With over 25 years of management experience, Jon Last is founder and President of Sports and Leisure Research Group, a White Plains, NY based full service marketing research consultancy that supports leading brands in sports marketing, travel, media and leisure categories as well as a host of golf, travel and consumer product company clients.
Jon’s previous experience includes more than seven years as Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Research and Brand Development for Conde Nast’s Golf Digest Publications division. At GDP, Last and his team built a full service marketing research, relationship marketing and strategy firm that was leveraged to drive over $30 million of advertising revenue annually and emerged as a leader in supporting marketers in golf and travel.
Prior to leading the Golf Digest Publications marketing efforts, Last served in senior marketing and strategic planning roles within the leisure and sports industries. At the PGA of America, Jon developed and managed all marketing research, including initiating the All About Golf series of consumer segmentation studies that received national attention in The Wall Street Journal and American Demographics. Jon also oversaw marketing and retailing activities surrounding the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup Matches and PGA Golf Expositions, and oversaw business operations for PGA Merchandising, licensing and event retailing. Jon has also overseen loyalty marketing, E-business, marketing research and product management for a leading cruise line.
A frequent speaker at national industry conferences and a recognized expert in the golf, travel and media research space, Jon authors a monthly “Marketing Sports” column for Media Post’s Marketing Insider. He currently serves on the national board of directors for Marketing Research Institute International (MRII), where he chairs the marketing committee and was Board President in 2017. He has previously served on the national boards of The Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA), The Council for Marketing and Opinion Research (CMOR) and is a past president of the Insights Association (Formerly Marketing Research Associaton (MRA)). He received MRA’s national Award of Excellence in 2004. In 2013, Last was named one of the most innovative people in the golf business by Golf, Inc. Magazine.
Last holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University.