Brett Meyer has a simple vision for US Sports Camps as its new VP of brand marketing.
“I want to grow this brand into the most trusted brand in youth sports,” he told Buying Sandlot. “Not just youth sports camps, but youth sports.”
It is a unique challenge for Meyer.
USSC — owned by Youth Enrichment Brands — is celebrating its 50th year. The platform supports camps in all 50 states, Canada and the United Kingdom and has had 200K campers this year. But many likely think of Nike Sports Camps — USSC has been the licensing partner for 30 years — or a individual college camp (i.e. Stanford tennis) before the operator behind it all.
“You are talking about a brand that has been a leader in youth sports camps for 50 years. The history and heritage goes way back,” Meyer said. “But in my estimation coming in, it’s not that well-known outside of small circles of folks, and we’re really known for Nike Sports Camps and things we work with and work on.
"Being able to tell our story and build that brand is first and foremost what I’m here for. Consistency in our messaging, in our branding, in our look, in our feel. Engaging with coaches, with families and kids and trying to grow in that sense. … You have to pull the curtain back a little bit.”
Meyer previously spent over a decade at Nike, where he was the brand manager for North American soccer. He also more recently spent time with two biotech startups. His goal with USSC is to both connect with top-tier coaches and partners across the platform’s 25 sports as well as with youth sports families.
“As a parent, I want to know my kid is going to be a safe,” Meyer said. “I want to be able to trust the camp they are going to, know they are going to have real development, some growth going on there. And I want to know they are going to have fun. I want our logo to stand for that, so when you see it, it is a stamp of approval.”
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