Fusion Bank Appoints Charlotte Luer CMO, And Other Hires

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This week: executive shakeups as Nintendo’s president retires, Facebook appoints a new public policy lead, Mars promotes advertising inclusivity, Life Fitness prepares to split from Brunswick and others.

Fusion Bank Taps Charlotte Luer For CMO

Cannabis-operator financial manager Fusion Bank has hired Charlotte Luer as its chief marketing officer.

“We are exceptionally excited and privileged to have such an experienced and capable marketing, PR, and investor relations professional on our team,” said Kendell Lang, Fusion Bank founder and board chairman. “We have great conviction in our choice for CMO and look forward to watching Ms. Luer work her magic.”

Luer has spent a quarter-century working in finance marketing, and will retain her current position of CEO of LJH Financial Marketing Strategies.

The Rest Of The C-Suite

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 27. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima Retires

After rising to the role of president in 2015, Tatsumi Kimishima will be retiring at the end of June.

Replacing him will be Shuntaro Furukawa, currently the company’s general manager of its corporate planning department. Furukawa has been with the company since 1994 and earned control of the game company’s global marketing efforts in 2016.

Facebook Appoints Keven Martin US Public Policy Head

Opting to pare down her responsibilities as both chief privacy officer and vice president of US public policy, Erin Egan has stepped down from the latter role. Former FCC chairman Keven Martin will take her place in the position.

“We need to focus our best people on our most important priorities. We are committed to rebuilding people’s trust in how we handle their information, and Erin is the best person to partner with our product teams on that task,” Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s vice president of communications and public policy, said in a statement provided to The Hill.

Martin first joined the social network in 2015 as vice president of mobile and global access policy. He will serve in the new role on an interim basis, as the company seeks a more permanent solution.

Supreme Poaches Julien Cahn, Converse CMO

Julien Cahn has departed from his position at the Nike-owned shoe brand, Bloomberg reports, setting up shop at streetwear brand Supreme.

Cahn had resigned from his position back in February, though neither company commented on the move. He will be replaced by Sophie Bambuck, who currently serves as Nike’s brand director.

Mars Names Michele Oliver Brand And Purpose Director

In an effort to improve its advertising inclusivity, Mars is promoting Michele Oliver to the role of global corporate brand and purpose director, a newly created position.

“There is room for every market to be more inclusive, it’s just a case of where you focus first, and in the US [diversity] is very top of mind at the moment, they are in a similar situation to the UK,” Oliver told The Drum.

Oliver has been with the confectionary company for over two decades, serving before her promotion as vice president of marketing.

Life Fitness Appoints Judith Toland CMO

As the fitness equipment manufacturer prepares to split from Brunswick, its parent company, Judith Toland joins as its chief marketing officer.

“Life Fitness is leading the digital transformation in fitness and that requires the continued transformation and adaptation of our business to support that change,” said Jaime Irick, president of Life Fitness. “Judith will play a crucial role in fulfilling our vision and leading Life Fitness into the future.”

Toland most recently served as CMO at Wells Fargo’s commerical distribution finance division.

Versace CMO Stephen Croncota Joins Ambrosus

Blockchain firm Ambrosus has named Stephen Croncota as its chief marketing officer, where he will oversee all aspects of the brand’s marketing and PR efforts.

“I am proud and pleased that Stephen joining us and bringing his wealth of experience and networks to turn Ambrosus into a globally recognized brand,” said Angel Versetti, Ambrosus CEO.

Croncota most recently served as CMO of Versace, and before that held senior marketing roles at Warner Brothers and Sony Pictures Television.

Armen Najarian Drafted For Agari CMO

Cybersecurity firm Agari is appointing Armen Najarian as CMO to strengthen the brand’s worldwide presence.

“Armen has consistently demonstrated an ability to grow revenue and company valuation through a best-in-class marketing and communications strategy,” said Ravi Khatod, CEO of Agari. “As Agari continues its global expansion and explosive momentum, Armen will be a fantastic leader and addition to the executive team to accelerate growth.”

Najarian joins the company from ThreatMetrix, where he also served as CMO.

Grad Conn Joins Sprinklr As Chief Marketing, Experience Officer 

Joining the customer experience management platform from Microsoft, Grad Conn spent the last 7 years as its US chief marketing officer.

“At Microsoft, Grad wasn’t just one of Sprinklr’s most forward-thinking customers, he was one of the world’s most forward-thinking marketers,” said Ragy Thomas, founder and CEO of Sprinklr. “With his rare combination of B2B, B2C, and startup skills, I can’t think of anyone better suited to help us bring the customer-first future of marketing to life for Sprinklr and our customers.”

Before joining Microsoft in 2007, Conn served in the positions of CMO and CEO for a variety of startups.

Rolling Stone Appoints Andrew Budkofsky Chief Revenue Officer/Publisher

Officially joining the company on May 1, Andrew Budkofsky will lead Rolling Stone‘s sales and marketing departments as the company works to relaunch its magazine, website and live media businesses.

“Andrew brings with him an outstanding track record in growing significant revenue,” said Gus Wenner, president and chief operating officer of Wenner Media. “His skill and knowledge in the media marketplace, specifically in digital media, will set a high bar for what Rolling Stone will deliver for our partners.”

Budkofsky brings 15 years of media sales experience to the role, most recently from his tenure as CRO at Digital Trends, a consumer electronics lifestyle digital media brand.

Seven Stars Cloud Hires M. Chad Arroyo As CMO

In a move to expand the blockchain financial technology company’s US-based management team, Seven Stars Cloud has brought on M. Chad Arroyo for his eclectic set of management leadership experience.

“Chad’s passion for and expertise in marketing, global interoperability, advanced computing platforms and blockchain technology reflect the disruptive qualities that make him the ideal candidate to build the SSC brand and drive value across our ecosystem and partner network,” said Robert G. Benya, SSC’s CRO.

Prior to joining SSC, Arroyo worked at Deloitte as a technology strategy consultant, and spent 7 years in active duty service in the US Navy.

Rick Bradberry Signs On As Community Brands’ CMO

Seeking to broaden its customer base among NGOs and schools, software developer Community Brands has appointed Rick Bradberry as CMO.

“We’ve made significant progress during this past year, focusing on product and integrating our businesses,” said Jean-Paul Guilbault, Community Brands’ CEO. “Rick’s passion for enabling meaningful connections between brands, their customers and their communities will be important as we complete our next phase of growth.”

Formerly the CMO of Pegasus TransTech, a Florida-based software provider, Bradberry brings two decades of marketing strategy and product management experience to the role.

Codewise Taps John Malatesta For Company President

AI-powered ad exchange Codewise has recruited internally for its first-ever company president, promoting Dr. John Malatesta, currently the company’s chief revenue and marketing officer.

“The exponential growth of Codewise’s revenue, pioneering new innovative technologies and the progressive expansion into new geographies now calls for the deployment of a state-of-the-art operational management structure,” said Robert Gryn, CEO of Codewise. “John’s delegated responsibility for the effective management of all operations will enable me to dedicate even more of my time and resources to high-priority strategic decisions and to breakthrough and visionary technological enhancements of the adtech ecosystem.”

Malatesta has been with the company since its inception in 2012, and is a member of the Forbes Agency Council.

Patra Corp Brings On Bob Murphy As CRO

Insurance-technology firm Patra Corp is filling its recently created chief revenue officer slot with Bob Murphy, who will oversee the company’s sales, marketing and strategic direction.

“The addition of the CRO role, and Bob, to our leadership team will ensure we remain at the forefront of the InsurTech revolution as we continue to apply technology and expertise to the industry’s processing needs,” said Patra CEO and founder, John Simpson. “Bob and I have a great relationship and have worked together previously, and I’m excited to be working with him again.”

Before joining Patra, Murphy served as CRO for Cloud Lending Solutions.

Snow Burns has joined Columbia Sportswear Company to serve as global vice president of marketing for its Mountain Hardware brand.

“We are excited to have Snow bring her expertise to our brand and industry,” said Joe Vernachio, president of Mountain Hardwear. “We feel there is a more modern way of communicating that outdoor brands fail to tap into. We think Snow brings just the right mix of ‘Silicon Valley know-how’ with a personal passion for the outdoors.”

Burns most recently led strategy, social media and analytics for John McNeil Studio, a digital marketing boutique.

Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding its loyalty team, appointing Stephanie Meltzer-Paul to the position of vice president of digital and loyalty marketing in the United States. Meltzer-Paul will focus on further developing the donut distributor’s DD Perks and On-the-Go Mobile Ordering platforms.

“Stephanie is a talented business leader who has excelled at delivering exponential customer growth, retention and revenue generation through best-in-class marketing strategies, and we are thrilled to have her head up our digital and loyalty marketing efforts,” said Tony Weisman, Dunkin’ Donuts’ CMO. “This is a very exciting time in the evolution of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand, and we believe Stephanie is exactly the right person to help us further engage with our customers, including building on the strength of our DD Perks program, one of the fastest growing loyalty programs in the quick service restaurant industry.”

Meltzer-Paul joins the company from BJ’s Wholesale Club, where she led the brand’s My BJ Perks loyalty program.

Mobile user data profiler Ogury has appointed Elie Kanaan as its chief marketing officer.

“Elie and his team will play a strategic role in fueling our hyper growth and enabling us to gain our rightful recognition as one of the hottest mobile data and marketing company on the planet,” said Jean Canzoneri, cofounder and CEO of Ogury.

Kanaan has a quarter century of marketing experience, most recently as executive vice president of marketing for Criteo.

Debra Berman has joined toy manufacturer KidKraft as its chief marketing officer.

“Debra’s keen ability to strategically align an organization to build its brand, engage the consumer and drive results is a critical addition to our growth,” said Lawrence Writer, KidKraft’s CEO. “Her focus on the intersection of data and creativity to drive brand will play a pivotal role in how we further engage and optimize the KidKraft brand globally.”

Berman previously served on Yahoo’s senior marketing leadership team.

Treasury Wine Estates has promoted Michelle Terry to the position of global CMO, following the departure of Simon Marton. Terry has been with the winery for a decade, most recently as marketing chief for the Americas region.

Job Vacancies 

Events Producer AList Pasadena, CA
Senior Product Marketing Manager, Systems IBM Austin, TX
Senior Brand Manager Mondelēz International East Hanover, NJ
Experiential Marketing Manager Nestlé Solon, OH
Sr. Direct Marketing Manager, App Store  Apple Santa Clara, CA
Marketing Manager MarketMuse New York, NY

Make sure to check back for updates on our jobs page.

Social Media News: AR Games, Diverse Beauty And Fighting Fakes

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This week in social media, Facebook draws the line for political ads, Twitter cracks down on spam, Pinterest makes its searches more diverse and Snapchat upgrades its camera glasses.

Facebook: Saving Face

Facebook released a video ad this week that addressed—but does not take responsibility for—the site’s decline from social network to spam, clickbait and fake news platform. Facebook refers to these changes as “something” that “happened,” but promises to address the issues.

The video, called “Facebook Here Together” will run through July on TV and movie theaters, as well as select NBA playoff games.

In an attempt to curb political manipulation on its platform, Facebook now requires political advertisers to disclose who they are, where they live and the source of their funding.

Despite rising public concern about data privacy, advertisers still pour money into Facebook. The company reported a 50 percent year-over-year increase in advertising revenue in Q1 2018, reaching $11.8 billion.

Twitter: Swabbing The TweetDeck

Twitter is waging its own battle against spam, bots, harassment and misinformation campaigns. In February, the platform banned automated mass retweeting across multiple accounts. In March, the company made changes to its API and TweetDeck that curb such activity and in its Q1 letter to investors, Twitter said 142,000 apps, accounting for 130 million tweets, have had their API access revoked.

Overall, Twitter is finally seeing hope in its finances, reporting its second profitable quarter in a row. Twitter reported $655 million, an increase of 21 percent year-over-year (YoY) and exceeding Reuters estimates of $608 million. A majority of that income was generated through advertising revenue, which totaled $575 million—an increase of 21 percent YoY.

Snapchat: Spectacles For Summer

Ahead of its Q1 earnings call on Monday, Snap, Inc. announced a new version of Spectacles that are water resistant and lower profile. The wearable camera also features upgraded audio and the ability to press and hold a button to take a photo.

On Wednesday, Snapchat debuted augmented reality games called Snappables that can be controlled by touch, motion and facial expressions. Games include joining a rock band, fighting aliens, playing basketball and more. Some Snappables feature multiplayer and high scores for competitive play.

https://youtu.be/NkvnmMc_hSg

Pinterest: More Colorful Searches

Pinterest has created a way to search for ideas by skin tone, allowing people of color to find images that better represent their beauty and hair needs. Now when someone makes a search related to beauty, a filter appears under the search bar that invites users to pick one of 16 skin tones to narrow the results.

Speaking of color, Pinterest has updated its color contrast sensitivity settings for those users with sensitivities to bright colors or low vision.

Pinterest partnered with the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired to audit the site’s accessibility overall and created accessibility best standards for engineers and designers. The company updated its iOS and web platforms to meet the majority of accessibility standards and will bring these changes to Android in the near future.

3 Percent CMO Roundtable: Inclusivity Can’t Be Enforced From The Top Down

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To solve marketing’s diversity problems, everybody has to get involved: top-down solutions will only lead to bitterness and conflict. At the 3 Percent Minicon in Los Angeles, marketing leaders at Adobe, Taco Bell, Logitech and Ellevest heavily emphasized the importance of getting all hands on deck to promote inclusivity in the marketplace.

“How do you make sure a brand is sincere? Show, don’t tell,” said Lisa Stone, CMO of Ellevest. “I won’t work with companies that aren’t inclusive anymore.”

The 3 Percent CMO roundtable, hosted by Joe Oh, president and CEO of FCB West, covered topics ranging from mentorship to technology to diversity initiatives to parenting, but always came back to one central theme: until everyone in an organization buys into the idea of inclusivity as a benefit, lasting change will not come.

“We should want it for the right reasons,” declared Marisa Thalberg, Taco Bell’s chief brand officer. Thalberg, who claimed with pride that Taco Bell’s customerbase represents a more diverse crowd than her neighbors in Orange County, stated that homogeneity in the marketing office leads only to an inability to relate to their customers, especially across class boundaries. “It can’t just be checking boxes.”

Thalberg expressed concern about the consequences of hiring women and persons of color to consciously meet quotas, wishing that diversity efforts would move past “affirmative action,” though Heidi Arkinstall, CMO of Logitech, pushed back, emphasizing the importance of remaining wary of unconscious biases.

In either case, the panelists agreed that pressure to improve inclusivity must come from both the top and the bottom in order to stick. “Dictatorial, didactic leadership is becoming less of a style for today,” Thalberg stated, who identified that part of the problem lies with harmful male leadership mentors and role models. “Men need to be in the room, too.”

Ann Lewnes, CMO of Adobe, supported Thalberg’s point, mentioning that all of her professional mentors have been male. The panelists, who expressed relief at the spread of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, emphasized the importance of safety in the work environment, expressed hope that gendered toxicity can be combatted by establishing more nurturing, more vulnerable leadership role models.

The subject of technology came up as well, and though Oh expressed voiced concerns at potential harmful consequences of technology on creativity in marketing, panelists unanimously disagreed, especially in terms of improving inclusivity. “Technology is the best thing to happen for creatives,” declared Lewnes, Adobe’s own creative work sharing platforms as one way that disenfranchised groups can use technology to have their voices heard. Arkinstall agreed, highlighting how technology drives “the democratization of creativity.”

For technology, like diversity, the panelists noted the importance of motive over means. “If you have to solve for AI or AR, you’re just checking a box,” Thalberg declared. “And that’s not where ideas come from.”

Inclusion, panelists offered, can solve this problem. “Women of color dominate social media,” said Lisa Stone, Ellevest’s CMO, emphasizing the importance of recruiting creatives well-versed enough in emerging technologies to treat them as just another tool in their arsenals.

However, despite the panelists expressing high hopes for the industry’s future, they acknowledged that their fields have much progress left to make, especially in how it affects society at large. Arkinstall worries acutely about the long-term consequences of voice-recognition platforms like Siri and Alexa, pointing out that children raised around the AI platforms act more curtly and less empathetically around women providing services.

Stone herself pointed out that for all its efforts, the 3 Percent Movement itself still has improvements to make. “We’re all white, aren’t we?” she asked of her fellow panelists.

What You Need To Know From IAB’s Guide To Branded Content

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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released a guide for branded content that includes definition, disclosure, best practices and how to measure a successful campaign.

“Branded Content Creation and Distribution Guide” was developed by members of IAB’s Social Media/Native/Content Committee. The guide builds on the IAB Native Advertising Playbook from 2013, factoring in both creation and distribution as it relates to the current advertising landscape.

The guide is extensive, but here are the key marketing takeaways:

An Ad By Any Other Name . . . Is Still An Ad

There is still a great deal of confusion from ad buyers about what constitutes branded content, native advertising or sponsored content. IAB’s guide includes a list of definitions of brand-owned content, publisher-hosted and/or branded sponsored content and branded content distribution, aka native advertising, along with charge metrics.

IAB said that “branded content,” in the context of this guide, is synonymous with “sponsored content” and refers to content that is sponsored by or promoted by a brand that is non-promotional in nature.

Whichever type of branded content a marketer chooses, IAB stresses the importance of clear disclosure.

“Use language that conveys the advertising has been paid for, thus making it an advertising unit, even if that unit does not contain traditional promotional advertising messages,” the guide reads. “Be large and visible enough for a consumer to notice it in the context of a given page and/or relative to the device that the ad is being viewed on.”

Define. Evaluate. Activate.

“Developing and distributing branded content shouldn’t be hard,” wrote IAB committee member and Nativo senior vice president of strategy and operations. “The most important step in the process is defining a clear, creative strategy, including not only the type of content needed to achieve business objectives, but also the most effective means of distribution.”

IAB’s guide breaks down branded content strategy into three steps:

  1. Define your creative strategy and objectives,
  2. Evaluate content solutions, and
  3. Activate your content: disclose, distribute and measure.

The guide breaks this process down, posing questions to marketers about owned media channels and brand content they can repurpose, as well as when to consider the use of influencers.

Measuring Success: The 3 Types Of Engagement

There is no “one size fits all” for what constitutes a campaign’s success, IAB notes, adding that there may be metrics that are important in different circumstances depending on the type of content.

“Measuring the success of branded content marketing campaigns can be complicated given the nuances of various tactics, and also because the strategic objective of branded content initiatives is largely upper funnel related,” notes the guide.

The solution, IAB suggests, is the use of metrics as a denominator. These metrics are needed to present a clear picture of the effectiveness of the native campaign.

In addition to defining the three key industry metrics—awareness, engagement and consideration—IAB breaks down engagement metrics into three categories: cognitive, emotional and behavioral/physical.

Cognitive engagement includes how a consumer thinks about a brand after viewing its sponsored content. This may include brand awareness, brand message recall and a change in purchase intent. Cognitive engagement, the guide states, can be measured with the use of consumer surveys.

Emotional engagement includes how a consumer feels about a brand after viewing its sponsored content. This may include a change in brand perception or brand loyalty or even a physiological response. These responses can be measured with surveys or biometrics, in the case of physiological changes.

Behavioral/physical engagement includes how a consumer acts during and after viewing a brand’s sponsored content. This may include gaze time, click through rates and interaction, or as simple as a follow on social media. These engagements can be measured through eye tracking, web analytics, social analytics and social listening to observe how consumers speak about the brand in an offline setting.

“You may very well want to run a variety of different formats that will reach consumers in different ways for maximum impact,” the guide suggests. “This could include sequential messaging and native ad format sequencing as a tactical strategy that could potentially accelerate the consumer journey and purchase path.”

Macy’s ‘Deeper Beauty’ Campaign Focuses On Empowerment

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Beauty is more than skin-deep, Macy’s declares to promote its spring line of skincare products. But “Deeper Beauty,” a new interview series that offers inspirational stories and makeup tips from five powerful women, hopes to align the retail brand with a more empowering view of cosmetics.

“Driven by Macy’s belief in the embrace of all types of beauty, the campaign reminds women that true beauty is more than skin deep—it is about overcoming judgment, accepting oneself, and being inclusive of all expressions and routines, no matter how minimal or bold,” the company declares in a press release.

The video series starts with a 60-second spot featuring each of the brand’s interview subjects, which range in professions from chef to film director to software developer. The spot will additionally include an original poem, much in the vein of Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl spot, written by Pavana Reddy.

“The ‘Deeper Beauty’ campaign is a celebration of every woman, everywhere with its theme, ‘find your beautiful, inside and out,'” the company states.

The interviews themselves, hosted by Heben Nigatu, are an eclectic bunch, ranging in subject from everyday makeup tips to reflections on their careers and ambitions to their professional and personal role models.

“Welcome to the Macy’s Beauty series about being more than just beautiful,” Nigatu declares at the beginning of each video.

The “Deeper Beauty” interviews are part of the third season of Macy’s substantive rebranding efforts that began last fall. This spring’s tagline of “Find Your Beautiful” focuses not just on improving brick-and-mortar store visits, but establishing Macy’s locations both in-store and online as helpful tools for consumers to discover the sort of look that works best for them.

Macy’s “Deeper Beauty” campaign puts the retailer alongside other supportive makeup and beauty brands, such as Glossier’s body-positivity social campaign “Body Hero” and Revlon’s “Live Boldly” partnership with Gal Gadot. With such an established brand adding its voice to beauty-as-empowerment messaging, the beauty industry seems to be shifting wholesale to “attainable” over “aspirational” brand ambassadors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdlYevj3jo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1GuMvF2Wk

Brands Celebrate Earth Day 2018 With Recycling, Conservation And Donation

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Did you know that Earth Day is on April 22 this year? If you forgot, there are many major brands out there that will remind you.

While we’d love to see more brands join this list, here are just a few companies making minor marketing efforts for Earth Day—from creative ways to conserve resources to cleaning up and recycling. For those who don’t want to put energy in, there are companies donating to causes that protect the environment.

Save Water, Save Money (On Porn)

Internet pornography site RedTube took the most creative approach to Earth Day cause marketing this year, launching The Save Water Challenge, offering to reward pornography enthusiasts a free weeklong subscription to its premium service for taking shorter showers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=nurScKp8eiY

PornHub, RedTube’s parent company, has a history of announcing charitable campaigns, so this effort is another feather in their cap.

Land’s End, T-Mobile And Jet Blue Endorse Environmental Causes

Outside of pornography, the majority of brands’ Earth Day efforts consist of offering individuals the opportunity to make minor contributions to large-scale causes.

Land’s End promises to donate $4.50 to the Save Our Monarchs Foundation for every monarch butterfly design customers pay $6 to have embroidered on certain articles of clothing and accessories. Additionally, the company will provide customers with milkweed seed packets for any orders placed on Earth Day. To wrap up the charity, the company plans to plant three and a half acres of flowers at its headquarters in Wisconsin.

T-Mobile is promising to make it easier to donate to The Nature Conservancy, allowing its customers to take a $5 increase on their next bill to donate $5 dollars to the charity. Additionally, the company will donate $250,000 (0.000625 percent of its 2017 global revenue) to one of four different Nature Conservancy projects, which it is graciously permitting its employees and customers to vote on. The company will also donate up to 50,000 trees to the charity, but only if users Tweet using a specific hashtag on April 17, which it should be noted is not Earth Day.

JetBlue likewise is seeking customer engagement, offering four $15,000 grants (0.0033 percent of its revenue in Q4 2017) for causes that users can vote on. Additionally, on the island of Puerto Rico, the company’s green initiatives include “a planting and gardening workshop for JetBlue crew members,” “lettuce farm maintenance” and “tree nursery maintenance.”

Apple, Staples And Hasbro Take The Recycling Approach

Apple and Staples are making it easier for its customers to recycle their electronics. Apple will “make a donation” to Conservation International for every device returned to them for recycling until April 30, and has built a new robot named Daisy that makes it easier for them to disassemble recycled iPhones. Staples is celebrating Earth Day by becoming “the first and only national retailer to accept both single serve and traditional coffee brewers for free recycling in stores.”

Hasbro is likewise joining in on the “circular economy” bandwagon, and will allow customers to return their Hasbro toys to be recycled “into materials that can be used in the construction of play spaces, flower pots, park benches, and other innovative uses.” It should be noted that the company TerraCycle is doing the actual recycling; Hasbro is sponsoring consumer shipping.

Both Hasbro and Apple are also touting their existing sustainability efforts. Hasbro now uses exclusively renewable energy in its US operations, and Apple likewise is 100 percent carbon neutral in powering its own global facilities. These figures only apply to operations directly owned by each company, such as retail spaces, corporate offices, data centers and the like. Since both companies contract out production to “manufacturing partners,” the factories that actually produce their products are not included in these totals.

Blue Marble, Allbirds And Other Brands Think Conservation 

Pre-mixed cocktail manufacturer Blue Marble will send “a contingent” of employees to clean up litter at Newport Beach in California for four hours on Earth day. They also made a video.

Eco-friendly shoe brand Allbirds has released limited runs of three new colors of its shoes, which are made with organic and recycled materials. “These limited edition hues are naturally dyed to celebrate Earth Day, and they won’t last long,” Allbirds’ online store reads.

In anticipation of Earth Day, Wrangler released a report on April 18 that found that conservation-minded cotton farming practices are in fact more effective at conservation than conventional cotton farming practices. It should be noted that the report contained no new research, but was a summary of 45 studies that have already been conducted on the matter. For cotton farmers on the fence about these conservation efforts, Wrangler produced an informational video about soil health.

Purina informed the press that it plans to be “fully zero waste to landfill” by 2020. Additionally, it has managed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of production by a full 6.8 percent in just 11 years.

1 Hotels has announced a sweeping, multichannel awareness campaign at three of its locations. The company will make lobby space available to guests looking to learn about “various environmental issues,” and provides phones and computers to those looking to contact their representatives. Additionally, the company will dim the lights at its hotels during dinner on Earth Day to “raise awareness about a more sustainable and responsible future.”

Have we missed any corporate press releases bragging about their Earth Day efforts? Let us know—email wdrickey@alistdaily.com.

Ken Poliziani Joins PGIM As CMO, And Other Hires

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Ken Poliziani has joined asset management firm PGIM as its first-ever chief marketing officer.

“Ken’s extensive experience in leading comprehensive brand and marketing efforts with an eye toward institutional audiences will serve to reinforce PGIM’s reputation as the manager of choice for sophisticated investors and support our robust international expansion,” said Taimur Hyat, PGIM’s chief strategy officer.

Poliziani most recently served as CMO of J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Institutional and Retirement divisions.

Mimo Monitors has appointed Michael Campagna as its chief marketing officer, a newly created position.

“We’re delighted to be bringing Michael Campagna on as our first CMO. He’s been deeply entrenched in the industry for many years and shares our philosophy of putting customer service at the forefront,” said David Anderson, president and founder of Mimo Monitors. “Mimo is continuing to grow but we want to ensure that we’re optimizing future opportunities and guiding the company in the right direction both in terms of product and customer support, in which Michael will surely be a huge asset.”

Campagna joins the company from Peerless Industries, where he held the title of president and chief operating officer.

Marks and Spencer’s executive director of customer, marketing and digital, Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, will be departing the company at the end of May, he announced on Twitter.

“Extremely proud of the accomplishments of an amazing team of talented marketing, digital and sustainability colleagues that I have been privileged to lead over the past 6 years,” he writes. “You all gave it a purpose!”

Bousquet-Chavanne stepped down from M&S’s board on April 18, leaving the marketing department unrepresented on the company’s board of directors.

McArthurGlen has tapped Shaeren McKenzie for the role of chief brand officer, a new position for the fashion retailer.

“Shaeren has a deep appreciation of our customers. She knows how to communicate with them,” said Julia Calabrese, McArthurGlen’s CEO. “She understands how we should evolve our customer proposition, in all our markets and across all platforms. Shaeren will be key to us driving continued growth and success for our business and our brand partners.”

McKenzie has been with the company since 2009, and has served as its group marketing director since 2009.

Energy-conservation firm Cenergistic has hired Samantha Foley as vice president of marketing.

“We are elated to have Sam join the Cenergistic executive team . . . She is a savvy tech marketer with a deep understanding of digital strategy, branding and product positioning,” said Ray Hood, Cenergistic’s CEO. “Bringing her onboard is confirmation of our commitment to and investment in sales and marketing as we look to extend our product offering and market share within schools, colleges and universities, municipal government and healthcare, and expand into new, adjacent markets.”

Foley most recently worked at Entouch as chief marketing officer.

The Rest Of The C-Suite

(Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 20. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com)

H&R Block has announced tapping Vinoo Vijay as its newest chief marketing officer.

“Vinoo is exactly the right marketing leader to help transform Block and modernize our approach to marketing,” said Jeff Jones, H&R Block’s president and chief executive officer. “He’s an innovative leader who’s very skilled strategically and analytically. Vinoo has a great track record of repositioning brands and uncovering new business opportunities. He will play a crucial role in shaping our enterprise strategy, and helping Block achieve sustainable growth.”

Vijay joins the company from TD Bank, where he held the title of executive vice president, chief marketing officer and head of corporate and public affairs.

Maggie Fox has joined Globoforce as its chief marketing officer, signing on with the human resources technology provider from Aeroplan, where she served as CMO.

“For more than a decade, Maggie has been an established voice and thought leader in the digital marketing space,” said Eric Mosley, CEO of Globoforce. “With a wealth of global marketing leadership experience and a vast understanding of digital transformation, Maggie’s knowledge will prove invaluable as we enhance our leadership position in the HR technology space through the human applications category.”

Andersen Corporation has hired Annie Zipfel as senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

“We are excited to welcome Annie to Andersen,” said Jay Lund, Andersen chairman and CEO. “Annie brings valuable experience and passion that will be pivotal in optimizing our marketing channels and driving continued digital transformation across all customer touch points.”

Zipfel joins the company from Starbucks, where she served as its global vice president of category and brand for its Roastery and Reserve lines of coffee.

IIoT platform developer ThoughtWire has appointed Franco Castaldini as chief marketing officer and vice president of business development.

“We are excited to have Franco join the ThoughtWire team,” said Michael Monteith, ThoughtWire’s CEO. “His deep understanding of the IIoT platform and application markets and successful track record growing early-stage companies make him a perfect fit.”

Castaldini most recently led market strategy at GE Digital, joining the company from Bit Stew when it was acquired in 2016.

Antoine Andrews, Nike’s head of diversity and inclusion, will depart the company, CNBC reports.

Andrews first signed on with the company in 2015, joining from Symantec, where he served as its global diversity and inclusion director.

The Hudson’s Bay Company has appointed Bari Harlam to the role of chief marketing officer, spearheading efforts by the company to completely centralize its marketing leadership to one department.

“I see a real integrated approach here,” Helena Foulkes, HBC’s CEO, told WWD. “Bari is a real pioneer in data-driven performance. She will harness the power of consumer data and analytics. She has been innately able to translate complex data and digital insights into breakthrough marketing strategies that put the customer first.”

Previously, HBC’s research, call center, loyalty and campaigns departments did not report to the office of CMO, but will be fully integrated upon Harlam’s arrival. Before joining HBC, Harlam served as executive vice president of marketing and analytics for BJ’s Wholesale Club for four years.

Mike Verdu, senior vice president at EA Mobile, has resigned from his position, GamesBeat reports. Verdu had only been at the mobile-games giant for two months, joining the company in February after his previous employer was bought by Netmarble and FoxNext Games.

Verdu most recently served as chief creative officer at mobile game developer Kabam, and prior to that held the same title at Zynga.

Sir Martin Sorrel, chief executive of WPP, has announced that he will be stepping down, with Roberto Quarta to serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement can be hired.

“Sir Martin has been the driving force behind the expansion of WPP to create the global leader in marketing services,” Quarta said in a statement. “On behalf of the Board I would like to recognise these achievements and thank Sir Martin for his commitment to the business over more than three decades.”

This announcement follows an internal investigation into misconduct, which the company reports found no wrongdoing and is not related to Sorrel’s departure.

CBS has announced the creation of a new branded-entertainment division, dubbed CBS Eye Max, to be led by Linda René, current executive vice president of primetime sales and innovation.

“We are constantly pushing to elevate the level of creativity for clients and audiences, and we are always looking to do more and more outside of the box,” said Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer for CBS. “CBS Eye Max combines the creativity and expertise of our branded integration daypart leaders, under a proven innovator like Linda, and is designed to maximize the clients’ relationship with CBS and to maximize their reach, effectiveness and investment.”

Ladders has appointed Jordan Cohen as its vice president of marketing.

“We are delighted to welcome Jordan to the Ladders team as part of our continuing executive leadership expansion,” said Cenedella. “Jordan brings nearly two decades of diversified experience managing leading brands and driving breakthrough marketing initiatives, which will help further strengthen Ladders’ position.”

Cohen joins the premium job-hunting site from Fluent, a data-driven marketing services firm, where he held the role of chief marketing officer.

Scout RFP has hired Grant Shirk as its first-ever vice president of marketing.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Grant to the team,” said Stan Garber, president and cofounder of Scout RFP. “His experience building unique brand positions in the enterprise, combined with his passion for design and his focus on making customers wildly successful will dramatically accelerate our ability to deliver on Scout’s long-term vision.”

Shirk joins the company from Vera, where he worked as vice president of marketing.

Patrick J. Guido has joined Lululemon Athletica as its latest chief financial officer.

“With an impressive track record at major retail and consumer companies, PJ has deep experience guiding businesses during periods of substantial economic expansion,” stated Stuart Haselden, Lululemon’s chief operating officer. “Our momentum remains strong and we’re thrilled to have PJ join the team and look forward to his important contributions.”

Guido joins from VF Corporation, where he served as treasurer and vice president of corporate development.

FremantleMedia has appointed Kevin Blanchette to the position of senior vice president of marketing and communications.

“Our decision to hire one of the best marketers in the business clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting our broadcast partners by engaging consumers and driving both on and off-air conversations,” Rick Glankler, FremantleMedia president of commercial operations, said in a statement.

Blanchette most recently worked at Hulu, where he led its marketing efforts for its original programming.

Payments-processor i2c has hired Joseph DeRosa as executive vice president of global sales and marketing.

“We are investing in strengthening our sales and marketing organizations as we continue on our path to $1billion in revenue,” said i2c CEO Amir Wain. “Joe’s deep understanding of sales and marketing functions, intense focus on customer success, and track record of delivering high-growth results make him a perfect fit.”

DeRosa previously served at Sales Benchmark Index, a marketing and sales management consultancy firm.

Mudit Shekhawat has joined Yatra.com as its CMO, managing both branding efforts and consumer marketing.

“We are delighted to have Mudit come on board with us,” said Sharat Dhall, Yatra.com’s COO. “As a veteran of the industry, he brings with him vast experience in digital and consumer marketing, which will spur additional growth for us and cement our position as India’s travel planner.”

Shekhawat joins the company from Ola, where he served as head of marketing.

Job Vacancies 

Events Producer AList Pasadena, CA
Marketing Senior Manager PepsiCo Chicago, IL
Women’s Brand Marketing Director Nike Seoul, South Korea
Senior Product Marketing Manager Bleacher Report San Francisco, CA
Brand Marketing Manager Foot Locker New York, NY
Head Of Consumer And Brand Marketing (Instagram)  Facebook Menlo Park, CA

Make sure to check back for updates on our jobs page.

It’s Not Just You—Attracting Qualified Marketing Talent Is Getting Harder

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Demand for marketing talent in the last year has greatly outpaced supply, a new report released by McKinley Marketing Partners today finds.

“There are more open positions than qualified marketers to fill them,” said Michelle Boggs, McKinley Marketing Partners president and CEO. “This is true across industries, and we can see it specifically in marketing hires.”

American companies hired an average of 3.8 marketing professionals in 2017, a 32 percent reduction from 2016’s figure of 5.6. While this growth was less than expected, McKinley suggests it is the result of a healthy industry.

“At full employment, businesses have an extremely difficult time finding available, qualified workers to fill job openings,” the report reads.

According to McKinley’s findings, this lack of growth is not likely to continue: 69 percent of marketing leaders anticipate that they will expand their team roster, up from just 25 percent last year. Just 3 percent of respondents anticipated any kind of shrinkage whatsoever.

Digital marketing and creative services are the expertise in highest demand, with 59 percent and 43 percent of respondents seeking new marketing talent in the fields, respectively.

However, digital marketers and creative professionals were some of the least likely to be on a job search. Just 19 percent of digital marketing talent claimed to be actively searching for a new job, and creatives were close behind at 18 percent.

Generally, while 97 percent of the marketers surveyed reported a willingness to move on from their current position, only 24 percent are actively seeking new employment.

According to McKinley, these low marketing talent supply figures bode well for existing teams hoping to hang on to their people. “Fewer people even occasionally looking for new roles suggests a lift in job satisfaction,” the report reads.

“This year marks one of the best years ever to be a marketer,” the report declares. “In a hiring landscape in which there are fewer qualified candidates than there are positions to fill, how do you attract talent?”

To reach its findings, McKinley surveyed 329 different marketing professionals in October of last year.

Lyft Partners With Demi Lovato Once More For Music-Centric Campaign

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To commemorate its drivers earning $500,000 in tips, Lyft partnered with Demi Lovato and surprised four of its musical drivers with a recording session and VIP concert tickets.

Lyft is using the “Ultimate Tip” campaign to display compassion for its drivers, many of whom use the opportunity to network and fund their creative pursuits.

Last month, Lyft sent out a message to its Miami drivers, offering them a chance to audition for a national commercial. The company chose four musician drivers—Jarae Womack, Jermaine Walden, Conrad Clyde and Eric Monterossa—to audition based on “their commitment to music and on their personal stories.”

As each of the artists prepared to audition at Miami’s Gibson Guitar Showroom, Demi Lovato appeared and revealed the campaign’s true intention—to provide free recording time and tickets to Lovato’s March 28 concert.

“We have a responsibility to treat our drivers well and help them succeed,” Lyft head of driver communications and community, Laura Copeland, recently wrote on Medium, revealing how much drivers are paid.

Lyft’s interest in the music industry can be found in its recent hires. Vice president of brand marketing Becca Lawson and vice president of marketing Melissa Waters recently worked at Pandora.

This is also not the first time Demi Lovato has participated in a Lyft campaign. In 2016, she went undercover in a Lyft ride.

Lyft has used music in the past to promote its services, partnering with both popular and emerging artists. Demi Lovato partnered with the rideshare service in 2016 for its “Undercover Lyft” campaign, posing as a driver and surprising passengers with her true identity.

In December, Lyft introduced the Austin Musician Rideshare Program, offering free rides to local musicians on their way to gigs.

Prior to that, the company partnered with Cardi B to offer a themed app skin that included her face and fingernails.

Other brands support emerging musicians as part of overall promotion include American Express, MasterCard, Taco Bell and Red Bull.

At Coachella, Brand Activations Are Starting To Matter As Much As Music

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The Coachella festival, with marquee 2018 headliners like Beyoncé and The Weeknd, is a music fan’s paradise. Coachella is also something else, and something almost as important: One of the biggest annual scrums for the advertising industry. The celebrity endorsers, the social media influencers and the Instagram-friendly experiences that dominate advertising in 2018 are all coming to the music festival.

Brands become a big part of the festival’s attraction: they hire well-known performers for private parties, bankroll satellite events outside of the festival, court clients with nights out in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, and set up huge experiential events that would be too pricey or logistically complicated to set up in a large city.

Old-school brands such as American Express and HP all have extensive Coachella presences in a quest to attract social media influencer eyeballs (and schmooze with clients). Then there are Instagram-ready events like Marriott International building a pop-up hotel made out of luxury yurts and Dior renting out a motel near Joshua Tree to promote their Sauvage perfume. Rihanna & Puma’s Fenty x Puma collaboration is holding a private pool party, Levi’s is hosting another of their large Neon Carnival events, and there are dozens of others taking place starting this week and continuing until the festival closes on April 22.

For Marriott, offering a pop-up hotel at Coachella is an easy way to generate buzz (and all important Instagram and Facebook mentions) among a crowd with lots of disposable income for traveling. In order to stay at the Yurts, potential guests need to bid their hotel frequent guest points on the SPG Moments platform. Requiring guests to bid on a chance to stay at the high-end yurts gave Marriott’s promotion an extra layer of buzz.

Coachella is a place for businesses to gain an entire season’s worth of promotion in a week or two, with near-guaranteed social media exposure along the way. Thanks to the combination of a massive number of attendees, proximity to Los Angeles, and a mostly well-off, free spending demographic at the festival that loves to post to social media, advertisers love the event. In a crowded musical festival landscape that also includes big names like Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Lollapalooza, Coachella might just be the advertiser’s favorite.

In an email, Zev Norotsky, founder of ENTER, which worked on the Lucky Brand Desert Jam event, said “The weekend is truly a fashion season unto itself and the quality of attendees at the off-site satellite events is one of the largest advantages over all other pulse points that occur over the course of the year.” He notes that for Lucky Brands, their Desert Jam event offers tangible benefits: They are able to generate measurable ROI from media and sales by holding a well-attended Coachella offsite.

As with so many other things, a lot of it just comes down to the right audiences in the right place. This year, Adult Swim is partnering with the popular Desert Gold festival at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs for the first time for a two-day event. Desert Gold is a long-running event which takes place at the same time as Coachella; BMW is the sponsor of Adult Swim x Desert Gold, and is using the event to promote their new X2 car.

Jason DeMarco, senior vice president and creative director of on-air at Adult Swim spoke to AListDaily about Adult Swim’s approach to Coachella.

“For us, events are a way for us to gather up some fans in one place and give them an experience they might not get anywhere else,” DeMarco says. “I think that, digitally, as our culture becomes more spread out, people value real world experiences that much more and that sort of helps explain the rise of packaged events in general.”

The festival is an economic juggernaut whose financial impact matches its cultural impact; according to projections published in the Los Angeles Times, Coachella and the Stagecoach Festival (which takes place in the same space as Coachella a few weeks later) generate approximately $704 million in economic spending by visitors and businesses. Approximately 100,000 guests are expected at this year’s festival.