Lean Cuisine’s #ItAll Campaign Goes An Unexpected Direction

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Lean Cuisine asked women on Twitter what “having it all” means to them. Last week, Lean Cuisine launched a new campaign called “It All” that claims that women set higher goals for themselves when they are in the presence of other women. Participants were asked to take a survey about what they wanted in life from categories including family, career, finances, health, education and others.

https://youtu.be/AhBSaqsuyfU

The diet frozen food brand then invited the same women to a mock store, where, in the presence of female friends or family, were asked to select life goals off a shelf as if they were grocery shopping. Lean Cuisine claims that 89 percent of women set more ambitious goals in the presence of other women, and 77 percent chose greater aspirations in the aspects of life they deemed most important.

Lean Cuisine took its campaign to Twitter with a promoted Tweet of the video and invited women to share their views on “having it all” with the #ItAll hashtag.

While many users responded positively, it appears the #ItAll campaign struck a nerve for some consumers who felt that the feminist message of the campaign was not sincere coming from a weight loss brand.

“Having #ItAll means not having diet food directly targeted at me because I’m a woman,” wrote one Twitter user. “What year is it again?”

“This isn’t empowering—it’s demeaning and insulting. Go back to your marketing team and try again,” wrote another.

Others questioned the brand for targeting only women with the campaign.

“How about not being asked about having it all. You know, like men,” one angry user responded.

Not all responses were angry, however. Some Twitter users expressed gratitude for the brand’s role in their life, praising Lean Cuisine for its lower calories and price.

https://twitter.com/VCalouroV/status/999658325825540097

Interestingly, several Twitter users called out Lean Cuisine for attempting to get “free marketing” with the hashtag, even though the campaign used a promoted Tweet.

Amid the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, an increasing number of brands have responded with campaigns centered around female empowerment and the body image revolution. Lean Cuisine’s #ItAll campaign may give some marketers pause before jumping in on the trend.

Effie Index: Pepsi Wins Most Effective Brand, Unilever Most Effective Marketers

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The over 45 separate global Effie Awards competitions have concluded, and with their decisions comes the eighth annual Effie Index, ranking the most effective marketers and brands of the last year.

“Despite a rapidly changing landscape, Effie winners continue to create exceptional work, deliver results in all forms and drive growth for their businesses,” said Traci Alford, president and CEO of Effie Worldwide, in a statement. “The top ranked teams represent the very best of our industry, and we offer them our sincerest congratulations.”

Unilever won big this year, taking home the gold as Effie’s most effective global marketer. The consumer packaged good conglomerate won first prize five times since 2011, meaning that throughout the history of Effie Effectiveness awards Unilever has been in first place more often than not.

PepsiCo took second prize, a significant jump from last year’s showing of fifth place. According to Effie, the gain came mostly from its campaigns in Latin America, over any major improvement in its US marketing. Nestle and Coca-Cola took third and fourth place, respectively, and Mars broke into the top five for the first time in the competition’s history.

“Global FMCG companies continue their dominance of the most effective marketer ranking. Procter & Gamble ranks six—falling out of the top five for the first time since 2011,” the organization stated in its announcement. “Global brewers AB InBev and Heineken, along with McDonald’s and mobile phone leader Vodafone round out the Top 10.

In the category of Effie’s most effective brands, Pepsi and Coca-Cola appear again in the top five.

“Pepsi moves up three spots to replace Vodafone as the most effective global brand in 2018. Consistently ranked in the top five since 2011, it is the first time that Pepsi holds the top spot,” the organization stated.

McDonalds and Coca-Cola switched places for the second and third position, respectively, and Vodaphone dropped to number four. Spanish mobile phone operator Movistar remained in fifth place, its position from last year.

“A diverse range of industry sectors continue to populate the top 10,” Effie stated. “Technology giant IBM, along with Chevrolet, MasterCard and fast food leaders KFC and Burger King all rank in the top 10. They are joined by two Colombian beverage brands—Poker from Bavaria Brewery and Sr. Toronjo from Postobón.”

The Effie Effectiveness Index is sourced from the more than forty Effie Award competitions held during the 2017 calendar year, awarding points based on what prizes brands and marketers won for their work. For instance, a Platinum-level winner is awarded 12 points, while an unawarded Finalist is granted just two.

KFC Wants You To Bask In The Sun With A Pool Floatie-Sized Colonel

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KFC has long been on the cutting edge of “out there” marketing activations, and its Memorial Day weekend strategy is no different from its policy of being very, very different. Enter the KFC Colonel floatie.

“In our marketing programs, we like to find places for KFC to show up in unexpected ways, whether that’s through the use of technology, pop culture moments or unique products and experiences,” said Andrea Zahumensky, KFC’s US chief marketing officer, to AListDaily.

The poultry-based restaurant is hosting a giveaway in which a few hundred fans can win a larger-than-life inflatable reclining Colonel Sanders for their pool, pond, lake or any other body of water they wish to plop a debonair Southern gentleman into.

“The best things in life are free. Like air, which you can use to fill this Colonel Sanders Floatie, which could also be yours for free,” the sweepstakes entry form reads. “Unless we run out. In which case, please accept our free apology.”

The KFC Colonel floatie exists to promote the company’s summer theme of “extra crispy,” paired with the launch of the Extra Crispy chicken sandwich last month.

“We saw that the over-the-top pool float trend was taking over social media and thought it would fit perfectly,” said Zahumensky in a statement. “Summer is about making fun memories, and what better way to do that than drifting on the water in the arms of the one and only Colonel Sanders?”

The activation focuses heavily on generating organic social reach, as the floaties will not be sold outside of the giveaway, keeping the product scarce and coming out ahead of a rising trend.

“Our goal was to provide something fun and relatable that’s authentic to our brand,” Zahumensky said. “We want our customers to build an affinity and connection for KFC that they share with friends and family.”

To help social spread, KFC is also partnering with Snapchat to release an augmented reality World Lens featuring their “Extra Crispy” Colonel, and will release a second batch of KFC Colonel floaties for lucky Lens users.

The floatie was originally featured in a TV spot introducing KFC’s Extra Crispy Colonel, “famously tanned actor” George Hamilton.

With The Pint Shop, Target Helps The Museum Of Ice Cream Dive Into Retail

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After more or less single-handedly inventing the concept of the “Instagram museum,” the Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) has set its sights on shaking up a different experience: grocery shopping. Partnering with Target to launch The Pint Shop, the MOIC offers a pastel pink, social-friendly take on frozen food aisles, stocked with an original line of ice cream to boot.

“I set out to create The Pint Shop as a place where you can curate your own experience to share in real life, and among your peers,” said Maryellis Bunn, the Museum of Ice Cream’s founder and creative director, in a statement.

The new experience in New York hopes to unite the success of the Museum of Ice Cream’s original with traditional retail commerce, serving as a limited-time exclusive source of MOIC’s original ice cream line. Target has partnered with the museum to stock its ice cream line nationwide as well as exclusive MOIC merchandise.

“Target x Museum of Ice Cream has a three-part partnership,” the store’s website reads. “The partnership includes: a limited-edition kids’ apparel and accessories collection within Target’s exclusive kids brand, Art Class, a line of Museum of Ice Cream ice cream sold for the first time at a retailer and the sponsorship of Museum of Ice Cream’s newest concept.”

The Pint Shop won’t limit itself to its decorations and inventory, however. Much like the Brandless Pop-up with Purpose, MOIC hopes to draw in repeat visitors once the novelty has worn off with exclusive ice cream tastings and community events.

“Each week at The Pint Shop, MOIC will host Pint Sessions, a series of interactive workshops based on our mission of imagination and creativity,” the store’s website promises. “We’ll enlist key MOIC team members and social influencers to host playful, creative and hands-on workshops around key Pint Shop pillars: imagination, storytelling, innovation, community and motivation.”

Overall, the premise behind the pop-up is fairly straightforward. As the site says: “We sell ice cream and supporting ice cream accessories.”

CMOs Are Moving Beyond Traditional Roles But Lack Confidence, Study Finds

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Chief marketing officers are taking on more roles within the company but lack confidence in their ability to achieve success outside of storytelling.

A joint study by CMO Council and Deloitte called “CMOs and the Spark to Drive Growth” asserts that the role of chief marketing officer may shift from brand-builder and experience-orchestrator into an executive who directs and drives long-term, sustainable growth. The study findings are based on a Q1 and Q2 2018 online survey completed by 191 marketing leaders.

Today’s chief marketing officers are trying to do it all, the study found, with 70 percent of marketers feeling prepared to impact revenue gains and brand valuations in the coming year. Marketers are not as confident in areas like gross margins or market share, however, with CMOs exhibiting a readiness at just 20 percent and 32 percent, respectively.

While the study expresses opportunities for success for CMOs that influence areas throughout the company, the sentiment comes with a warning—be ambitious, but don’t forget the customer.

“What we hear from our CMO clients is that they are attempting to tackle some of their organizations’ toughest challenges, sometimes losing sight of keeping the customer at the center of it all,” Sheryl Jacobson, principal of Deloitte Consulting said in a statement. “For the CMO to be effective, they have to keep the customer at the center of every conversation and figure out solutions that will drive growth. But then translate the strategy into the languages of their C-suite peers.”

In fact, the study found a disconnection between marketers and other company leaders that drive the customer experience.

When asked to identify their marketing strategy and growth allies, only 29 percent consider the COO to be an ally today and 28 percent named the head of product. Only 14 percent said that they connect with heads of service and support.

While 31 percent of respondents claim their organizational allies to be locked on and supportive of marketing strategies and goals, 26 percent said that allies within the company are too busy focusing on their own strategies. Three percent said that alignment with marketing strategies are good, but fall apart at the point of execution.

The answer, CMO Council and Deloitte say, lies in matching up the customer’s vision of need and value with the business’ definition of growth and success.

“It will likely demand that marketers become cultural change agents, sparking innovation in how teams, technologies and touchpoints converge,” the study predicts.

Just 18 percent of respondents said they are poised to reach intended growth rates, and nearly half—46 percent—said they are “fairly well positioned” to succeed. Overall confidence is good, but shaky, with 30 percent saying that success is likely, but not guaranteed and three percent saying they are starting to lose ground. Another three percent said that without change, intended growth rate success is unlikely.

Sephora Wants To Provide Safe Spaces For The Trans Community With New Program

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While beauty brands like Fenty have made significant inroads in inclusivity for people of color and other marginalized groups, the industry has not given the same attention to transgender and nonbinary makeup users. With its “Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community” addition to its Classes for Confidence program, Sephora hopes to reverse this, providing safe spaces and support for non-cisgender (those whose gender identity corresponds to their birth sex) people.

“We encourage bold choices in beauty and in life, and Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community is a wonderful example of our purpose coming to life,” Corrie Conrad, head of social impact and sustainability for Sephora, told AListDaily. “We saw a real opportunity, with our Classes for Confidence program, to demonstrate our stance as an ally of all people, and to help inspire confidence in those facing major life transitions.”

Consisting of free ninety-minute seminars taught by Sephora store instructors, “some of whom have their own personal gender journey,” the Classes for Confidence promise safe community spaces and practical skincare and makeup application tips for all attendees.

“We conducted interviews with [LGBTQA] group leaders and engaged their members in focus groups to determine what they wanted in the class content,” Conrad added. “Plus, we asked both our employees and community partners what we need to include in terms of sensitivity training to best serve this audience.”

In addition to in-store tutorials, Sephora promises to post a series video how-tos by transgender beauty advisors on its YouTube channel for those who either cannot or choose not to attend in-person seminars.

Previous entries into the Classes for Confidence series include makeup tips for women re-entering the workforce, either after bouts of joblessness or even homelessness. According to the company, the program has hosted over 850 classes, reaching more than 8000 people, of whom 78 percent reported an increase in confidence afterward.

“Our goal is to reach 100,000 people by 2020,” Conrad declared.

Additionally, the Sephora Stands project will partner with transgender and non-binary community organizations to host pride parades and other LGBTQA events, though it did not specify exactly what these partnerships would consist of.

“We believe that beauty is yours to define and ours to celebrate,” Conrad said. “The transgender & non-binary community is absolutely a beloved part of our client base.”

Brands Get Dark And Broody For Global Goth Day

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It’s World Goth Day, so brands pulled out the old black lipstick, dusted off those boots and took to social media to engage with audiences.

Founded in the UK by two DJs, World Goth Day began in 2009 with an annual gathering and celebration of the Goth subculture. Now the event spans across multiple countries, with several events raising money for charity.

The BBC Archive paid tribute to its dark followers with a clip from a 1987 TV program that explains the subculture’s punk origins.

The Smithsonian Library added another bit of education to the holiday.

Brands often take to Twitter to join trending conversations and World Goth Day is no exception. Rather than claim to be “real” Goths on this comfortably dark day, most brands took a playful, self-deprecating approach, laughing at how little they fit into the subculture.

Totino’s mascot, Pet Zaroll, shared a cheerful post against a gothic background.

Energy drink brand G Fuel made one of their black cups to look like a member of the goth subculture, complete with hairstyle and dragon earring.

Progressive gave Flo a darker look just for the occasion:

Other brands used the opportunity to call attention to Goth-themed entertainment.

Naturally, Comedy Central gave a shout out to its infamous South Park Goth episode.

DC Comics paid tribute to its character, Raven and her dark origins.

Discovery Family pointed to one of Fluttershy’s more despondent moments from My Little Pony.

Will Farrell’s Baron Nocturna sends his blackest regards.

Ironically, Hot Topic did not join in the dark festivities. We would say that brands celebrated World Goth Day, but that’s not very Goth. They have, however, taken part in other social media holidays like Dinosaur Day and Caramel Day.

Volkswagen Makes An Instagram Museum-Style Pop-Up With Jetta Haus

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Tapping into both the zeitgeist of experiential marketing and the lasting influences of the Bauhaus, German car manufacturer Volkswagen is attempting to inject some life into the test drive and is promoting the 2019 Jetta with “Jetta Haus,” a series of pop-ups across America.

“The Jetta Haus events allow drivers to experience the progression of Jetta in a way that captures the vehicle’s vibrancy and timeless fun-to-drive appeal,” said Derrick Hatami, Volkswagen North America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, in a press release. “We are excited to connect with guests across the cities at our open-house party.”

Featuring live music performances by artists local to its locations in Chicago, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, Volkswagen treats the launch of its new car as “an interactive art car experience.” For interested car buyers, the company offered the chance to get behind the wheel of the car before distribution to car dealerships.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjBV4N0gimw/?tagged=jettahaus

 

Volkswagen, however, doesn’t intend to limit the experience exclusively for those interested in purchasing the new Jetta model. Partnering with SiriusXM and Beats by Dr. Dre for music, as well as Red Bull for beverages, Volkswagen is treating Jetta Haus as more of an Instagram museum than a product showcase.

“It’s a stunning backdrop for you to win the weekend’s social updates,” the company urged to the public, pushing for social spread.

Besides the car itself, Volkswagen highlights the “Betta Lab” as the centerpiece of the experience. Treating the Jetta as the theme to the art experience, the two-room space promises “light, sound and motion, inspired by the Jetta’s turbocharged power, its available 10-color ambient lighting and available premium BeatsAudio sound.” Also featured in all four pop-up locations is an arcade with “hit retro games.”

“Every generation of Jetta, since its introduction in 1979, was built pragmatically to meet the needs of drivers of the time,” the company stated.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAzaJehpF9/?tagged=jettahaus

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Mediacorp Names Debra Soon First CMO, And Other Hires

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This week: Mediacorp and Mavenir bring on new CMOs, Dunkin’ Donuts expands branding team to ensure quality messaging and FOX News promotes a new CEO.

Debra Soon Becomes Mediacorp As CMO

Singapore-based media conglomerate Mediacorp is reorganizing to integrate its marketing capacity, creating the role of chief marketing officer and appointing Debra Soon to fill the slot.

“The new integrated marketing organization will unify branding efforts across the company, strengthen our brand identity and communicate consistent messages as part of our efforts to create better, on-brand experiences for those we serve,” said Tham Loke Kheng, Mediacorp’s CEO. “Debra’s wealth of industry experience, deep understanding of our consumers and passion for the business make her the natural choice for this much needed role.”

Soon has been with the company for more than 20 years, beginning as a broadcast journalist and rising to chief customer officer.

Mavenir Appoints Stefano Cantarelli CMO

Global 5G software provider Mavenir has named Stefano Cantarelli executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

“Stefano is a proven industry veteran and visionary technology leader that brings expertise and strategic insight into mobile and convergent communications,” said Pardeep Kohli, CEO of Mavenir. “His proven experience and reputation will further Mavenir’s position as a global leader in the wireless industry through our mission of transforming mobile network economics.”

Cantarelli most recently worked at O2 UK, leading its network and IT strategy, and has been in the telecom industry for nearly thirty years.

The Rest Of The C-Suite

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, May 18. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Dunkin’ Donuts Hires Drayton Martin As Vice President Of Brand Stewardship

Set to ensure consistent application of brand messaging across advertising, packaging and digital channels, Drayton Martin joins Dunkin’ Donuts as vice president of brand stewardship.

“Drayton has a long and successful track record in creating compelling creative work and leading strong teams that have helped transform leading global consumer companies,” said Tony Weisman, Dunkin’ Donuts CMO. “Her extensive experience makes her well-positioned to lead and advance our creative vision and long-term strategic plans to drive engagement and excitement for the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.”

Martin previously spent 14 years at MullenLowe, most recently as executive director.

FOX News Appoints Suzanne Scott CEO

Suzanne Scott has been promoted to the position of chief executive officer of FOX News and the FOX Business Network.

“Suzanne has been instrumental in the success of FOX News and she has now made history as its first female CEO,” stated Lachlan Murdoch, 21st Century Fox chairman. “Her vision and innovation have helped create some of the most popular and lucrative primetime programs on cable and as we embark on the era of the proposed New Fox, I am confident that Suzanne’s leadership will ensure the dominance of both FOX News & FBN for years to come.”

Scott has been with FOX News since its inception 22 years ago, most recently as president of programming.

Phunware Names Barbary Brunner Chief Marketing Officer

Mobile technology firm Phunware has appointed Barbary Brunner to the position of CMO.

“With our announced intent to merge with NASDAQ company Stellar Acquisition III, Inc, and upcoming launch of PhunCoin, we are at a pivotal moment in Phunware’s history and in the larger landscapes of mobile application software, media and data,” said Alan Knitowski, Phunware’s cofounder and CEO. “Taking advantage of this moment requires a marketing leader with vision and expertise. Barbary possesses these and more, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Phunware’s executive leadership team.”

Brunner joins the company from the Austin Technology Council, where she served as CEO.

Nirmal Parikh Joins Dynasil As Vice President Of Marketing

Optics manufacturer Dynasil has appointed Nirmal Parikh vice president of marketing.

“We are very excited to welcome Nirmal to the Dynasil team,” said Peter Sulick, president and CEO of Dynasil. “With nearly twenty years of experience in digital marketing focused on the delivery of cutting-edge technology solutions, Nirmal brings valuable know how to Dynasil’s marketing team in an effort to strengthen Dynasil’s online presence.”

Parikh most recently served as chief marketing and technology officer for Digital Wavefront.

Condé Nast Appoints Vikki Chowney Director Of Brand Partnerships

Vikki Chowney has joined the century-old publishing conglomerate Condé Nast’s British division as its director of brand partnerships. In the role, Chowney will head the company’s creative studio, producing branded content for Condé Nast’s numerous media properties.

“I work within the Condé Nast Creative Studio to lead its brand-owned offer, harnessing over 100 years of the company’s editorial expertise to create content for Clients’ own channels,” Chowney wrote on LinkedIn, announcing the new position.

Previously, Chowney served as chief content strategist at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Miguel Ángel Oliva Joins Dopamine As Chief Marketing Officer

Audiovisual branded content startup Dopamine has hired Miguel Ángel Oliva as CMO, in an effort to expand the firm’s presence in the US, Europe and Latin America.

“Multi-platforms, original series and new audiences are calling for unique promotional strategies, along with a very particular type of storytelling that is both creative and enticing. Miguel Angel brings that experience and the necessary dopamine to provide our partners and clients services and solutions that are optimal to face those challenges,” said Dopamine CEO Fidela Navarro. “He is an entrepreneurial professional, modern and passionate.”

Oliva previously served as vice president of public relations and corporate communications for HBO Latin America.

Snow Names Sanjay Castelino CMO

Software asset and cloud spend management software provider Snow has hired Sanjay Castelino as its chief marketing officer.

“This is a pivotal appointment for Snow’s growth and Sanjay’s strategic vision and global experience will add strength to the team,” Alex Kling, Snow’s CEO stated. “The customer experience is changing and his leadership and creativity will ensure we drive innovative solutions and propositions to the market.”

Castelino joins the company from Spiceworks, an IT-focused professional network.

Telenor Myanmar Appoints Amaresh Kumar CMO

Succeeding Joslin Myrthong, Amaresh Kumar has been moved to Telenor Myanmar from Telenor India, where he served as chief product officer. His new role will be chief marketing officer.

Meredith Appoints Patrick McCreery President Of Local Media Group

Media and marketing giant Meredith Corporation has promoted Patrick McCreery to president of its Local Media Group, succeeding retiring Paul Karpowicz.

“Patrick has led our news operations to leading positions in most of our markets, and worked diligently to expand our digital offerings,” said Karpowicz. “He has also led the integration of MNI Targeted Media into Meredith. I am confident that Patrick is the right person to move the Local Media Group into the future.”

McCreery most recently served as executive vice president of news and marketing.

Sears CMO, Marketing Personnel Depart

Retail giant Sears is shedding several members of its marketing department, AdAge reports. Among those who have left include CMO Kelly Cook and chief content officer Paul Graham Hayward.

VTS Hires Amy Millard As Chief Marketing Officer

Leasing and asset management platform VTS has appointed Amy Millard to the role of its first-ever CMO.

“As our growth has accelerated, we felt the time was right to expand our leadership team, hiring Amy Millard as CMO,” stated Nick Romito, VTS CEO and cofounder. “She brings tremendous SaaS marketing and leadership experience with her, along with a passion for growing and mentoring high-performing teams.”

Millard previously served as CMO for Spigit, an ideation management software provider.

Liberty Health Sciences Appoints Stephanie Kubacki Vice President Of Marketing

Stephanie Kubacki has joined Liberty Health Sciences as vice president of marketing, to assist the cannabis startup’s growth push.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Stephanie to the leadership team where she will play an important role in pursuing our aggressive growth strategy” said George Scorsis, director and CEO of Liberty. “She has an impressive background and wealth of experience in developing and advancing some of the world’s most recognizable brands. She’s a tremendous talent and adds important depth to our team.”

Kubacki joins the company from the alcoholic beverage industry, serving in marketing roles for Bacardi, Diageo and Palm Bay International.

Michael DiBella Joins IVCi As Vice President Of Marketing

Consulting firm IVCi is expanding its executive leadership team, bringing on Michael DiBella as vice president of marketing to revitalize the company’s global messaging and brand management.

“What drew us to Michael was his unique background that combines broad technology experiences within organizations like Canon and Crestron with a focus on revenue generating initiatives. He’s the kind of proven leader who can solve business challenges with innovative, results driven strategies,” says Tim Hennen, IVCi’s president of sales and engineering.

DiBella most recently served as director of product and channel marketing at Kramer Electronics.

IDFA Names A. Bailey Wood Jr. Vice President Of Communications, PR And Marketing

The International Dairy Foods Association has tapped A. Bailey Wood, Junior, for the role of vice president of communications, public relations and marketing.

“Bailey brings a rare and valuable blend of communications and advocacy expertise from his work on Capitol Hill as well as in other associations,” said Michael Dykes, CEO of IDFA. “We know he’ll be a dynamic and creative addition to our strategic planning, membership marketing and media relations efforts.”

Wood previously served at the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, where he served as vice president of communications since 2014.

Facebook Creates Three New Divisions, Moves Executive Roles Internally

Family Of Apps

Chief product officer Chris Cox is now the head of Facebook’s newly created “Family of Apps” division. In his new role, Cox will oversee Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

Will Cathcart, vice president of product management, will take over all of product for Facebook’s core app.

New Platforms And Infra

David Marcus, previously in charge of Facebook’s Messenger app, is now heading up a new blockchain division called “New Platforms and Infra.”

His small team will include Instagram’s VP of engineering James Everingham and Instagram’s VP of product Kevin Weil, sources told Recode. Messenger will now be overseen by head of produce Stan Chudnovsky.

Weil’s role at Instagram will be assumed by Adam Mosseri, who currently runs Facebook’s News Feed.

Central Product Services

Javier Olivan will now oversee a third division called “Central Product Services” that includes shared features across Facebook’s offerings, to include ads, security and growth.

Intel Shifts Chief Marketing Officer Steve Fund To Handle “Special Projects”

Steve Fund has been shifted from his chief marketing officer role to handle unspecified “special projects,” the company told employees in an internal memo last week.

Michelle Johnston Holthaus, general manager of the company’s sales and marketing organization will handle marketing and communication while Intel seeks a replacement.

Cologix Appoints Lisa Guillaume Chief Marketing Officer

Lisa Guillaume has joined Cologix as chief marketing officer.  In this role, she will lead the global product and marketing strategy for the network neutral interconnection and data center company.

“As we continue to focus on driving more growth and expansion throughout our business, there is not a more qualified leader than Lisa to lead product strategy and elevate our brand, and I am thrilled that she has joined our team,” said Grant van Rooyen, chairman and CEO of Cologix.  “Her impressive track record of building high-impact products coupled with her passion for the customer experience will play a critical role in our next step of innovation and growth.”

Previously, Guillaume served as chief product officer for Relay Network, and held key leadership roles in product and marketing at Digital Globe and Level 3 Communications (now Century Link).

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, May 18. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

Head of Partner Marketing, UK  Netflix London, United Kingdom
Director, Global Partner Marketing Google San Francisco, CA
VP, Product Marketing Turner New York, NY
Director, Global Business Product Marketing Twitter San Francisco, CA
VP, Partner Marketing Pandora Oakland, CA
Global Director, Product Marketing (Monetization) Spotify New York, NY

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

All Commerce Is E-Commerce: CMO Council Report

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With digital retailers continually proving to be an existential threat to the success of brick and mortar retailers, consumer product brands have faced a simple choice: join or die. But, according to a report by the CMO Council released on Monday, seeing which way the wind is blowing in the dawn of the digital retail age is just one of a number of hurdles marketers have to face.

Fifty-six percent of respondents in the CMO Council’s report titled “Ingenuity in the Global eCommerce Community” said that eCommerce is revolutionizing and reinventing the global retail marketplace and 43 percent say it challenges brands to evolve across all channels and markets. While views on eCommerce were positive overall, 14 percent said that it complicates relationships with traditional retail partners.

“When [marketers] realized that retail was reinventing itself, it was already too late,” said Liz Miller, senior vice president of marketing for the CMO Council, to AListDaily. “They couldn’t keep up with the pace of change that the Amazons and the Alibabas and the eBays of the world were precipitating. When you’re a day late to the party, it’s a little hard to catch up, and the only thing you can do is try to reinvent yourself on the fly or close.”

For many companies, the latter was the only option. Over 7,000 retail stores shuttered in 2017, and according to the report, 2018 is on track to beat that number.

“Any time CNN isn’t running a story about something happening in the White House, there’s a headline about a retailer shuttering stores,” Miller added.

However, according to Miller, the media doomsaying is largely overblown. Retail sales have grown 4.2 percent year over year, which, though not massive, is still positive growth. Though e-commerce giants are growing, they only make up 10 percent of total retail spending.

“Is every store going to close tomorrow?” Miller asked. “No! ECommerce is ten percent of the global shopping revenue base. But it used to be six. It’s growing at a much faster pace than anyone anticipated.”

According to Miller, the real sweeping change isn’t so much in the bottom line for retail brands, but in the minds of the consumer.

“These massive e-commerce communities are actively changing the baseline expectations of our consumers. And they’re forcing marketers and brands to reassess how they go to market, and the content that they’re using to engage their customers,” Miller stated. “How do we look at what these massive communities […] are doing that is successful, and how do we as brands, not just tap into that—it’s not about an ad spot—but transform to be able to engage with our customers across these communities in a way that fits their expectations?”

According to their findings, marketers have had to scrap the idea of a linear path-to-purchase model and reassess not only what content they put out, but fundamentally how they make strategic decisions. Brands no longer just have to provide products to choose from, but help guide consumers through the discovery process.

Survey participants were asked to choose the top three ways they plan to differentiate their brands in the digital retail marketplace. The most popular response, at 42 percent, was to produce richer, more visually engaging content. Only nine percent named chatbots or other AI technology as their go-to solution.

“What’s happening with these e-commerce communities is that every customer, every user, every member of the community is not being invited to shop, they’re being invited to explore. When you’re invited to explore, the brand responsibility is to be there with things that meet that need to explore.”

But brands shouldn’t lose track of the silver lining to the e-commerce clouds. According to the CMO Council, the new strategies brands have adopted to survive have given them access to swathes of new consumers whom they may never have reached before. For these new consumers, the shopping experience is an efficient one.

“It’s brands who advertise at really large malls who know that people are there, but they don’t necessarily know that they’re there to shop,” Miller stated. “People who go onto Amazon, people who go onto eBay, they’re there to shop. They’re there to find something new that they want to buy.”

For the CMO Council, reaching these consumers as they’re shopping is only small potatoes—getting them to consider a brand beforehand, or even seek it out, is the future of doing business. But for some marketers, fears over online sales eating into brick-and-mortar profits is keeping them from fully adapting.

“What could hold marketers back from success is they’re still super worried about cross-channel cannibalization. But the reality is, these communities are going to continue to grow,” Miller stated. “That expectation of diversity of product will spill over to a shopper’s expectation in a traditional retail environment. If we can’t see that the expectation of the shopper is being set by folks like the eBays, the Amazons, the Alibabas of the world, we’re in for a really bumpy reinvention ride.”

To assemble its report, the CMO Council surveyed over 200 marketers primarily in the areas of consumer packaged goods and durables as well as retail financial services, of whom 35 percent characterized themselves as either “chief marketing officer” or “head of marketing.” Of the companies the survey respondents represented, 31 percent reported revenues of over $1 billion last year.

“People are going to shop online,” Miller summed up. “We can all stop worrying about if it’s going to happen.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with details from the report that were not available before publishing time.