Tim Ellis, currently the CMO of the NFL, has built a 35+ year career by delivering bold, ground-breaking marketing that has driven significant business results for some of the most iconic brands in the world. The secrets to his success could be characterized as having an uncanny instinct for creative brilliance; the courage and influential power to bring his vision to life with clarity and purpose; and the ability to build, unite and unleash strong teams as a multiplier of that vision. 

Tim has spent the last 19 years as a client-side marketer and worked over 16 years as an agency leader. The quality and breakthrough nature of his work has been consistent, spanning a multitude of industries in the US and abroad. This success of this body of work is undeniably linked to Tim’s personal influence and oversight. 

Even in his early years on the agency side, working for firms such as Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, Tim was always someone who the creative teams and clients alike wanted in the room. His core assignments at GS&P included the breakthrough Norwegian Cruise Line campaign, “It’s different Out Here,” and the highly acclaimed work on Alaska Airlines. 

Tim left GS&P and the U.S. to work for international agencies in Europe. He felt most international work was watered down and lackluster, and he wanted the opportunity to drive innovative and creative marketing programs across multiple markets and cultures. During his 12-year tenure on the agency and client side, he earned the reputation for delivering strong business results through bold marketing programs that resonated in diverse cultures around the world. While at Y&R Stockholm, he managed Ericsson mobile phone handsets across 42 countries in EMEA as they grew to become the #1 handset provider throughout the region. At Publicis, he led the European launch for Virgin’s new pan-European airline. He then was recruited to become a partner at Scandinavia’s most successful agency, Forsman and Bodenfors and contributed to some of the most distinctive and awarded campaigns in the world for brands such as Ikea, Volvo and Telia. Tim’s clients brought him close into their most inner circles so that he could guide them to help crack their most complex challenges. He was a driving force in helping the agency achieve global status that attracted major international clients both inside and outside Scandinavia. 

Volvo Global was his biggest client at Forsman and Bodenfors, and the company recruited him to lead their marketing communications across Europe and ultimately the world. His first assignment as a client was their biggest pan-European launch in decades for the S40. The launch campaign directed by Spike Jonze, “The Mystery of Dalaro,” is still seen as one of the most bold, innovative and successful marketing efforts in the history of the company. It has become a textbook example of unconventional marketing that early in 2003 invested in digital as a mass media vehicle. His second campaign, “Life on Board,” won the Titanium for the most forward-thinking campaign at the Cannes Lions festival. During his tenure at Volvo, he helped fuel significant gains in market share and lifted perceptions of the carmaker to successfully position it as a modern luxury brand.  

This work attracted VW of America, and Tim agreed to return to the U.S. and lead their marketing efforts during a time when VW opened a new US-based plant. Tim launched their first car from the plant with a Super Bowl spot that’s still considered one of the most iconic pieces of work of all time – “The Force.” More importantly, its launch before the Super Bowl on YouTube was both bold and unconventional at the time. TIME magazine wrote an article about the spot, entitled “The Ad That Changed Super Bowl Commercials Forever.” Additionally, VW was chosen as Global Advertiser of the Year at the Cannes Lions Creativity Festival. 

Tim left VW to lead global marketing for Activision. His vision was to build franchises such as Call of Duty into global mainstream powerhouses. He wanted to take gaming out of the basement, broaden its appeal and customer base, and invest in the marketing technology and processes necessary to enable year-around monetization through microtransactions. Within months of joining the company as CMO, he brought in a new agency 72andSunny and launched Modern Warfare 3 with the campaign, “Vet and Noob,” which won the Grand Effie for the most effective campaign in the industry. It was not only the biggest gaming launch ever, but also was the biggest entertainment launch ever, surpassing Avatar. During his 7-year tenure, Tim was recognized as an Adweek Brand Genius and built a strong integrated marketing machine that not only delivered the highest selling game of the year every year he was there, but also helped turn their business model into an engagement model that significantly decreased churn and dramatically increased revenue. 

Tim was then recruited as the NFL CMO in 2018 at a critical time for the NFL. With a courageous mindset and expansive marketing skillset, Tim cultivated the NFL into a sports league making major strides to be more human and compassionate, with its finger on the pulse of societal issues that resonate most with its fans. These strategies have directly resulted in a tangible resurgence of the NFL brand, with the perception of the league and players reaching an all-time high and viewership of NFL games dominating the media ecosystem. Tim’s first major campaign was the Super Bowl spot, “The 100-Year Game,” which brought together over 60 past and current players to celebrate the NFL’s 100-year anniversary. It was #1 on the USA Today Admeter. This was the first expression of Tim’s “helmets off strategy” that aimed to humanize the players and league, providing a more authentic, emotional expression for the brand. 

Since that time, the NFL has launched a series of campaigns that not only celebrate the joy of the game, but also leverage the league’s influence as a force for good. With Tim at the Marketing helm, the NFL has been willing to engage in complex, tough conversations on racism, show contrition for past mistakes, and leverage its strength and power to unite its fanbase of 218 million. 

Furthermore, Tim uses his role in the NFL to bring different leagues together. During the pandemic in 2020, he led a multisport effort to recognize and celebrate first responders. For Mental Health Awareness Month in 2024, Tim led a cross-sports initiative with the Ad Council that brought together 11 sports leagues as part of the “Love, Your Mind” campaign, which was created to destigmatize the conversation around mental health and ensure millions of fans have access to the resources and tools needed to prioritize their mental wellbeing. 

Tim has also taken an interest in shaping the marketing and advertising industry into a force for good. He’s on the Board of Directors and an Executive Committee member for Ad Council, where his leadership role allows him to promote important public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors. As a member of the Adweek DEI Council, he works with other CMOs, brand officers, presidents and more to accelerate meaningful change in diversity, equity and inclusion across the industry. For several years, Tim has also been an Adweek Executive Mentor.

Outside of work, Tim raises up the next generation through mentorship and philanthropy to do his personal part in driving positive change. He currently serves as a board member for Big Brother and Big Sisters of America, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network.