Four Brands That Are Hiring Their First CMOs, Here’s Why It’s Important

We are constantly reminding you of the important role that CMO hires play in agency shifts. Why? Because they’re the number one indicator that an agency review is likely to occur. So what does this say about first time CMO hires? That an agency hire is even more likely as marketing investment is poised to rise.

When a brand hires a CMO for the first time, not only is the likelihood of that brand hiring new agencies increased, it also means that a large marketing investment is coming – so ad sellers, martech vendors and even sponsorship organizations should take notice.

Here’s a heads up on four under the radar brands that are either looking or just hired their first CMOs. Start engaging right away to be top of mind when big marketing moves begin to happen (if they haven’t already). 

• Planet Fitness: CEO Chris Rondeau announced in the Planet Fitness Q1 earnings call that the company is on the hunt to fill its newly-created position of CMO. He said the new marketing leader will help fuel the company’s aggressive growth “with an increased focus on things like data and technology, optimizing [their] national and local advertising funds and the development of exciting new partnerships.” Currently, PF is focusing on expanding its locations, but once the new CMO is selected, expect focus to shift towards these new marketing initiatives.
• GoodRx: The prescription price transparency app is on the hunt for their first CMO, according to a listing posted on Glassdoor. This means that those of you with pharmacy experience should start reaching out to lower level marketing personnel who can refer you to the new CMO once they start. When getting pitches together, keep in mind that GoodRX is shifting more of their spend to digital, in order to skew their target demographic toward millennials.
• Sednik’s Food Market: The grocery store chain recently hired Joseph Wood as their first CMO. This means that agencies with grocery store client experience should be reaching out to Wood right away, as he took over his role in April and should be adjusted to his new post and more susceptible to pitches. Keep in mind the chain has been struggling, closing a number of locations, which only further suggests the need for an agency to turn things around (and also explains the first time CMO hire).
• Food 52: After seeing rapid growth, the independent online publisher hired and promoted new marketing personnel to assist. Angela Tribelli joined as Food52’s first CMO in April, which means that Tribelli has had time to adjust to her new post and will likely begin her search for agencies very soon, so outreach right now is crucial. Note that media and creative are handled in-house, but agencies are often hired on a project-by-project basis, especially during their busy seasons, so those of you with similar client experience need to engage the new CMO right away.    

So there you have it, four brands to start engaging now. Need contact information, spending history and talking points to make the right impression? Request a trial of Winmo to get your competitive edge!