Dive Brief:

• Dick’s Sporting Goods has named Scott Hudler senior vice president and chief marketing officer, per a press release. Hudler previously spent 11 years with Dunkin’ Brands, most recently serving as senior vice president, chief digital officer, and was responsible for the brand's digital strategy as well as product roadmap, including mobile, loyalty and all consumer-facing technology.
• For Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hudler will be responsible for consumer engagement strategy and implementation and overall marketing while driving the retailer’s continued digital transformation across all marketing channels, said Lauren Hobart, president of Dick’s Sporting Goods, in the press release.
• Hudler’s background includes serving as vice president, global consumer engagement, for Dunkin’ Brands as well as a stint in marketing for Mars, Inc.

Dive Insight:

Dick’s Sporting Goods is likely planning on Hudler bringing some digital innovation to its marketing strategy with Hobart stating his experience will “make an immediate impact on our team.”

Under Hudler’s watch, Dunkin’ Brands built a leading digital strategy over several years and in 2016 was named Marketing Dive's Marketer of the Year, in part because of its readiness to grab at emerging opportunities like virtual reality, Snapchat ads and digital ordering. In a Valentine’s Day promotion this year, Dunkin’ Donuts used a multi-channel approach that included a photo contest on Instagram, an iMessage card builder, an emoji keyboard on its app, two Snapchat geofilters and a Facebook Live performance by Us The Duo. 

The timing of the appointment is noteworthy as retailers in the sporting goods category — as well as brick-and-mortar retailers more broadly — are having a tumultuous year, including Sports Direct acquiring Eastern Mountain Sports, Camping World scooping up bankrupt Gander Mountain and Cabela's agreeing to merge with Bass Pro.

Dick's Sporting Goods has had its own troubles. Sales are growing but at a slower pace than expected, causing the retailer to recently announce a round of layoffs and other cost-cutting measures like slowing store development and reducing its dependency on traditional marketing vehicles. 

Hudler's appointment is interesting because he is moving from a chief digital officer position to a CMO role, putting him in charge of customer engagement and underscoring how critical digital expertise is for those leading a brand's marketing strategy. There has been a trend so far this year among some marketers of expanding the scope of the CMO role to imbue it with more power to shape brands and allow companies to create a more consistent customer journey.