Entering her fourth season as Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand, Emily Griffin oversees all global brand and consumer marketing operations for the Club. Griffin and her team ideate and execute innovative strategies to create new Lions fans and bring existing fans closer to their team through engaging programming, content, live events and entertainment, retail promotions, and strategic partnerships.
Griffin recently served as co-chair of the marketing committee for the 2024 NFL Draft, which set an event record for attendance as more than 775,000 people ventured to Detroit over the three days. In April 2024, Griffin led the integrated retail launch for the team's new uniforms. Griffin also played a key role in their design – a multi-year project in partnership with the NFL, Nike and Riddell.
Griffin's teams have played an integral role in personalizing the fan experience for the Lions, including recently helping lead the launch of the Lions' international expansion through the NFL's Global Market Program (GMP) Currently, the Lions activate brand marketing opportunities in Brazil, Canada and the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) through the GMP.
In 2023, the Lions achieved the NFL's top ranking in Game Entertainment under her leadership. The same year, Griffin led the creation and unveiling of a new monument to Barry Sanders at Ford Field, the first of its kind for a former Lions player or coach. Griffin also spearheaded the NFL's first-ever Women In Football game on September 24, 2023.
In 2017, Griffin was the driving force behind the organization's comprehensive rebrand, which featured an initial launch of new uniforms that were worn through the 2023 season.
Griffin joined the Lions in December 2014 as Digital Media and Corporate Partnerships Strategist, tasked with aligning the team's digital social and mobile platforms, streamlining corporate partner activations in the space, and driving revenue from the club's digital assets. She was promoted to Vice President of Marketing in 2016.
Before entering the NFL, Griffin spent more than three years (2011-2014) with HelloWorld, Inc. (now Merkle) in a variety of roles. Most notably, she was Account Director for the firm's largest client, the Coca-Cola Company, developing and executing successful digital marketing campaigns for their largest sports and entertainment partners.
Griffin began her career with Palace Sports & Entertainment in 2008 as Marketing Coordinator. She spent 3 seasons in the NBA where the Pistons named her 2009 Corporate Marketing Employee of The Year. She was promoted to Account Manager in 2011. While at Palace Sports & Entertainment, Griffin implemented corporate sponsorships for all their portfolio properties.
A native of Southeastern Michigan, Griffin graduated from Hope College in Holland, Mich. with degrees in Communication and Political Science. She and her husband, Payton, were married in 2022.
