This profile is part of the Wellth 30, a curated recognition of the leaders building enduring brands, communities, and culture.
Marissa Solis, SVP, Global Brand and Consumer Marketing, NFL
At 23 years old, Marissa Solis walked into a client meeting in the Dominican Republic and was told by the head of the agency to get coffee while the men discussed the business.
She told him she was running the campaign.
Solis had grown up in Mexico before moving to the US at age 10, and she had wanted to become an ambassador. She ended up becoming something close to one: helping the NFL explain American football to audiences around the world.
Her remit now spans markets including Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Spain, where the challenge isn’t about exporting the NFL’s existing culture. It’s about translating it.
The work increasingly starts with the cultural moments through which people encounter the sport — music, celebrations, local communities and personalities — rather than assuming everyone arrives as a football fan.
That’s what an ambassador does: find the common language first.
