(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/PeskyMonkey)
Verizon is looking to reposition its brand into a leading tech company, and the operator has poached Apple’s global creative director to aid the transition.
Apple is often seen as being a ‘cool’ brand and praise must be given to individuals responsible for maintaining this portrayal over the years. One such employee, Andrew McKechnie, former chief creative director at Apple, is jumping ship to Verizon as the company’s first chief creative officer.
Beginning his career in Asia, McKechnie garnered experience at BBDO and JWT. He made the move to New York in 2010 when he joined Y&R as Global Creative Director where his work across LG Electronics, Land Rover North America, and the United States Olympic Committee was highly-awarded.
The operator has poached Apple’s global creative director to aid the transition
McKechnie will manage a team of 60 employees to modernise Verizon’s brand including managing its marketing, remodelling their retail stores, overhauling the website, and creating new adverts which no longer rely on the ‘most reliable network’ branding claim.
Along with fellow operators, Verizon is looking to expand beyond mobile and broadband into more exciting categories with growth potential such as the IoT and video-based content. These areas provide a chance for Verizon to engage more with its customers and the company wants to ensure it has the expertise in-house to make a success of it.
“As we expand our bench of world-class marketing talent, we are thrilled for Andrew to bring his global expertise and fresh aesthetic to the Verizon brand,” says Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon. “Andrew and his team will help to drive demand for our products and services, as well as accelerate our efficiencies, speed to market and innovation.”
Scotti has confirmed Verizon will not be cutting off ties with their existing independent agency and media partners such as McCann, R/GA, and Zenith. With a deal to acquire Yahoo in the closing stages, another brand in desperate need of an overhaul, Verizon will need all the help it can get.
Yahoo was hit by several hacking scandals over the past year. The first involved hackers accessing millions of users’ accounts, and then a few months later another hack was revealed that impacted more than one billion accounts to mark the largest data breach in history. Following the brand damage, Verizon and Yahoo agreed to cut the acquisition cost by $350 million.
“We have always believed this acquisition makes strategic sense,” said Marni Walden, Executive Vice President, Verizon. “The amended terms of the agreement provide a fair and favorable outcome for shareholders. It provides protections for both sides and delivers a clear path to close the transaction in the second quarter.”
Do you think Verizon’s rebrand will be a success? Share your thoughts in the comments.
