Verizon hires Peloton marketer Leslie Berland as CMO

Verizon has named Peloton marketing executive Leslie Berland as executive VP and chief marketing officer, as the big-spending wireless giant seeks to gain ground in the hotly competitive category. Berland will oversee global brand and marketing strategy, including consumer insights, media and strategic partnerships, Verizon announced. She begins Jan. 9, reporting to Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg. See our Year in Review stories here Berland had been chief marketing officer at fitness brand Peloton for just under a year, having joined the company in January following more than a decade at Twitter, which is now known as X. At Peloton, she was responsible for a brand refresh in the spring that aimed to position the beleaguered brand as more than just a stationary bike company. Before Twitter, she worked at American Express. “There has never been a more transformative time for our industry. While our networks and technology are core to realizing the promise ahead, the strength of our brand is critical to delivering on our strategy and maintaining our momentum,” Vestberg said in a statement, crediting Berland with having “a combination of creativity and business acumen that will help steer and scale our marketing strategy while capitalizing on our next phase of growth.” Berland takes over from Diego Scotti, who left the wireless giant earlier this year after a nine-year stint. He joined PayPal this week as executive VP and general manager of a new consumer group and global marketing and communications organization at the payments company, charged with driving “enhanced brand awareness and use for PayPal and Venmo,” according to a statement. Verizon ranks as the nation’s 30th-largest advertiser, shelling out $3.56 billion in 2022, according to the Ad Age Datacenter. The company has recently made significant changes to its ad agency roster, parting ways with McCann as lead agency for its consumer business and awarding the account to WPP’s Ogilvy. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the biggest marketers and brands Enter here Verizon has continued to lose mobile customers, particularly in its consumer unit, with new consumer head Sowmyanarayan Sampath looking to reverse that decline. That division accounts for the vast majority of the company’s revenue. Verizon shares are down 3% this year as of Tuesday’s close. Peloton did not immediately respond to a request about Berland’s replacement. In October the company announced a multi-year deal with the NBA to stream content including games. At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told Ad Age that the partnership made sense because consumers were already spending time on their bikes watching games. “There was a clear connection,” he said, noting that the association is around fitness. Also read: Behind the NBA’s deal with Skims Despite such marketing efforts, Peloton has still struggled to turn sales around. Last month, the New York-based company reported a 3% drop in quarterly sales to $595.5 million compared to the year-earlier period. Bloomberg News contributed to this report

Verizon hires Peloton marketer Leslie Berland as CMO

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