Sales lead: This hire signals potential opportunities for both sellers & agency readers.  Alation named David Chao CMO in April 2023.  Chao most recently served as marketing VP of Datadog.  This hire follows the Series E funding round Alation completed in November 2022.  The company secured $123m in the round, which raised its total valuation to over $1.7b.  Target demographic: Businesses that need data intelligence & analytics services The company will likely: Signi...

Sales lead: Contact the new CMO now to be top-of-mind.  Advance Auto Parts (AAP) hired Samantha Avivi as CMO, effective May 2023.  Avivi joined from Tenneco, where she held the same position.  She is now responsible for all of AAP's marketing initiatives.  We told you about AAP sponsoring IndyCar earlier this year.  Target demographic: Millennial & Gen-X men The company will likely: Ramp ad spend back up Conduct agency reviews Look for additional sponsorships (re...

Sales lead: Contact the new CMO now for more information.  Juniper Networks (JN) named Jean English SVP & CMO, effective May 2023.  English brings a wealth of CMO experience having held the position at NetApp, Palo Alto Networks, and Armis.  She now handles all marketing and communications responsibilities.  Target demographic: Businesses, government agencies, and universities  The company will likely: Continue increasing national TV spend & ramp digital spend back up ...

Sales lead: These hires will affect the company's marketing strategy & agency roster.  OfficeSpace (OS) hired Heather Larrabee as CMO in April 2023. Larrabee joins from FORM, where she held the same position.  She is responsible for demand generation, brand/product marketing, and communications. It also hired Erin Nelson as CEO in the same month. Nelson most recently served as CEO of Bonterra. She has extensive marketing experience having held the CMO positio...

Sales Lead: In an effort to make gut health more accessible, Health-Ade Kombucha just established a multi-year partnership with Ryan Seacrest. The host, producer, and media personality will team up with Health-Ade on advertising and omni-channel media content. The company will likely: Launch a new campaign with Seacrest Launch promotional material supporting its new cans Pursue new sponsorship and influencer opportunities Return to higher spend Conduct agency rev...

Sales lead: This appointment signals there are opportunities for both sellers & agency readers.  Death Wish Coffee Company (DWCC) named Mojo Supermarket creative AOR in May 2023. The agency will handle brand positioning, strategy, and creative.  Mojo's first work is scheduled to debut this fall.  This closely follows the CMO promotion we told you about earlier this year.  Target demographic: Millennials The company will likely: Release fresh creative work/brand campa...

Sales Lead: To kick off the summer, AB InBev-owned Kona Brewing Company recently rolled out a brand refresh complete with a new name, Kona Big Wave. Along with the new name, the brand refresh includes an updated logo and product packaging. A corresponding campaign, "Bring the Aloha," involves four spots that rolled out across channels such as paid social media and OOH. Duncan Channon, Kona's creative and digital AOR, developed this campaign. A contest will also run throughout...

Sales Lead: The North Face (NF)'s CMO, Sophie Bambuck, recently announced the launch of a new brand purpose and mission. She described some details of the brand's ongoing voice evolution in general. Bambuck joined NF as CMO in September 2022 and has been shifting its strategy since doing so. She's focused on making the brand stay relevant and seem almost human, personal, apologetic, and real To do so, Bambuck is changing NF's tone to show emotion, not just the aspiration and beaut...

Sales Lead: To promote its new line of products, Frida Mom​​​​ recently rolled out a tongue-in-cheek fertility campaign. This is the company's first work designed by Majestic Beast, and it centers around educating and supporting people who want to conceive. The campaign showcases Frida's newest product line, Frida Fertility, which consists of testing, preparation, and insemination sets. Frida is also running educational science-based video content in collaboration with Dr. Stepha...

Sales lead: Reach out now to offer ad space.  CIBC is promoting its free global money transfer service with a new campaign. The hero spot has 6-, 15-, 30-, 45-, and 60-second versions.  The push will be supported across TV, digital, social, radio, and OOH.  The company worked with Courage & Oliver, its new creative partners, which we told you about last year.  Target demographic: Millennials & Gen-Xers The company will likely: Continue ramping ad spend back up Make...