The Green and Gold will Miss Their Marketing Superstars

This column originally published on December 24, 2007 in The Appleton Post-Crescent.

Out on Madison Avenue in New York, they regularly pay homage to their current and past marketing and advertising icons. Here in the New North, we have our share of business icons that deserve a tip of the cap as well. Two of them office at 1265 Lombardi Avenue and this column is dedicated to them.

Just as its famed frozen tundra has played host to many of football’s greatest players, the hallowed halls of Lambeau Field have seen their share of standouts in the executive suites as well. GM Vince Lombardi certainly heads the list, but others like Ron Wolf also performed at the top of their games and professions while with this magical franchise.

Bob Harlan and Lee Remmel, however, rank in a class by themselves, having established a new bar for administrators and marketers in the sports world to reach for in the future, especially here in Titletown country. Together, they’ve given 70 years of exemplary service to the green and gold, not even counting Remmel’s nearly 30 years covering the Pack for the Green Bay Press-Gazette prior to joining the team’s front office.

As Harlan moves into the role of consultant and chairman emeritus when this season ends (after the Super Bowl, of course) and Remmel retires at year-end from his legendary stint as public relations guru and team historian, you can bet there will be a void at Lambeau. You don’t replace that kind of dedication, experience and knowledge overnight. Most of all, you can’t place a value on their passion, which is so critical to effective marketing of any organization.

In my opinion, it really is that simple. Bob and Lee have achieved such great success because they both have a passion for the organization and what it means to the community and Wisconsin – and they’ve always emphasized doing things right as well as doing the right thing.

I was fortunate to have shared many a conversation with these two crafty right-handers (that’s a Lee-ism) during my two seasons with the team as a PR assistant in ’81 and ’82. The second year was a strike year, so there was extra opportunity for me to watch and learn. Bob and Lee were always willing to impart their wisdom, which I was eager to soak in. Add in some great direction from the consummate professional, Bart Starr, and those two seasons became an unforgettable experience for a kid just finishing college.

Bob was vice president then and no one knew the pivotal role he was about to play in the franchise’s history. Truly, he has proven to be one of the most important leaders – on or off the field – the team has known.

As marketers, the two have very different styles and serve different purposes. Remmel has always been a substance-over-flash, nose-to-the-grindstone public relations pro driven by the facts as well as a sense of history and, ultimately, by getting the media what they needed to get the story right. Hard work is one of his hallmarks.

Harlan is a brand-building CEO who knows the value of balancing the substance and the flash. He started as a sports information director with Marquette University, then worked five years with baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals before beginning his love affair with the Packers. And though many people believe his greatest accomplishments were returning the glory of winning a Super Bowl to Titletown and, oh yeah, that little thing known as saving the franchise, I would also suggest that it’s the everyday marketing that Mr. Harlan did – for 37 years – that sets him apart. Known as a guy who always answered his own phone, he has guided the Packers masterfully during the formative marketing years of the NFL and has launched a brand that has positioned the Packers as approachable and likeable. Quite an accomplishment but not surprising, I suppose, since this also describes these two legendary sports marketers to a tee.