Peloton restructures marketing around 2 new leadership roles

Dive Brief:

Interactive fitness platform Peloton has restructured its marketing leadership, creating two key functions, global marketing and global product marketing, the company said in a press release.
Dara Treseder has been named as senior vice president, head of global marketing and communications. In her new role, Treseder will set strategy and goals for global marketing and head up brand marketing, consumer insights, communications and creative, while driving international expansion. She joins the company on Aug. 18 and will report directly to Peloton President William Lynch.
Karina Kogan, who joined Peloton in April 2019 as general manager of digital, has been promoted to the expanded role of SVP, head of global product marketing. In the new role, she will be tasked with leading how Peloton markets its expanding product portfolio. Additionally, she will lead the performance marketing and media teams.

Dive Insight:

With the new marketing leadership structure, Peloton looks to be beefing up support for its product expansion and to drive international expansion. Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Peloton's former head of global marketing, left the company in May after four years with the brand.

The restructuring could help Peloton be more nimble in its marketing. Being able to pivot marketing quickly has become more important than ever during a volatile period in many aspects of society and business around the globe, General Motors CMO Deborah Wahl said in May.

The move also reflects how marketing responsibility has expanded in recent years to include a stronger focus on revenue and customer experience, which has lead some marketers to eliminate the CMO role and split responsibilities among more than one marketing leader.

Peloton, like many brands, paused its advertising in most of its major markets in March because of the pandemic. Despite the pause, the exercise company saw significant growth while consumers have been stuck at home and looking for creative ways to stay in shape. The brand's strategy was to focus on word-over-mouth over advertising after the company reported in May that it saw a 66% increase in sales for a total of $524.6 million without any media spend.

Kogan is credited with her role in the Peloton app business. Treseder, who has won many accolades from the advertising press, comes to Peloton from Carbon, where she has served as CMO since 2018. Prior to that she was CMO of GE Business Innovations and GE Ventures, and previously served as global head of demand generation for FileMaker at Apple.