LOIACONO. CONNECTOR. STRATEGIST. BUILDER. Innovator. Story t
With a career spanning sports, entertainment, fashion, and innovation, Tony Loiacono helps leaders grow impact, build trust, and shape narratives that resonate across industries. That influence includes collaborations with iconic designers such as Jeff Hamilton, whose work defined the intersection of style & sports.
About Tony Loiacono
From Global Brands to Connected Platforms: A Record of Scalable Growth
- Architected brand platforms at Ford, FCB, and Upper Deck
- Helped grow Upper Deck revenues from under $18M to $300M+
- Negotiated licensing with NBA, NFL, NHL; worked with Jordan, Gretzky, Shaq and many more.
- Named Top 100 Marketing Executive – Advertising Age (1992)
- Founder, NHL Celebrity All-Star Hockey Team (raised ~$6M for charity)
- Creator & Executive Producer, Faithful Friends (Animal Planet; 70% U.S. syndication)
- Chairman, Cono.io – IoT platforms with Verizon, Vodafone, Cisco, Ford, PG&E
Technology & IoT Leadership
At the forefront of early IoT innovation, Tony leads connected technology platforms that merge sensor intelligence, data analytics, and narrative clarity—supporting enterprise operations, logistics, sports performance, and animal health ecosystems.
His work originating within the Verizon Innovation Center, and extending through global collaborations with Vodafone and Cisco, helped translate emerging IoT capabilities into predictive, recurring-revenue systems built for scale—carrying decades of brand leadership into the connected era.
Iconic Brands Meet Connectivity
Tony Loiacono is a Top 100 Marketing Executive recognized by Advertising Age for transforming storytelling into measurable enterprise value. Across a 40+ year career, he has built iconic brands and platforms spanning sports, entertainment, automotive, animal health, and connected technology.
From pioneering affinity vehicles for Ford to scaling Upper Deck into a global powerhouse, and later leading IoT engagements with Verizon, Vodafone, and Cisco, Loiacono consistently bridges creativity with data, trust, and scale. Today, as Chairman of Cono.io, he focuses on connected systems that drive insight, performance, and recurring value across industries.
A Career Built on Trust, Talent, and Timing
Working with Best of Best
Loiacono worked directly Legendary David Falk & Michael on the International Campaign "TRADE JORDAN" that led Loiacono to be named Top 100 Marketers by AD AGE. MEMORY. The biggest memory was when David Falk said "Chicago May Trade Michael," in that moment the Billboard Campaign was born. That single sentence transformed speculation into strategy, turning Upper Deck into the center of a global conversation and marking one of the most daring breakout moments in the brand’s history.
Top 100 Marketers by Advertising Age
The defining moment came when David Falk quietly said, “Chicago may trade Michael.”
In that instant, a casual conversation ignited a cultural flashpoint. What began as a provocative thought became the TRADE JORDAN billboard campaign—an audacious idea that stopped traffic, dominated headlines, and redefined sports marketing.
Great Collaborations
The SHAQ SST FORD EXPEDITION
The Shaq SST Expedition, developed in collaboration with Ford Motor Company, redefined celebrity vehicle design by seamlessly blending performance, scale, and personality. More than a custom build, the project became a blueprint for authentic athlete-driven automotive branding. Working directly with Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Loiacono played a central role in shaping a full-size SUV that reflected Shaq’s larger-than-life presence—inside the cabin, across exterior design elements, and throughout the storytelling that surrounded the launch.
That collaboration was built on trust forged years earlier at Upper Deck, where Loiacono famously helped Shaq secure his first million-dollar deal, marking the beginning of a long-standing professional relationship. The Shaq SST Expedition also built upon Loiacono’s earlier success designing the iconic Eddie Bauer Bronco II, extending Ford’s affinity-marketing legacy into a bold new era. As Ford noted at the time, “This project proved how design, branding, and authenticity can come together to create a vehicle as iconic as the athlete behind it.” The result was not just a vehicle, but a cultural statement—where automotive design, celebrity partnership, and strategic brand execution converged to create lasting impact.
Tony Loiacono helped Drs. Foster and Smith catalyze a successful sale to Petco, widely believed to be valued at approximately $281 million in 2015. Serving as architect and executive producer of Faithful Friends Television, Loiacono designed and executed an $8 million, two-year growth strategy that positioned the brand for scale. The show became a national awareness engine—uniting elite animal-health marketers such as Mars and Central Garden & Pet, while featuring crossover talent including Jeff Gordon and Bill Goldberg. The strategy blended storytelling, education, and commerce across broadcast, digital, and retail—driving brand authority, audience trust, and measurable enterprise value nationwide.
Hollywood's Greatest, Olympians and NHL Legends UNITE
NHL Celebrity All-Star Hockey
As ExecutiveDirector of the NHL Celebrity All-Star Team, Loiacono had a two decade relationship with the NHL Legends, A-Listers from Hollywood and Olympians. Working together with a all-star team of Hollywood Stars and NHL Legends, was part of our NHL Celebrity Team Gordie helped raise over $6 million for Charity. MEMORY: Gordie would always nudge my boys on the bench and squirt them with his water bottle. My boys remember it to this day ... it happened numerous times. R.I.P.
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