Sears, similar to most brick and mortar retailers, has traditionally made the marketing case for shopping in its stores primarily through traditional print and broadcast media. But, will all that change now that the company has hired a digital expert to run its marketing operations?
This week, Sears Holdings announced it had hired David Friedman, most recently president-Americas at Razorfish, to run marketing at the company's Kmart and Sears units.
"What's intriguing in my view is that a company like Sears, which has invested so much into offline marketing over the years, tapped someone from a digital agency," one unnamed industry executive told Advertising Age. "My sense is that Dave is going to inject a strong dose of digital savvy, especially helping Sears integrate its in-store experience with digital platforms like touchscreens."
Bruce Johnson, interim CEO and president of Sears Holdings, said in a press release, that Mr. Friedman "brings to our company a proven track record of assisting numerous retail and consumer organizations in building strong brands through focused digital, online and in-store customer experiences. Under his leadership, Sears Holdings will have the opportunity to enhance marketing efforts for engagement programs that give customers more reasons to shop with us everyday, such as Shop Your Way Rewards, Layaway and Sears Chef Challenge."
Mr. Friedman, who will have the title of senior vice president and president, marketing, will start with the company on Sept. 13. He is the third head of marketing at Sears Holdings since Edward Lampert, the company's chairman, took control in 2005. As a Chicago Tribune article pointed out, Mr. Lampert has been cutting back on capital investments in stores and redirecting more dollars to online for both Sears and Kmart.
Discussion Question: Do you expect the marketing at Kmart and Sears to go in a dramatically different direction under David Friedman? What words of advice do you have for Mr. Friedman?