Sales lead: This hire signals the company will revise its strategy to drive growth.  JCPenney (JCP) named Keith Melker chief strategy & transformation officer, effective January 2023. Melker joins from Wehner Multifamily, where he served as CEO.  He is tasked with driving digital growth, inventory management, and improving consumer traffic.  We told you about JCP's new CMO last May.  JCP's target demographic: Gen-X & millennial women (moms) The company will likely: C...

Sales lead: This hire signals potential opportunities for sellers & agency readers.  Rita's named Mark Jenkins marketing VP, effective January 2023.  Jenkins most recently served as senior director and head of marketing at Roy Rogers Restaurants.  He is now responsible for building brand awareness, improving guest loyalty, and finding new customers. Rita's target demographic: Gen-Zers & millennials The company will likely: Continue increasing digital spend Invest in ...

Sales lead: Get in touch if you can help this company reach younger consumers or provide sponsorship assistance.  Honda and its subsidiary brand, Acura, recently entered a multi-year deal with Topgolf.  This makes the two brands the "Official Automotive Partners" and "Official Vehicles" of Topgolf.  The deal includes sweepstakes, on-site vehicle displays, and other marketing activations.  Honda's DMs believe this will allow it to reach Gen-Z and millennials more effectively.  ...

Sales lead: This promotion could lead to agency appointments or spend shifts, so keep an eye on this company.  Zenoti promoted Matt Baer to sales & marketing SVP in December 2022. Baer joined the company in 2021 as sales VP. Prior to that, he served as sales and marketing VP at Prevedere.  Additional recent DM shifts: Elizabeth Galloway was named marketing manager in November 2022. Reagan Logsdon joined as senior product marketing manager in June 2022. Alexander Hund ...

Sales Lead: Beer giant Constellation Brands recently confirmed that it has kicked off a media review. This review could replace Horizon Media, which became Constellation's media AOR in 2009. ID Comms is handling the review. The company will likely: Launch a new campaign and shift its strategy when the review concludes Ramp up ad spend Conduct additional agency reviews Target demographic:  Millennials Recent leadership shifts: Constellatio...

Sales Lead: ZeroBounce is about to relaunch as ZeroBounce 2.0. The updated platform is now SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and ISO/IEC 270001 certified and integrated with Okta identity protection services. Reportedly, ZeroBounce's email validation service accuracy has increased from 95% to 99%. The company will likely: Continue ramping up spend to support the relaunch Shift its strategy and conduct agency reviews under a new CMO (more below) Target demographic:  Busi...

Sales Lead: Klarna recently announced a global multimedia campaign featuring Paris Hilton. The campaign was made with 11:11 Media, Hilton's media company. It also featured beauty influencer and social media personality Bretman Rock, who has appeared in Klarna campaigns in the past. It will run from February through March across social media, digital, broadcast, and OOH. Additionally, 11:11 Media will promote the campaign across digital channels such as Hilton's personal social med...

Sales Lead: Smithfield Foods recently launched a campaign showing how important it is to have actual meat in viewers' breakfast routines. Made by The Escape Pod, the campaign encourages viewers to eat more than just alternative protein options like protein bars, shakes, or smoothies. The company will likely: Continue rolling out more work Keep increasing spend Seek new agency partners Target demographic: Millennials with a skew toward moms and household deci...

Sales Lead: Brad Mays became Kia's brand experience director in February 2023. Mays previously served as the global communications strategy and insights head at Nissan. Now, he leads all of Kia's external communications aspects, which include PR, events, experiential, auto shows, and strategic partnerships/sponsorships. Mays replaced Michael McHale, who left Kia in March 2022. The company will likely: Ramp up experiential marketing and other event initiatives Pursue new ...

Sales lead: This promotion will affect the club's marketing strategy & could lead to agency appointments.  Austin FC (AFC) promoted James Ruth to CMO, effective January 2023.  Ruth joined the club in 2020 as marketing SVP. Prior to that, he served as MLS's marketing properties VP.  AFC's target demographic: Male Gen-Z & millennial soccer fans The organization will likely: Outsource some marketing duties to agency partners Seek sponsorships/partnerships Focus on bui...