One of the best known names in marketing, Gary Briggs, is retiring from his post as the Chief Marketing Officer at Facebook. Briggs joined Facebook in August of 2013, and prior to that he was Google’s VP of consumer marketing, and served as the CMO of Motorola Mobility after Google acquired them. He also served in prominent roles at both eBay and PepsiCo.
In his time at Facebook he had some significant accomplishments, including running the first ever TV ad for Facebook. Much of his work was largely in the background, but he helped build the social media giant and ensured its continued growth to great new heights.
Facebook hasn’t yet named a new CMO, and there is currently no word on when that will take place.
In the announcement of his retirement, Briggs said, “I plan to help the Democratic Party on some efforts leading up to the US midterms this year through to 2020.”
While most people agree that Briggs was an overall positive influence on Facebook, he was at the marketing helm during a time when Facebook’s reputation took some serious hits. Their role in spreading fake news during the presidential election, for example, caused them to fall out of the top 10 brands as rated by YouGov’s BrandIndex.
Keeping an eye on who the new CMO will be, and what (if any) changes they bring will be important for many.
