Macy’s Loses Another Marketing Executive

Brad Jakeman, executive vp of marketing for Macy’s Inc. (Cincinnati), is resigning after less than a year on the job, according to Advertising Age magazine. His resignation follows that of former chief marketing officer Anne MacDonald, who left three months ago after just over a year with the retailer.

Both Jakeman and McDonald had come to Macy’s from Citigroup Inc. (New York), where they were the architects of the financial services company’s “Live Richly” marketing campaign.

At Macy's, Jakeman led the development of an ad campaign starring Martha Stewart, Jessica Simpson and others with product lines being sold at Macy's. The spots will bow Feb. 15, 2008, during the Emmy's.

Ad Age referred to the defections of Jakeman and McDonald as casualties of Macy’s “branding vs. sales-promotion battle.”

“Their arrival at Macy's, shortly after Federated's acquisition of May's department stores, was seen as part of an initiative to build the iconic department store into a national brand,” the advertising industry weekly reported. “But the ambitious task was hampered by an internal struggle over the speed with which to execute branding changes. The company this year has reported some of the sector's worst same-store sales.”

“I think they're prepared to change the model, but they want to do it at a slower pace,” Ad Age was told. “It's not a money thing, but a reluctance to enter uncharted waters.”

When MacDonald left Macy's in June, she was replaced by Peter Sachse, who had also preceded her in the top marketing spot. With Sachse back in place, said Ad Age, “Macy's has returned to the tried-and-true marketing of the past, newspaper advertising based on a sale, not branded TV or multimedia campaigns.”

“Brad's contributions to our marketing program at Macy's have been important,” Sachse said in a statement. “In particular, Brad has led the conception and execution of our new brand campaign and his stewardship of our marketing efforts leave us in good stead for our future programs.”