CMO's come and go

Federated named Anne MacDonald as CMO.

MacDonald will join Federated from Citibank, where she serves as chief marketing officer for Citi's Global Consumer Group. Previously, she was vice president for brand management at Pizza Hut, Inc., a Dallas-based division of PepsiCo. In earlier account management roles with N.W. Ayer, Inc. and Grey Advertising, MacDonald worked with clients including Procter & Gamble, AT&T and Citicorp. Immediately prior to joining Pizza Hut in 1993, she was Ayer's executive vice president and managing director on its Procter & Gamble business.

Federated seems to enjoy vague rhetoric. I mentioned in a post a few days ago their claim that they are seeking to "reinvent" the department store (whatever that means). There's more of it in this press release:

"Anne MacDonald's mission will be to lead us outside of the traditional realm of retail store marketing and to establish Macy's as a leading American consumer brand," Lundgren said. "Her track record with iconic brands will help take Macy's to the next level of strategic marketing insight and innovation at this historic point in the company's history."

Meanwhile, American Eagle Outfitters announced that their CMO, Michael Leedy, had resigned "to pursue new opportunities." They expect to name a successor soon.