Ford Pro Brand Head is Detroit Lions Superfan

When he’s not at work finding creative ways to bring the Ford Pro brand to life, Iain Lanivich can be found on Facebook, Instagram – and at Ford Field – demonstrating his “super fan” support for the Detroit Lions.

Lanivich, who heads up Ford Pro Brand Creative & Content, was a diehard Lions fan long before it was considered cool to be one. He’s had season tickets since 2000 – when the team was playing at the Pontiac Silverdome – and he stuck with them ever since.

“People go to the games for different reasons. Some like being with their friends. Others like to tailgate. I like to be part of the game,” he said. “Even when we were losing every week, I was screaming on every defensive play because I know sound can impact on offense. If I can do anything as a fan to influence others and make a difference, I’ll do it.” 

Lanivich is proud of his Detroit Lions. In fact, he was instrumental in creating the “One Detroit. One Pride” mantra that has become a rallying cry for the team.

“There were two things going on when we launched One Pride. We had big name players on the team like Reggie Bush and Calvin Johnson, but the team wasn’t doing well. At the same time, Detroit was filing for bankruptcy, so the city wasn’t doing well,” said Lanivich, who developed the slogan while working as a digital creative director for Campbell Ewald in 2013. 

“When we came up with the idea for One Detroit. One Pride, it was about leveling the playing field to say everyone has a role to play to bring success to our team and our city,” he said. “With sports team, typically they change out their slogans every couple of years. In this case, I think we really hit on something.” 

Lanivich is not the only Lions’ fan in his family. His father Leonard remembers the Lions winning their last championship game in 1957 and his children – Genevieve, Lilla and Drexel – represent the third generation of Lions fans.  

“Genevieve really loves football. She’s a true fan of the game,” said Lanivich. “A long time back she said, if it’s always going to be on in the house, I might as well learn it, so she always asks questions.” 

To demonstrate their solidarity with the Lions, the Lanivich clan has been painting their faces for every game since 2012. 

“When my wife and I took our daughter Genevieve to her first game, she wanted to get her face painted. They pointed us to the face painting area, and it was almost all kids. My daughter asked me if I wanted to get my face painted too,” Lanivich explained. “I asked the man to make me an angry lion. Little did I know that he was the owner of the face painting company. He wins competitions, and he’s amazing. He transformed me into a super fan, and from that day on the face painting has been like a family ritual.” 

When the Lions made it into the playoffs, Lanivich added another dimension to his tribute. He colored his hair blue … but it wasn’t the first time.

“My first day at work at Ford two years ago I showed up with blue hair. I’m a creative, and I guess I wanted to make that apparent on day one. Everybody in Ford Pro always asks me to re-dye my hair,” he explained. “So, when the Lions made the playoffs, it was like killing two birds with one stone, making people at work happy and supporting the Lions.”

Whether he’s at work or at a Lions’ game, Lanivich said it’s important to him to give his all.