Loyola welcomes Brad Downs, vice president of marketing from the Baltimore Ravens, to deliver the 2018 DeFrancis Lecture
| By Stephanie Weaver
Brad Downs, vice president of marketing from the Baltimore Ravens, will deliver Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management’s 2018 DeFrancis Lecture, presented by M&T Bank, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 at 6 p.m. in McGuire Hall.
The lecture will focus on brand and fan engagement and Downs will discuss some of the ways the Ravens have utilized their brand and other experiential marketing initiatives to engage with fans and grow the Ravens fanbase. While the lecture is free and open to the public, registration is required.
Downs joined the Ravens in 2002 and was promoted to vice president of marketing in 2014. In his role, he leads the team’s advertising, branding, game entertainment, fan development, promotions, and partnership activation efforts. Downs worked as an account executive and a manger of fan development prior to his promotion.
During his time as vice president, he revamped the youth initiatives by creating RISE, a first-of-its-kind youth football platform to encourage participation in the sport and engage with youth through high school football. The program engages with more than 20,000 annually.
In 2016, Downs was named a Baltimore Business Journal 40 under 40 honoree. In 2017, Downs was inducted into the Robert Morris University Sports Management Hall of Fame. He also serves on the board of the Ravens Foundation.
About M&T Bank and their partnership with the Baltimore Ravens:
The partnership with M&T Bank and the Baltimore Ravens began in 2003 with a 15 year agreement. In 2014, M&T Bank and the Ravens announced a 10-year, $60 million extension of their partnership, which included the continuation of naming rights to the M&T Bank Stadium and an array of community-focused programs.