The ACC Gets Strategic: Why Marques Zak’s New Role is the Blueprint for Culture in College Sports
Former American Express executive takes cultural marketing chops to college sports
In a move that signals a significant reorientation toward cultural relevance in collegiate athletics, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has named Marques Zak as its first chief marketing and brand officer. The creation of this executive role, which places Zak directly on Commissioner Jim Phillips’ executive team, recognizes that the future of major college conferences hinges less on tradition alone and more on sophisticated, high-level brand infrastructure.
Zak, who currently serves as an advisor to Pulse: Fitness Collective, has been tasked with setting and executing the ACC’s entire marketing and brand strategy. His mandate covers all digital, social and live experiences, aimed at strengthening visibility and fan engagement across the Conference’s 18 member institutions. These institutions include prominent names such as Duke University, Florida State University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More precisely, his work centers on “celebrating student-athletes, elevating storytelling, and positioning the ACC as a leader in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”
Commissioner Phillips underscored the strategic nature of the new marketing and brand leader, calling Zak a “proven marketing innovator whose leadership has consistently brought brands closer to their audiences in authentic and impactful ways.” He added that Zak’s “vision and experience will be invaluable as we continue to elevate the ACC brand, celebrate our student-athletes, and deepen engagement across our 18 member institutions.”
Zak joins the ACC after four years at American Express, where he served as the head of multicultural marketing. It was there where he launched the company’s first enterprise-wide multicultural marketing strategy, earning recognition for building campaigns that deepened relevance with Gen Z and millennial audiences. That work, which led to his induction into the 2024 AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement, reflects the kind of cultural fluency necessary for college sports to engage the next generation of viewers.
Zak’s background also includes nearly a decade at PepsiCo, where he held senior leadership roles, including guiding brand strategy and execution for a Frito-Lay North America business unit valued at $1.2 billion. He began his career as a strategy consultant at Deloitte, specializing in M&A strategy and integration.
In a LinkedIn post, reflecting on the journey that has taken him from “consulting boardrooms to PepsiCo’s retail aisles, to global stages with American Express,” Zak noted that each stop has built upon the next, preparing him to “help shape the brand of one of the most storied conferences in college athletics.”
For Zak, who is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College and a former captain of the Maroon Tigers track and field team, the appointment is about more than personal achievement. It signifies a larger industry shift.
“This moment is about more than just me,” Zak stated, detailing the commitment the conference is making to storytelling: “It’s about the commitment the ACC is making to storytelling, culture, and brand at the highest level,” signaling the future of college athletics: “engaging fans in fresh ways, celebrating student-athletes, and building on a proud tradition of excellence.” He expressed his honor in joining the team as the ACC’s first chief marketing and brand officer.
His hire signals that major athletic conferences now view culturally-fluent marketing as essential infrastructure for long-term sustainability and growth. Zak, no doubt, brings the specialized expertise needed to ensure the ACC can move at the pace of culture.