What’s it like to communicate “Royally”? Toby Cook, vice president-publicity for The Kansas City Royals, will share marketing insights ranging from championships to COVID-19.
The year 2020 brought the COVID-19 pandemic, creating havoc around the world and to professional sports, including Major League Baseball and the Kansas City Royals. From working around a shortened season, players testing positive, and playing ball without fans, managing the Royals PR and communications has been a challenge. Toby Cook, Vice President of Publicity for the Kansas City Royals, will share how the Royals strategically adapted and improvised communications to meet the demands of the moment. Their plan included quickly sharing good news about the return to baseball and tying this to the team’s 2015 World Series championship. Toby will also discuss the connection between communications, PR and marketing, and his evolution from a member of the news media to master marketer. The event will be held via Zoom and a link will be emailed to you the day before the presentation.
Toby Cook Toby Cook is in his 14th full season with the Royals and serves as the team’s Vice President-Publicity. A veteran of broadcast journalism, Cook is a main spokesperson for the Club’s off-the-field matters. He works with local, regional and national media and regularly speaks to organizations throughout the Midwest on Royals activities. He also serves an integral role in Royals FanFest and other special events.
Cook had previously served as Vice President of Community Affairs & Publicity and oversaw the team’s community and charity initiatives. During that time, the Royals added a series of successful charity events, distributing millions of dollars in grants, tickets and memorabilia to the community.
Prior to joining the Royals, Cook spent 15 years as a news anchor and reporter at four television stations, including WDAF-TV in Kansas City. He has also reported for several radio stations and newspapers.
Cook is a graduate and Outstanding Alumnus Award winner from Pittsburg (Kan.) State University.
He and his wife, Barbara, live in Overland Park, Kan., and have five children: Adam, Molly, Annie, Andrew and Caroline.