CMO Corner

Coverage of industry leaders from our journalists

  • People attend Advertising Week New York 2025
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    Permission granted by Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York
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    Top takeaways from Advertising Week 2025 marketers need to know

    Leading marketers like PepsiCo and Kraft Heinz delved into topics including culture-led marketing and artificial intelligence at the annual conference.

    By , , , • Oct. 23, 2025
  • A line of people form outside of Welch's Zero Bodega pop-up experience in New York City
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    Permission granted by Welch's
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    Welch’s names chief brand and innovation officer as strategy shifts

    The newly created role effectively replaces the CMO and is part of a larger push from the brand to become more agile and consumer-driven.

    By • Oct. 21, 2025
  • Outdoor ads in Brooklyn, New York, promote Manscaped grooming products
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    Permission granted by Manscaped
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    Q&A

    How Manscaped’s CMO tackles Super Bowl-sized brand ambitions

    Marcelo Kertesz spoke with Marketing Dive about reports the brand is mulling its first big game ad and why it is doubling down on edgy humor.

    By • Oct. 20, 2025
  • CMOs at Advertising Week New York argued that widely held beliefs about the group, including their lack of brand loyalty, are not telling the full story.
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    Permission granted by Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York
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    CMOs share what brands get wrong when marketing to Gen Z

    The group’s perceived aversion to advertising and lack of brand loyalty are more myth than fact, panelists argued at Advertising Week.

    By • Oct. 10, 2025
  • Executive sit on a stage in white chairs during an Advertising Week New York 2025 panel. From left: Diederik Koenders, vice president of consumer engagement at MAC Cosmetics; Laurie Lam, chief brand officer at E.l.f. Beauty; and Asha Shivaji, CEO and co-founder of SeeMe Index.
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    Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York

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    E.l.f., MAC on driving growth through inclusivity — and tips for others

    Getting inclusivity right does not require initiatives like a DEI team, but rather full organizational buy-in, marketers said during an Advertising Week panel.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • Executives from Keurig Dr Pepper, Disney, NFL and EDO on an Advertising Week New York panel
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    Permission granted by Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York
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    How Keurig Dr. Pepper embraces flywheel marketing to drive performance

    During an Advertising Week panel, CMO Drew Panayiotou explained how marketers can measure success when accuracy is not completely possible.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • Panelists at Advertising Week New York
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    Permission granted by Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York
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    How Molson Coors, PepsiCo operationalize rapid, relevant culture plays

    Brands must be aligned with agency partners and remove barriers to execution, executives explained at Advertising Week.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Todd Kaplan at AWNY
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    Permission granted by Shutterstock for Advertising Week New York
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    Kraft Heinz CMO on being culturally nimble without losing brand equity

    At Advertising Week, Todd Kaplan said marketers should think of brand building like pointillism and not rush to jump on every viral opportunity.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Person wears Oura ring in a car
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    Courtesy of Oura
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    How Oura keys into self-expression to reach Gen Z, millennials

    The brand is betting on channels where return on investment is strongest as it launches a ceramic smart ring in different colors for the first time.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
  • A Qdoba storefront
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    Retrieved from Qdoba on October 02, 2025
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    Q&A

    Qdoba’s new CMO on turning the fast-casual chain into a national brand

    As it rapidly expands, the chain is relying on an agency roster including Leo, Influential and other Publicis shops, newly appointed CMO Jon Burke explains.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
  • A group of business executives networking at a conference.
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    Getty Images
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    Top marketing conferences to attend in 2026

    The Interactive Advertising Bureau has moved up NewFronts, which it bills as the world’s largest digital content marketplace, to earlier in the spring.

    By • Updated Oct. 21, 2025
  • An image of a store sign that says Shake Shack. To the left is a green neon sign of a burger
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Shake Shack appoints first chief brand officer

    The addition of a marketing executive is aligned with the fast-casual chain’s plan to increase its paid media ad spend to help boost sales.

    By Julie Littman • Sept. 23, 2025
  • Taco Bell's $5, $7 and $9 luxe boxes. Each combo meal contains several items, a side and a drink.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Taco Bell promotes marketing execs to take US success global

    CMO Taylor Montgomery was promoted to global chief brand officer and will be succeeded by Luis Restrepo, vice president of brand and product marketing.

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 22, 2025
  • Lee Jeans' "Built Like Lee" campaign imagery
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    Courtesy of Kontoor Brands
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    How Lee’s new brand platform reasserts its denim authority

    “Built Like Lee” celebrates the heritage of a brand founded in 1889 and is the first expression of a creative vision meant to resonate with a new generation.

    By • Sept. 22, 2025
  • Image of phone showing Aldi's Instagram page
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    Peyton Bigora/Marketing Dive
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    How Aldi revamped its social media strategy — and why it’s working

    The fast-growing company has turned away from posts that just highlight its low prices and toward more playful, culturally relevant content, its marketing director said in an interview.

    By Peyton Bigora • Sept. 18, 2025
  • A photo of a convenience store in the background with fuel pumps in the foreground. A sign on the building says "Wawa."
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    Jessica Loder/Marketing Dive
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    Wawa appoints former General Mills marketer as CMO

    Doug Martin served the CPG brand for nearly two decades, most recently as its chief marketer, and joins Wawa in the middle of an expansion phase.

    By Jessica Loder • Sept. 17, 2025
  • An imae of a white and beige restaurant with red awnings. The center is a logo of a person wearing glasses.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    KFC hires Wingstop marketer as CMO to fire up comeback plan

    Melissa Cash takes over at the Yum chain for Catherine Tan-Gillespie, who was promoted to president in April.

    By • Sept. 15, 2025
  • A standup comedian performs in a JCPenney ad
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    Courtesy of JCPenney
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    Q&A

    How JCPenney is preparing for the holidays with laugh-out-loud deals

    Marketing chief Marisa Thalberg discussed how marketers can engage holiday shoppers amid economic uncertainty.

    By • Sept. 12, 2025
  • Billboards of actress Sydney Sweeney is seen outside of an American Eagle store on August 01, 2025 in New York City.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    American Eagle’s celebrity marketing drew outcry — and new customers

    The brand defended its controversial ads with Sydney Sweeney, claiming the campaign contributed to “unprecedented” customer acquisition.

    By • Sept. 4, 2025
  • Checkers and Rally's meal
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    Courtesy of Checkers and Rally's
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    Why Checkers and Rally’s are keeping the pedal to the metal on value

    CMO Scott Johnson explains how the sister chains built on a brand platform created by Partners + Napier via a partnership with rapper GloRilla.

    By • Sept. 4, 2025
  • Celsius college campaign
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    Retrieved from Celsius on August 26, 2025
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    How Celsius is building on brand campaign success with college football

    CMO Kyle Watson explains how the energy drink is stepping up NIL efforts as part of a “Live. Fit. Go” effort that kicked off in June.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • An image of a giant logo that says Applbee's.
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Applebee’s appoints marketing, operating chiefs

    Following a strong Q2, Dine Brands will bring on Michelle Chin as CMO and Jerrold Wong as COO to extend the chain’s recent successes.

    By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 26, 2025
  • Jon Hamm for BetMGM
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    Courtesy of BetMGM
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    BetMGM’s CMO on how its brand repositioning unites gaming, entertainment

    To separate from the pack, the sports-betting platform is launching a Las Vegas-inspired brand refresh with ads starring Jon Hamm.

    By • Aug. 26, 2025
  • A person with long blond hair smiles, sitting sideways in a director-style chair. Water and far-off trees are in the background.
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    Courtesy of HeyDude
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    Crocs appoints 2 new CMOs to level up creative strategy: WWD

    Crocs and Heydude are getting new marketing chiefs as they double down on storytelling, with the latter looking to build on a brand awareness bump.

    By • Aug. 18, 2025
  • Applebee's Ultimate Trio on a football field
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    Courtesy of Applebee's
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    How Applebee’s sharper marketing turned around sales ahead of NFL season

    The casual dining chain recently achieved positive same-store sales growth for the first time in two years, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton explains.

    By • Aug. 18, 2025