Mars global marketing boss Bruce McColl stepping down after 24 years with food giant
McColl: retiring from Mars after 24 years with the company
Bruce McColl, the global chief marketing officer of Mars, is stepping down after 24 years with the company. His role will be filled by 15-year Mars veteran Andrew Clarke, currently the company’s chief customer officer.
Mars is promoting the move as a step to address dynamic shifts in retail, ecommerce and consumer shopping behaviour. McColl has been in the CMO role since 2006.
Mars president and CEO Grant F. Reid, said McColl’s retirement created an opportunity for the company to look at how it was reacting to the changes in the market.
Andrew Clarke takes over global CMO role
“Marketplace dynamics are blurring the lines between sales and marketing,” Reid said.
“Retail and shopper trends are moving at a remarkable pace and digital is providing new routes to reach consumers that blends advertising and selling. We’re evolving our approach to advance the way our marketing and customer strategies work together to address these trends.”
McColl has been working with Clarke to create strategy in order to understand the concept of “demand” in a more integrated way, with Clarke now charged with working to make the company more agile in the face of changing retail trends.
Under McColl’s leadership the brand was named Cannes Global Advertiser of the Year in 2012 and 2015 Client of the Year at One Show in 2015.
McColl has been a vocal critic of remuneration models that forced agencies to offer cut rates to win and keep business.
Last year he told the AANA Reset Conference that brands needed to pay agencies enough “to make a very good” profit” or risk putting their own businesses in danger.
“We have to pay them enough to make a very good profit. I want our agencies to be able to recruit the type of talent that can provide four-star advertising. But we are still fiscally responsible,” McColl said.
He has also been an advocate of Australian marketers looking overseas for inspiration due to the small size of the local market.
“Australia lacks scale. So it’s important that marketers tap into global networks when they can to get a sense of perspective. You can’t be a good marketer and grow as a professional unless you explore outside your sphere,” McColl told Mumbrella in a 2012 interview.
Simon Canning
