LivingSocial has appointed former Best Buy CMO Barry Judge to the position of chief marketing officer.
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Judge headed up marketing at the electronics retailer for four years, until May, when he resigned to explore new opportunities. At LivingSocial, Judge will be responsible for overseeing online and offline advertising, brand management, social media and communications.
In a release, LivingSocial’s CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy said, “With his experience and strategic insight, Barry will help us reach millions of new consumers and businesses around the world.”
Judge joined Best Buy in 1999 to help the company launch its online presence at bestbuy.com, and then held a number of positions before becoming CMO in 2008.
The timing of Judge’s arrival is a little curious, given that in November the daily deals company slashed 10 percent of its workforce, or about 400 people, in order to try to achieve profitability.
Of course, as the second-largest in the space, LivingSocial could arguably have some branding issues as it battles Groupon’s much stronger presence in the marketplace.
Additionally, the Washington, D.C.-based company is attempting to distance itself from the stigma of the daily deals business by focusing on producing and curating events. Groupon is doing the same, by expanding into the sale of physical goods, and by becoming a technology company that builds tools aimed at local merchants.
Separately, Chad Fowler, LivingSocial’s SVP of technology, announced today on his personal blog that he is leaving the company. He said he’s taking a role as CTO of a technology startup in Berlin, and will remain at LivingSocial until the end of January. Fowler joined LivingSocial through its acquisition of InfoEther almost two years ago.
