“Rita has figured out how to make sure people feel she’s doing everything she can to make their property successful. And, of course, make Disney successful.” 

— Ed Erhardt, former president, global sales and marketing, ESPN 

By Jon Lafayette

Rita Ferro, president, global advertising at The Walt Disney Co., was already an industry legend when Ally Financial chief marketing officer Andrea Brimmer first met her at a golf tournament on South Carolina’s Kiawah Island 10 years ago.
Ferro lived up to her reputation. 
She was just normal and fun,” Brimmer said. “We have been close friends ever since.”
When Brimmer turned 60, Ferro and her team flew to meet Brimmer in Charlotte for lunch and gifted her a pair of Gucci sneakers.
In an industry that runs on relationships, Ferro takes care of business.
When Ally launched a multimillion-dollar initiative to match its ad spending on men’s sports with spending on women’s sports, it needed more primetime women’s games. “The first person I called was Rita,” Brimmer said. Ferro got ESPN to make that happen. “That’s what she does,” Brimmer said.

Building Trust

Ally now spends more of its ad budget with The Walt Disney Co. than any other media company.
Ferro, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, grew up in Miami. She was working in New York when she got an opportunity to return to Miami to help launch MTV Latin America.
Later, when friends were interviewing for a sales job at ESPN, she was asked to interview, too. She got the job.
Working in sports in Latin America meant she was often the only woman in the room. “She was suddenly managing a bunch of Latin sales guys,” recalled former ESPN president, global sales and marketing Ed Erhardt.
“She was really good at understanding how to be authentic, how to get them to trust her and, at the same time, when there was a need for a certain amount of sternness, Rita could do that, too.”
“I grew up with brothers,” Ferro said in explaining her ability to hold her own in a male-dominated environment.

When ESPN was acquired, Ferro started working for more Disney divisions. “Rita has figured out how to make sure people feel she’s doing everything she can to make their property successful,” Erhardt said. “And, of course, make Disney successful.”
When ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro first joined Disney as head of its interactive unit, Ferro was his sales head. When Erhardt retired, Pitaro endorsed having her absorb Erhardt’s responsibilities.
“She attends the games, not just because she’s a fan, but because it’s important for her to be present and engaging with our partners and our clients,” Pitaro marveled.
Now Ferro is monetizing ESPN’s upcoming Super Bowl telecast. “We’re very pleased with the progress she’s made,” Pitaro said. “She’s already sold many units at $9 million or above, and so we feel great about that.”
Ferro said she wants to be known as somebody people love to work for and with. She also stands up for diversity. “I know I never got a job because I was a woman or because I was a Latina. I got it because I worked my ass off. Always.”

“Very few people could say they have 29 years at a company that means that much, not only to them, but to the fans that they deal with every single day.”

— Rita Ferro

Ahead of the Curve

As the television business turned to digital, Ferro helped steer Disney toward streaming ad revenue. 
“I think my greatest opportunity was seeing that early and being prepared to take advantage of it,” Ferro said. “If I had to point to one defining thing that changed us, that was it.” 
John Muszynski, chairman of Publicis’ PMX media-negotiating unit, said he made a deal with Ferro that gave Publicis an incentive to buy more streaming. 
“I think she was ahead of the curve,” he said. “She figured out there was a real need to have revenue shift to streaming and she went out and did a deal with us that increased her share and that share remains three upfronts later. She made a really smart decision.”
Ferro made Muszynski’s day when she invited him to the 2023 NHL draft. A Chicago Blackhawks fan, he got to meet top pick Connor Bedard just after his name was called. “She's just a really, really thoughtful and caring individual,” he said. 

Ferro’s sports fandom now includes Clemson University, where her daughter is a senior and interning with a sports marketing agency. In addition to her Knicks and Rangers, she roots for her husband’s favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers. 
Ferro is also looking forward to taking her mom to Paris for her 80th birthday. They’ll have a private tour of the rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral and attend mass there the next day.
“I love what I do,” Ferro said. “I’m lucky because I get to work at Disney. Very few people could say they have 29 years at a company that means that much, not only to them, but to the fans that they deal with every single day.”