CMO Corner

Coverage of industry leaders from our journalists


  • The Snapchat logo is displayed on a cell phone screen.
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    Justin Sullivan/Staff via Getty Images
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    Snap names first CMO in 2 years in lead-up to advertising showcase

    Grace Kao, who recently joined Snap, is taking over marketing leadership from Chief Creative Officer Colleen DeCourcy, who will depart later this year.

    By April 17, 2025
  • CeeDee Lamb in a BodyArmor ad
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    Permission granted by BodyArmor Sports Drink
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    Inside BodyArmor’s new visual identity and largest campaign to date

    The Coca-Cola-owned beverage aims to separate itself from a crowded category with a bold new look and ads that ask consumers to “Choose Better.”

    By April 17, 2025
  • A furniture store window.
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    Daphne Howland/Marketing Dive
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    Lovesac taps Crocs veteran as first chief brand and marketing officer

    As chief marketing officer at the footwear brand, Heidi Cooley helped drive profitability and turn the brand “into a cultural zeitgeist.”

    By Howard Ruben • April 15, 2025
  • A man on a toilet in a Dude Wipes ad
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    Courtesy of Dude Wipes
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    Q&A

    How Dude Wipes cleans up with poop humor as its marketing evolves

    CMO Ryan Meegan discusses the brand’s “secret sauce” to going viral and recent collaborations with the NHL and Professional Bowlers Association.

    By April 15, 2025
  • A person holds a smartphone that displays Burger King's AI Whopper experience.
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King poaches Applebee’s CMO to build on modernization plan

    Joel Yashinsky is tasked with driving an expansive Reclaim the Flame strategy that has produced viral marketing like the Whopper jingle. 

    By April 14, 2025
  • A JCPenney ad in Times Square
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    Permission granted by JCPenney
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    How JCPenney’s new brand positioning is subverting consumer expectations

    “Anonymous Ads” was created and executed by new appointments Mischief and VaynerMedia, and helps the brand address a “sea of sameness” in retail.

    By April 10, 2025
  • A person holds a Subway sandwich and drink cup
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    Permission granted by Subway
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    Subway hires CMO from PepsiCo beverages to lead global marketing

    Greg Lyons, who left the Pepsi owner late last month, will join Subway as it shifts its creative account to Publicis Groupe’s Leo New York.

    By April 9, 2025
  • U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a chart while speaking during a "Make America Wealthy Again" trade announcement in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    How CMOs can stay reactive as Trump tariff chaos threatens budgets

    Industry decision-makers must embrace a willingness to scrap some of their plans and reassess what makes commercial sense, analysts say.

    By April 4, 2025
  • A bottle of Captain Morgan is poured over a lime-green backdrop from a bird's eye view
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    Permission granted by Captain Morgan
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    Marketers are moving at the speed of culture — but can they define it?

    Culture has become a central part of brand strategy for companies like Diageo even as definitions remain fuzzy, executives said at an event on April 2.

    By April 3, 2025
  • Nicola Coughlan for Olaplex
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    Courtesy of Olaplex
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    Why Olaplex is leading with emotion for its latest refresh, campaign

    CMO Katie Gohman explains how talent like “Bridgerton” star Nicola Coughlan is key to connecting with both salon pros and everyday consumers.

    By April 2, 2025
  • Five Pepsi cans
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    Courtesy of PepsiCo
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    PepsiCo names new US beverages CMO amid soda category disruption

    Mark Kirkham, a 14-year company veteran, is taking over the role long held by Greg Lyons as PepsiCo ramps up a focus on better-for-you offerings.

    By March 31, 2025
  • Juno Temple and Myles Garrett in an Oikos Super Bowl ad
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    Courtesy of Danone
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    Q&A

    Danone’s CMO on adapting advertising as GLP-1 upends the food industry

    Linda Bethea details how the marketer of brands including Oikos and Silk is approaching artificial intelligence and emerging channels like Pinterest.

    By March 31, 2025
  • Busy Phillips holds a pizza box in a California Pizza Kitchen campaign
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    Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen
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    Why California Pizza Kitchen faked a midlife crisis with a rebrand stunt

    CMO Dawn Keller explains why a social-first approach is required for a brand that doesn’t have a massive advertising budget.

    By March 27, 2025
  • A worker leaves a darkened boardroom after a meeting
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    Thai Liang Lim via Getty Images
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    How CMOs can get out of ‘no man’s land’ and on the same page as CEOs

    Boathouse CEO John Connors examines the agency’s fourth annual study of the CEO’s perspective on marketing and the role of the CMO.

    By March 24, 2025
  • A man in Puma gear runs with a dog with a mountain in the background
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    Courtesy of Puma
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    Inside Puma’s new brand positioning and largest global campaign to date

    The sportswear company will increase marketing investments by 40% in support of a campaign, “Go Wild,” that was created by Adam&eveDDB.

    By March 20, 2025
  • A crowd gathers at a bar in a DraftKings ad
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    Courtesy of DraftKings
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    DraftKings sings along to ‘The Gambler’ in responsible gaming push

    The gambling company’s multimillion-dollar effort pairs a Kenny Rogers classic with branding support from the NFL, NBA and the PGA Tour.

    By March 14, 2025
  • NWSL billboard in Times Square
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    Permission granted by NWSL
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    How the National Women’s Soccer League embraces its challenger brand DNA

    A Gen Z-centered content partnership with Overtime speaks to how sports content and social media are becoming a potent pairing for marketers.

    By March 14, 2025
  • Morgan Stanley at the Players Championship
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    Permission granted by Morgan Stanley
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    Q&A

    Morgan Stanley’s CMO on bringing brand purpose to life through sports

    The exec details a deal with basketball league Unrivaled and shares lessons learned from the brand’s 10 years at the PGA’s Players Championship.

    By March 13, 2025
  • Jaguar
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    Courtesy of Jaguar
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    Marketing leaders share how consumer backlash strengthened their brands

    Speaking at a Female Quotient event during SXSW, Jaguar Land Rover’s U.S. CMO discussed navigating the response to a recent rebrand.

    By March 13, 2025
  • Defocussed shot of a team of businesspeople attending a meeting in a boardroom.
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    PeopleImages via Getty Images
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    CMO role paves path to bigger leadership appointments: Spencer Stuart

    Nearly two-thirds of CMOs who left their jobs were either promoted internally or moved onto a similar or higher role at a different brand.

    By March 12, 2025
  • Jake from State Farm in front of the Bat Signal
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    Courtesy of State Farm
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    Q&A

    How State Farm pivoted its Super Bowl ad to March Madness and beyond

    The insurer and agency Highdive developed a Batman-powered campaign that was originally meant to kick off during the big game.

    By March 11, 2025
  • Campaign imagery for Selena Gomez-owned Rare Beauty's first-ever brand campaign, "Every Side of You."
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    Courtesy of Fred & Farid Los Angeles
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    Rare Beauty CMO on winning Gen Z through community-oriented marketing

    The brand spent years building up its social media fandom before launching a major ad campaign, CMO Katie Welch said at SXSW.

    By March 11, 2025
  • DSW store
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    Retrieved from DSW on February 26, 2025
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    How DSW’s CMO is overhauling the brand for a new age of retail

    Sarah Crockett detailed her approach to rehabilitating the brand during a keynote presentation at the eTail Palm Springs conference.

    By Feb. 28, 2025
  • A sign that reads "try love buy" in front of a range of beauty displays at an Ulta Beauty shop-in-shop inside of a Target.
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    Cara Salpini/Marketing Dive
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    Ulta taps company vet for chief marketer role

    Company veteran Kelly Mahoney will lead the beauty retailer’s brand marketing strategy, innovation, customer engagement and growth.

    By Cara Salpini • Feb. 27, 2025
  • A basketball player cuts down the net in a Powerade ad
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    Courtesy of Powerade
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    How Powerade’s March Madness campaign takes aim at Gatorade

    CMO Tom Gargiulo explains how “It Takes More To Get This Far” seeks to build on the Coca-Cola brand’s recent momentum.

    By Feb. 25, 2025