Dick’s Sporting Goods has a new marketing leader. Longtime Chief Marketing Officer Ed Plummer is retiring after more than 13 years with the retailer. He’ll be replaced by Emily Silver, who was most recently senior VP, portfolio marketing at PepsiCo. She takes over later this month following a transition period.

Silver will be responsible for all of Dick’s marketing and brand strategies. She’ll also be tasked with continuing Dick’s recently unveiled brand platform “Sports Change Lives,” as the company communicates the importance of athletics in consumers’ everyday lives. Dick’s began airing the new marketing campaign last month in its biggest advertising investment to date in its 75-year history. The retail chain tapped Arts & Letters Creative for the work, representing a new relationship.

In his time at Coraopolis, Pennsylvania-based Dick’s, Plummer rose through the ranks from VP of CRM and consumer insights in 2010 to his promotion to CMO four years ago. He shepherded the brand through the COVID-19 pandemic, when Dick’s invested in innovative digital infrastructure such as curbside pickup and new e-commerce offerings to meet new needs from consumers in lockdown. Such strategies, which led to record sales, helped land Dick’s a spot on Ad Age’s Hottest Brands list in 2021.

Plummer was also responsible for the brand’s early presence on TikTok when it hosted its first challenge on the popular social media platform as part of a back-to-school marketing campaign in 2020, and for building Dick’s retail media network, which rolled out last year. 

His last day with the retailer is April 28.

Last month, Dick’s topped analyst expectations by reporting a 5.9% rise in fourth-quarter net sales to $3.6 billion. The company recently announced it will be the official retail sponsor of Boston Athletic Association events, including this week's Boston Marathon, as part of a multi-year deal.

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