Target Loses Chief Marketer to Uber

Target is on the hunt for a new chief marketing officer just as it enters a difficult juncture after posting its first quarterly comparable sales decline in more than two years.Jeff Jones is leaving the mass merchant to head global ride-hailing giant Uber’s ridesharing operations, marketing and customer support. The top exec has been one of Target’s most visible leaders since joining the company in 2012.“Jones has modernized Target’s marketing and helped drive Target’s strategy,” chief executive officer Brian Cornell said in a glowing statement referencing the company's live music events during the last two Grammy Awards and last years storybook holiday campaign. “Those campaigns not only drove the business, but created a deep, emotional connection.”Target is already positioned with its plans for this holiday, Cornell said in the statement. However, the company is currently challenged by weak traffic, which Cornell told investors was the biggest contributor to the retailer's 1.1% drop in comp sales in the second-quarter (ended July 30). The mass merchant resorted to its first-ever storewide sale on Sunday, dangling 10% off most products in stores and on target.com with a coupon from its Sunday circular. Participants could also request a mobile coupon via text message.The retailer also is attempting to drive traffic by painting the iconic round bollards outside some 400 of its stores to resemble "Poke Balls," inviting fans of the game not to miss the photo opportunity and luring them inside with an upfront display of licensed Pokemon products.In addition to weak sales in traffic-driving categories such as grocery, Cornell told investors that the retailer lost pharmacy foot traffic due to inherent disruptions during the rebranding of those departments to CVS/pharmacy. Consumer Reports' consumerist.com reported that in addition to experiencing disruptions during the changeover, shoppers miss the unique aspects that had made them frequent Target’s pharmacies, such as ClearRX prescription bottles. (CVS now owns the ClearRx patents but is not using them.)

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