In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Rich Battista, executive chairman at ADWEEK, sits down with Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, to explore how marketing can transform a sports franchise into a cultural institution.
Steve shares how the Hawks built one of the NBA’s most engaged fan bases by focusing on experience, community, and audience relevance rather than relying solely on wins and losses.
He explains why adding “game experience” as a third business pillar creates loyalty that survives performance fluctuations, how a single piece of content can be repurposed into hundreds of platform-native assets, and why empowering creative teams leads to breakthrough campaigns.
The conversation also highlights the power of focus, community investment, and place-based marketing in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
What you’ll learn:
- How to position game experience as an advantage when on-court performance lags
- Why audience denial is a business killer
- The three-pillar blueprint for sports marketing
- How to activate younger audiences through platform-native creativity
- Why focus is the marketer’s most feared word
- How to build long-term brand equity through controlled risk-taking
- The underrated opportunity in place-based marketing
- How to leverage community impact as a brand platform
About the guest:
Steve Koonin is the CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, where he oversees the organization’s business, financial, and strategic operations. A lifelong Atlantan and accomplished marketing executive, he previously held leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company and Turner Broadcasting.
Since joining the Hawks in 2014, Koonin has transformed the franchise into a leader in fan experience, community impact, and innovation. He is a recipient of the Atlanta Sports Council Lifetime Achievement Award and SportsBusiness Journal’s Sports Executive of the Year.
Episode Highlights:
[05:09] Turn Experiences Into a Competitive Advantage — Steve Koonin explains that sports teams traditionally sell either hope for the future or sustained success, but the Atlanta Hawks built a third pillar: game experience. By making every game a cultural and entertainment event, the organization created loyalty that wasn’t dependent on wins and losses. This strategy helped the Hawks earn seven consecutive years as the NBA’s top game experience while maintaining strong attendance and fan engagement regardless of on-court performance.
