Starbucks taps Under Armour exec for creative director spot

Dive Brief:

Starbucks announced Thursday that it has tapped Leanne Fremar to be its global chief marketing officer starting in October. Until earlier this month Fremar was Under Armour's SVP and executive creative director of apparel, accessories, and footwear. She has also held senior positions at Theory, Gucci Group, and Polo Ralph Lauren.
Fremar will lead the creative development of all Starbucks global brand initiatives and marketing campaigns including digital creative and overseeing of the branding, creative and marketing of Starbucks Roasteries and its Reserve brand. Her responsibilities include partnering with agencies 72 & Sunny, Integer Group and Spark, leading a more than 100 person in-house Creative Studio based in Seattle.
Leanne Fremar starts her tenure at the company with three weeks of training that includes working as a store barista.

Dive Insight:

At Under Armour, Fremar was one of the architects of the much-heralded "I Will What I Want" campaign, featuring, among others, prima ballerina Misty Copeland, model Gisele Bundchen, skier Lindsey Vonn, soccer player Kelley O’Hara, and tennis player Sloane Stephens. The $15 million effort was the most Under Armour spent at the time for an ad push aimed at women, perhaps in a ploy to draw customers from yogawear maker Lululemon.

In addition to her efforts in that campaign, Fremar was also credited with pulling in other women to Under Armour’s executive ranks, which are dominated by men, according to Buzzfeed.

Fremar’s hire caps off a week of executive shuffles for Starbucks, which is in the midst of a long-term strategic plan that CEO Howard Schultz said begins the company’s “next phase of our growth and development.” This includes the new Starbucks Roastery and Reserve store concepts, premium coffee stores aimed at capturing high-end coffee drinkers.

“When the Roastery opened in Seattle, I said it was a metaphor for our company in showcasing elevated levels of coffee innovation, design creativity and customer experience,” he said in a statement Monday. “What we have created with the Roastery is the most dynamic, immersive retail experience the industry has ever seen.”

Fremar will report to global chief marketing officer Sharon Rothstein, who noted her work at Under Armour as the kind of compelling narrative that Starbucks wants to also portray.

“Starbucks brand legacy has truly been about creative and emotional storytelling, which has been built and nurtured from within our own in-house team,” Rothstein said in a statement. “Leanne brings 20 years of marketing and creative expertise from some of the most iconic and admired apparel and fashion brands. Her strategy, vision and dynamic leadership will guide us into the next evolution of creative expression at Starbucks.”