EPG developer and interactive TV programmer, Gemstar-TV Guide, has named Alan Cohen to the newly created position of EVP and chief marketing officer. Cohen, who joined the company June 19th and who reports to CEO, Rich Battista, will oversee all corporate marketing functions and will also be responsible for brand management, licensing and merchandising, and corporate research. He will be tasked with working closely with the marketing teams at Gemstar's various divisions to develop the corporate brand and to form strategic partnerships that will operate across platforms.
Cohen was previously CMO of online music company, Napster, where he oversaw all marketing efforts during and after the launch of the company's portable music subscription service, including branding, company positioning, advertising, promotion, customer retention and public relations. Prior to joining Napster in 2004, Cohen was a senior partner and executive group director at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, responsible for all North American retail activities and corporate brand advertising for BP, which was one of that agency's largest clients. From 2000-2002, he served as CMO at auction Web site, uBid.com, overseeing marketing efforts and customer relations. Prior to that, he spent around a decade at Jim Beam Brands, where, as VP of brand management, he was responsible for leading US marketing efforts for the company's Jim Beam and DeKuyper liquor products. Prior to his stint at Jim Beam, he spent five years at DDB Needham Worldwide. He holds a BS in accounting from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from Indiana University. "As a consumer-facing company, in a rapidly changing media industry, the marketing of our corporate brand, and our collection of businesses, is becoming increasingly important," CEO Battista said in a prepared statement. "I'm pleased that Alan will be joining our senior management team to lead the effort to develop marketing initiatives and alliances that will help grow our business across the multiple platforms in which we operate. Alan's background in brand management is also important as managing the growth and evolution of the TV Guide brand is fundamental to our long-term success."
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