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Adam Herstig
Company
Lids
Location
Carmel, Indiana, United States
Bio
Adam Herstig is a global brand marketing and business leader based in the Indianapolis area, currently SVP of Marketing & Partnerships at Lids. He previously held multiple VP marketing roles across major retail brands, including Foot Locker (enterprise marketing and brand development), Champs/Eastbay, and SNIPES. Earlier, he led international business in Shanghai at Outerstuff and ran marketing for Mitchell & Ness International, with additional experience at adidas (NBA Marketing Manager) and Reebok. He holds a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from Emerson College and speaks multiple languages including English, Hebrew, and Romanian.
Adam Herstig is a global brand...
description
Sitting at the cross roads of fan and fashion, Lids provides headwear and apparel across North America, Europe, and Australia. Operating out of Indianapolis, IN, Lids retail stores and affiliated concepts offer officially licensed headwear from collegiate teams and major professional sports teams, as well as branded headwear and other specialty fashion categories in the latest styles and trends in over 1,200 locations.
Sitting at the cross roads of...
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Actionable Takeaways
Not Everything Needs Marketing — Know When You're in a Hot Market:
When the Yankees and Dodgers are in the World Series and Lids operates those clubhouse stores, the demand is already there. The job becomes showing up and drawing attention to availability — not creating desire. Recognizing hot markets versus cold ones determines where energy and budget go.
Customization Is the In-Store Superpower No One Can Replicate Online:
Patching, curving, embroidery, jewelry on hats — these are things customers can only experience at Lids. It's become a campaign pillar precisely because it can't be commoditized by e-commerce. The physical retail differentiation argument is hiding in a hat store.
A Team of 30 Can Run a National Retail Marketing Operation — But Only by Prioritizing Ruthlessly:
30 people covering multiple leagues, hundreds of teams, thousands of SKUs across 1,300+ stores. The only way that works is radical prioritization, comfort with chaos, and a culture that moves faster than traditional retail expects.
Media Diversification Isn't Just Strategy — It's Accountability Infrastructure:
Running TV, radio, out-of-home, coupons, and bag inserts simultaneously isn't just about reach. It means different attribution sources that keep each other honest. When you only run one channel, one set of numbers tells you one story. Multiple channels create a system of checks.
AI in Consumer Marketing: Baby Steps Are the Right Steps:
Lids is using AI for copy generation, content versioning (same hat, 50 team colorways), and campaign ideation. But Adam is deliberate about not going fully AI on consumer-facing campaigns — the risk of backlash, of appearing to replace creative talent, is real and worth managing carefully.
A Great Idea Bucks the Trend:
The Simpsons x MLB collaboration is a perfect example: put a great creative idea on top of any IP combination, and it performs regardless of which league is the vehicle. The best campaigns aren't optimized to a sport — they're optimized to a human truth.
The Next Generation Is Coming Back to the Mall:
Adam is genuinely encouraged by data showing Gen Z embracing mall culture. For a brand built on physical retail, this is the most important underlying trend — and the upcoming holiday season is the live test of whether that behavioral shift is real and durable.
World Cup 2026 Is a Customer Acquisition Moment Unlike Any Other:
Domestic soccer fans plus international travelers flooding US cities creates a consumer profile Lids doesn't normally reach. The question Adam is most curious about: can they acquire new customers who've never thought of Lids as their store?
Conversation Highlights
Adam Herstig, SVP of Marketing & Partnerships at Lids, brings two decades of sports licensing experience to one of retail’s most recognizable brands – nearly 1,300 stores globally, the NBA and NHL store operations, college bookstore businesses, and a growing lineup of categories from trading cards to in-store customization. In this episode, Adam breaks down what it actually means to market a brand that is simultaneously a licensed retailer, a destination experience, and a cultural institution in the sports world. He talks about when sports marketing sells itself (World Series, anyone?) and when it needs a real push, why media diversification is the only honest way to measure attribution, and how a team of just 30 people manages campaigns across dozens of leagues, hundreds of teams, and thousands of SKUs. He also gives his honest read on AI in consumer-facing marketing – cautious, deliberate, and smarter than most.
Topics Discussed
- Adam’s career arc: American Eagle, Reebok, Adidas, Mitchell & Ness, kids licensed apparel in Asia Pacific, Snipes, Foot Locker, and now Lids
- The full scope of Lids Inc: ~1,300 Lids stores, Lids Locker Rooms, NBA stores, NHL stores, college bookstore businesses
- Hot markets vs. new categories: when sport demand does the marketing for you, and when you need to actually push
- Customization as Lids’ in-store superpower — patching, curving, embroidery, jewelry — and how it’s been featured in every campaign
- Trading cards: a year and a half old at Lids, now a real and growing category
- Access Pass Premium loyalty program: $10/year, up to 20% off hats, birthday gifts, VIP perks at events
- HQ in Indianapolis, 5 days in office, small NYC office for branding/PR/collaborations
- Marketing team of 30 managing campaigns across leagues, teams, and thousands of SKUs
- The pace of Lids: testing, iterating, embracing the chaos — what makes the company culture remarkable
- Media diversification philosophy: TV, radio, out-of-home, coupons, bag filler — diversify to keep channels honest
- AI approach: backend efficiency yes, consumer-facing campaigns — baby steps only; copy and content versioning are the practical wins
- MLB as synonymous with hat culture; F1 growing; WWE entering the lineup; World Cup 2026 as a major test
- Experiential marketing at Super Bowls, All-Stars, Fanatics Fest — RIP to Rep trading card event
- International presence: Canada, Mexico, Australia; 2026 World Cup as an opportunity to capture new customers
- 2026 goals: drive store traffic, grow loyalty membership, acquire new customers via World Cup, nail holiday
