Know What's Happening in CMO Pulse
Know What's Happening in CMO Pulse
Apple has hired former Google executive Lilian Rincon as vice‑president of product marketing for artificial intelligence, reporting to marketing chief Greg Joswiak. Rincon spent nearly a decade overseeing Google’s shopping and assistant products, bringing deep AI‑driven commerce experience to the Cupertino giant. The appointment coincides with Apple’s preparation to launch an upgraded Siri later this year, now rebuilt on Alphabet’s Gemini AI model. The move signals a strategic push to modernize Apple’s AI portfolio and improve consumer perception of its virtual assistant.
Aerie has rolled out a new “100% Aerie Real” campaign starring Pamela Anderson that rejects AI‑generated models. CMO Stacey McCormick says the move reinforces the brand’s human‑first promise and has already driven double‑digit brand‑awareness growth and a 23% sales lift in...
New: Meltdown at the new indie distributor Row K, @elmayimbe has the details. President Megan Colligan and marketing chief Ben Carlson are set to exit after just 7 months. Cash problems; strategic re-set seems underway for Chris Woodward and Raj...
Telesto announced that former Huron chief marketing officer Sarah McHugh has joined as head of growth services. She will oversee brand strategy, demand generation and go‑to‑market programs for private‑equity, healthcare and industrial portfolios. The hire signals Telesto’s push to turn...
Prologis’ head of social, Natalie Calvo, explains that a people‑first approach—amplifying employee voices—outperforms a brand‑first strategy for niche B2B sectors like industrial real estate. She notes the team posts only three to four times a week, spending most of her time...
Abe’s Audio has hired former ARN chief strategy officer Lauren Joyce on a project basis, branding her role as a “Gun For Hire.” The partnership aims to accelerate new client partnerships and steer the company’s next growth phase through high‑impact...
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Julienne Smith as head of Americas growth, tasking her with expanding the brand portfolio across North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Smith will drive growth for Hyatt’s Luxury, Lifestyle, Classics and Essentials brands while...
Crocs’ chief marketing officer Carly Gomez highlighted the brand’s focus on Gen Z at Shoptalk, showcasing a new micro‑drama series called “Charmed To Meet You” launched on ReelShort. The five‑episode, snackable story has garnered over 10 million views since its February 2026 debut...
The marketing technology sector saw a wave of senior appointments, with Adswerve and Apollo.io each naming new CEOs to steer AI‑driven growth, PubMatic adding a CMO to scale its AI‑powered ad platform, and 33Across hiring a CPO to broaden its...
Ferrero North America announced its largest ever marketing spend, a $100 million “Go All In” campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Easter. The promotion, starring Tom Brady, invites shoppers to scan QR codes on Ferrero products for a...
Lowe's launched its SpringFest promotion on March 26, pairing deep discounts with free same‑day mulch delivery for MyLowe's Rewards members on orders over $25. The retailer, which now has more than 30 million loyalty members, aims to capture peak home‑improvement spending...
Primo Brands has appointed baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. as its inaugural "CEO of H2O" and rolled out a unified healthy‑hydration campaign across its six regional spring‑water brands for the 2026 MLB season. The move ties a sports icon to...
GAC International Philippines announced the ONE GAC 2.0 strategy, merging its GAC MOTOR, AION and HYPTEC lines under a single brand, completing a brand‑renewal rollout in just over a month and convening 30 core dealers at a February conference to...
New Horizon Medical Solutions announced the appointment of Dr. Christine Grogan as Chief Commercial Officer, tasking her with expanding sales, marketing and partnership initiatives. The move underscores the fast‑growing health‑tech firm’s push to scale commercial operations amid rising demand for...
McDonald’s is rolling out two limited‑time adult meals inspired by Netflix’s hit film KPop Demon Hunters, debuting nationwide on March 31. The promotion pairs themed menu items, collectible photocards and QR‑code content with a new Derpy McFlurry, targeting the franchise’s 500 million‑view global...
Pvolve, the low‑impact functional‑movement brand founded in 2017, has built a prolific partnership ecosystem spanning beauty, wellness, apparel, and consumer giants such as Tower28, Lululemon, Amex and Amazon. These collaborations fuel brand awareness, drive foot traffic to its 43 U.S....
WPP has promoted its Japan CEO, Kyoko Matsushita, to lead WPP Creative across the Asia‑Pacific region. The move is part of a leaner regional leadership structure designed to streamline the company’s creative operating model. Matsushita will oversee a portfolio that...
Emotive has appointed former M+C Saatchi Sydney social strategy director Clement Simon as head of social & content. Simon brings award‑winning experience from campaigns for CommBank, Woolworths, Lifeblood and the Minderoo Foundation. His hire reinforces Emotive’s push toward culture‑first, earned‑first output. The agency recently...
NBCUniversal’s Olympic Creator Collective sent more than 25 digital creators to the Milan‑Cortina Winter Games, generating over 4 billion impressions across its social channels – a 437% jump from Beijing 2022. The follow‑up Project Fortius program helped ten athletes add more than...
Lowe’s has rolled out a Creator Network, partnering with top influencers such as YouTuber MrBeast to reach Generation Alpha before they become homeowners. The program, launched in June 2025, offers creators personalized storefronts on Lowe’s site and commissions on sales,...
Netflix and McDonald’s are rolling out two adult‑focused Happy Meals on March 31, each themed after rival K‑pop groups from the Oscar‑winning film “KPop Demon Hunters.” The limited‑time meals include exclusive collectible cards that unlock first‑access content, aiming to drive subscriber...
Jeep unveiled a new, sexually‑tinged commercial featuring comedian Iliza Shlesinger, set to air during the NCAA March Madness tournament. The campaign is intended to clarify the Grand Wagoneer’s identity and spark conversation, a strategy its marketers say could translate into...
Unilever's chief growth and marketing officer Esi Eggleston Bracey unveiled the “Desire at Scale” strategy, aiming to fuse cultural insights, community signals, and commerce through AI‑enabled processes. The approach shifts marketing from pure ad optimization to a growth engine that...
Momentum ME has appointed David Paysant as Chief Growth & Commercial Officer to drive regional scaling and new verticals. Paysant brings a track record of expanding agencies in Hong Kong, leading Publicis digital transformation in the Middle East, and doubling revenue...
Globale Media announced the promotion of Kritika Arora to Senior Director of Brand Strategy & Performance Marketing. In her new role she will lead integrated brand and performance initiatives, driving strategic growth for clients and reinforcing the firm’s full‑funnel marketing...
In this episode of Uncensored CMO, Steve Beckett—former Head of Cycling at Team Sky and the fifth employee of Zwift— walks through the creation of Zwift from a niche indoor cycling concept into a global fitness unicorn. He shares how...
Ford Motor Co. announced a five‑year exclusive partnership with Major League Baseball, ending Chevrolet's two‑decade run as the league's official automotive sponsor. The deal, unveiled by Ford’s global CMO Lisa Materazzo on March 23, kicks off on Opening Day March...
Beyond Yoga, traditionally known for women’s activewear, is intensifying its focus on the men’s market. Since launching a men’s line in 2020, the brand has added core fabrics like Spacedye and LuxeFleece and introduced a dedicated men’s landing page. It...
Shore Fire Media announced Angela Barkan as its new CEO, tasking her with day‑to‑day operations and a fresh revenue strategy. Allied Global Marketing promoted Adam Cunningham to global CEO and Kelly Estrella to COO, emphasizing integrated growth and AI‑driven tools....
Fransmart announced the appointment of Sara Schmillen as chief marketing officer, tasking her with overseeing brand strategy and franchise development for its restaurant and retail concepts. The move underscores the firm’s push to scale emerging franchises and highlights its all‑women...
Allied Global Marketing announced that Adam Cunningham, formerly chief strategy officer, will become its global chief executive officer, while Kelly Estrella moves up to chief operating officer. The reshuffle also places longtime CEO Clint Kendall on the company’s board, underscoring...
Monument Bank has hired Rachel Kerrone, former head of marketing at Starling Bank, to lead its brand, marketing and communications as it pursues the "mass affluent" segment—about 8 million households holding roughly $11.4 trillion in wealth. Kerrone helped grow Starling from a...
VML India announced two senior leadership hires, naming Kunal Roy as Managing Partner – West & Growth Lead and Shekhar Khanna as Chief Strategy Officer. Roy arrives with over two decades of agency experience, most recently as CEO of Dentsu...
Unilever has engaged global influencer agency SAMY to run its foods division’s influencer strategy, covering brands like Hellmann’s and Knorr across 13 markets. The partnership will leverage SAMY’s proprietary Maia platform, which connects Unilever to more than 120 million creators and...
TikTok staged its inaugural CMO Collective in England, gathering about 65 senior marketers from Europe and Israel to deepen advertiser relationships. The event highlighted the platform’s ease of content creation using a phone and CapCut, while showcasing TikTok Shop integrations...
Nissan Middle East partnered with TBWA\RAAD to launch the inaugural CarJitsu Showdown, turning the cabin of a Nissan Magnite into a live combat arena. The sold‑out event at Dubai's Coca‑Cola Arena attracted over 10,000 spectators and featured professional grappler Vincent...
Meta’s Australia‑New Zealand advertising head Naomi Shepherd announced her departure after a 14‑year stint at the company. She rose from an IC5 client partner in 2012 to group industry director in 2017, overseeing Meta’s ANZ ad sales and marketing. While Meta...
IKEA Australia’s head of marketing and insights, Kirsten Hasler, will leave the company in September after more than 14 years. Hasler, who has overseen brand and commercial growth across Australia and New Zealand, said she is exploring new CMO opportunities. Her...
Music management firm The Core Entertainment announced two senior hires, naming Sarah Pfeiffer as Head of Marketing and Gabriella Pulley as Chief of Staff. Both executives will be based in Nashville and report directly to co‑founders Simon Tikhman and Chief...
OpenAI has hired Dave Dugan, a former Meta executive who oversaw the company’s largest client and agency relationships, to lead its global ad solutions. Dugan’s mandate is to evolve ChatGPT’s experimental ad feature into a fully commercialized, revenue‑generating channel. The...
McDonald’s Netherlands confirmed that Els Dijkhuizen, formerly CMO of Heineken Nederland, will assume the chief marketing officer role on 5 January 2026. She replaces Stijn Mentrop, who transferred to head the German market last summer, underscoring a broader reshuffle of senior marketing...
OpenAI has hired David Dugan, former Meta ads lead, as vice president and head of global ad solutions. The appointment underscores OpenAI’s ambition to monetize its large language models by expanding advertising within ChatGPT’s free and subscription tiers. Dugan’s move...
Health Biotech Limited has appointed Susheel Ogra as chief marketing officer. Ogra will lead marketing across five therapeutic areas and spearhead customer‑retention programs in India and emerging markets, leveraging his decade‑plus experience at Gland Pharma, Sanzyme and the Serum Institute...
Prophet has named Lia Carruthers as Marketing Executive and Becky McMillan as Customer Architect, creating two senior roles to support its transition from a start‑up to a scale‑up. The hires are intended to formalise the firm’s marketing engine and deepen...
Azerion has created a new Head of Out‑of‑Home role and promoted Rebecca Callaghan, a recognized DOOH specialist, to lead it. Callaghan brings more than a decade of experience across traditional and programmatic OOH, including prior stints at Yahoo, JCDecaux and...
Nissan is shifting its growth strategy from loud marketing to frictionless customer experiences. Vice President and CMO Allyson Witherspoon says the automaker now focuses on removing obstacles across digital, sales and service touchpoints. The company believes seamless interactions will convert...
Coca‑Cola’s Sprite has launched a new global brand platform, “It’s that fresh,” across 180 markets. The refresh unifies visual identity, introduces a Mustard‑produced sonic logo, and pairs the brand with music, skate, fashion and food collaborations aimed at Gen Z. New...
Patrick Noone, a veteran marketer with stints at Checkers & Rally’s, Domino’s and Krispy Kreme, is a year into his role as chief marketing officer of Slim Chickens. He is steering the fast‑casual chain toward data‑driven brand positioning, franchisee tools...
McDonald's Netherlands announced that former Heineken Nederland CMO Els Dijkhuizen will become its new chief marketing officer on 5 January 2026, succeeding Stijn Mentrop, who moved to the German market. The change positions the fast‑food giant to revamp its Dutch brand strategy...
Pernod Ricard has unveiled a new advertising campaign for its premium Indian whisky, Blender’s Pride. The campaign features three Indian actresses and models, linking the spirit to fashion, success, and contemporary lifestyle. The initiative coincides with the appointment of Debasree Dasgupta...
