Dive Brief:
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Macy’s on Thursday announced that Richard A. Lennox will replace longtime marketing executive and former chief marketing officer Martine Reardon, who stepped down in May. Lennox will take over the position on Sept. 15.
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Lennox has been CMO of Toys “R” Us since 2014 and led the creation of its successful Toys “R” Us “awesome” brand position and marketing campaigns. He also worked as the executive vice president and chief marketing and e-commerce officer at jewelry retailer Zales.
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Before working for those retailers, Lennox was a senior executive at advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, where he led the De Beers Group and the team that developed the “A Diamond is Forever” campaign. He also worked for major brand clients like Kellogg’s, Nestle, Unilever and Warner Lambert.
Dive Insight:
Lennox's predecessor, Martine Reardon, was at Macy’s for 32 years and worked at other department stores or department store accounts when she herself was at J. Walter Thompson. At Macy’s, Reardon led celebrity-themed campaigns with Martha Stewart and Ryan Seacrest, and she also spearheaded the retailer’s "Believe" holiday campaign.
Lennox, another JWT veteran, is less familiar with department stores. But he’s led successful campaigns at Toys "R" Us, and his experience with the iconic “Diamonds are Forever” campaign may be just the kind of big-idea, big-impact marketing that Macy’s is after.
Lennox is stepping in just after the department store posted optimistic earnings, and is making efforts to downsize its number of stores and bolster its online experience.
He will be responsible for Macy’s omnichannel market presence and strategy, including brand, promotional, store, digital and events marketing activity. And he will report to Macy’s president Jeff Gennette, who is slated to take over the CEO spot early next year from longtime chief Terry Lundgren.
