrillOverview
Owned end-to-end marketing strategy and execution from the ground up, overseeing 270+ event sponsorships and brand partnerships across festivals, live sports arenas, music venues, and community experiences, achieving 80% YoY growth, sampling 40K+ cans annually, and increasing earned and paid media impressions.
Big Wins & Key Takeaways
- Flagship Multi-Activation Programming (SXSW): Developed and directed SXSW integrated activation programming: owning the concept, scope, budget allocation, stakeholder alignment, securing sponsorships, talent and vendor sourcing, and execution across 40 official SxSW showcases & satellite activations, late-night venues, street team sampling, resulting in 9,800+ cans sampled, 20 new on premise accounts opened, and a +10.6% MoM incremental case lift and +238% YoY growth in bars and restaurants.
- National Campaign Integration (Brew Thru): Partnered with C-Suite and VP executives from concept through launch to deliver Brew Thru, a national Dry January activation series. Cross-collaborated on venue strategy, talent bookings, media and PR coordination, and on-site production, resulting in 16K+ cans sampled, 94% retail lift, and earned media coverage across KEYE News, Austin Chronicle, and more.
- Campaign & GTM Strategy: Designed and launched a 360 football-season campaign that positioned the brand as the “Best Play of the Day” for sports fans by integrating tailgates, watch parties, and retail displays that generated 9,000% growth in on-premise sales, 3K+ cans sampled during CFB tailgates, and a national rollout across key markets.
- Sports Partnership & Sales Enablement: Partnered with distributor to elevate brand visibility by securing and launching a season-long hockey arena sponsorship featuring in-game media, live experiences (Lucky Row Giveaways and onsite sampling), and retail support (expanded product placement and backbar branding), generating 4x sales growth versus control door and 42% MoM lift during peak attendance.
