Driving strategic brand growth through high-impact partnerships
“I help brands and innovators scale impact and influence through strategic partnerships, storytelling, and emerging tech" TL
Verizon • Michael Jordan • Shaq • TV • Upper Deck • MLB • NHL • Cisco • Movies Fortune 500 Brands
Proven Partners, Platforms and Programs.
connecting world-class talent & Brands
Leadership in Sports, Innovation, and Connected Technology
- Advertising Age Top 100 Marketing Executives
- Co-Founder, NHL Celebrity All-Star Hockey
- Creator & Executive Producer, Faithful Friends
- Recognized for building trusted brands, scalable platforms, and cross-industry partnerships spanning sports, media, and connected technology.
Shaq & Loiacono
The Shaq SST with Ford Motor Company was a bold fusion of performance, personality, and design—shaped by Tony Loiacono’s hands-on vision. Building on his earlier work designing the iconic Eddie Bauer Bronco II, Loiacono collaborated directly with Shaquille O'Neal to create a vehicle that matched Shaq’s larger-than-life presence. The result blended custom aesthetics, brand storytelling, and functional innovation—an authentic celebrity-driven design that proved when trust and creativity align, automotive culture becomes entertainment, marketing, and legacy in motion.
• AI-driven IoT platforms • Predictive analytics •Scalable recurring revenue •Connected performance technology •Enterprise digital transformation
Proven IoT Partners, Platforms and Programs.
•Brand Architecture •Positioning Talent •Strategic Partnerships •Media • Storytelling • IP • Connected Technology • Strategy • Tactics
Pay It Forward Key To A-Listers
• Helped scale Upper Deck from $18M to over $300M in under two years • Executed landmark athlete, licensing, and media deals (NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR) • Developed breakthrough sports and broadcast technologies • Produced and advised global media and technology projects • Trusted Partners
From Advertising Executive to Brand ManageMENT
Upper Deck A Game Changer
At Upper Deck, Tony Loiacono was recruited by Richard McWilliam to be his right-hand strategist, helping scale the company from $18 million to $302 million in under two years. As chronicled in Card Sharks by Pete Williams, insight, licensing discipline, and bold talent deals fueled the rise, signing Shaquille O’Neal to his first million-dollar agreement, securing Michael Jordan and Joe Montana, and forging a future partnership with Ted Williams, #9—transforming a hobby into a global sports-collectibles powerhouse, forever legendary.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good
Upper Deck revolutionized sports collectibles by introducing premium quality, authenticated autographs, and athlete-first licensing. It transformed a childhood hobby into a global business, elevating storytelling, brand trust, and athlete partnerships—setting standards the entire industry followed.
The Bad
Rapid growth, intense competition, and escalating licensing costs created pressure. As imitators flooded the market, overproduction and short-term thinking diluted exclusivity and strained retailer and collector confidence.
The Ugly
Legal battles, fractured partnerships, and internal power struggles exposed the darker side of explosive success. What began as innovation eventually became survival, proving that in collectibles, credibility is as fragile as cardboard.
Tony Loiacono
Ad Age’s Top 100 Marketers
Tony Loiacono was named one of Advertising Age’s Top 100 Marketers, recognition reserved for innovators who change industries. The honor followed breakthrough work at Upper Deck, where the Trade Jordan campaign with Michael Jordan redefined athlete marketing and global demand. Simultaneously, his leadership of the NHL Celebrity Hockey Team fused entertainment, philanthropy, and sport, proving experiential storytelling scales brands, builds trust, and moves markets, taking his influence to a new level globally today.
Field of Dreams "Loiacono Receives key to City"
From Cornfield to Collectibles: How Tony Loiacono United the Field of Dreams, Dyersville’s Key to the City, and Upper Deck’s Celebrity Legacy
Tony Loiacono’s legacy uniquely bridges Field of Dreams, the City of Dyersville, and the rise of Upper Deck as a cultural force. Honored with the Key to the City of Dyersville, Loiacono was recognized for helping elevate the Field of Dreams from a beloved film location into a global symbol of baseball, Americana, and storytelling. That same vision carried into Upper Deck, where Loiacono helped transform sports collectibles into premium, celebrity-driven experiences. Icons including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Montana, and Wayne Gretzky gathered at Upper Deck moments that felt more like Hollywood premieres than card signings. Together, the Key to the City and Upper Deck’s celebrity legacy reflect Loiacono’s rare ability to connect community, sport, film, and iconic talent into enduring cultural history.
Loiacono's Big Break in 1984
Tony Loiacono played a pivotal role in the 1984 launch of the Eddie Bauer Bronco II for Ford Motor Company, blending lifestyle branding with automotive storytelling. The campaign’s success showcased his ability to connect product, culture, and audience, earning national attention inside the company. That momentum led Loiacono to relocate to Los Angeles, where he joined ABC TV’s production efforts for the 1984 Summer Olympics, applying the same narrative discipline to broadcast innovation and global-scale sports media impact worldwide.
From Motorcraft to the Olympics: Tony and Lori Loiacono’s First A-List Moment Hosting Pete Rose
Tony Loiacono began his rise in brand leadership during the 1979 relaunch of Ford Rotunda Oil into Motorcraft, a pivotal moment in modern automotive brand strategy. As an Account Executive, he mastered disciplined, end-to-end brand management—positioning, dealer distribution, consumer trust, and national messaging at scale. His first A-list hosting milestone followed at the 1982 MLB All-Star Game, where Tony, alongside his wife Lori Loiacono, hosted Pete Rose on behalf of Ford Motorcraft. That early intersection of sports, celebrity, and relationship-driven brand storytelling accelerated Loiacono’s promotion to General Manager at Robert Landau Associates in Los Angeles. There, his brand discipline directly supported high-profile Olympic marketing initiatives tied to the 1984 Summer Olympics, cementing his reputation for translating brand rigor into global media impact.