Jetstar names former Qantas and Target executive as new CMO
Just four months after dumping its foundation agency, Ted Horton’s Big Red, Jetstar has named a new chief marketing officer following the promotion of Liz McCarthy to a regional role.
McCarthy promoted to customer care and shared services
Phil Wade, who joined Qantas Group last year to oversee the Qantas and Jetstar hotels platform, Hooroo, steps into the role with a brief to increase the airline’s focus on digital and data.
Wade joined Qantas from retailer Target in June last year where he spent 18 months as marketing and ecommerce director.
Prior to that he was with European retail giant TJX Europe, parent of companies including TK Maxx and HoneSense.
Jetstar’s chief commercial officer, Catriona Larritt, said the appointment of McCarthy to head customer care and shared services showed her depth of talent in the business.
“We know brands are only as strong as the experience they deliver and after almost five years shaping our proposition Liz is perfectly placed to take customer care to a whole new level,” Larritt said.
“Phil has a really strong pedigree in marketing and e-commerce and under his leadership we’ll re-double our focus on data and digital to help ensure we’re reaching more customers in a more relevant and personalised way than ever before. We’re working to become one of the great travel retailers in the region and Phil’s appointment will help us get there.”
In February McCarthy completed an agency review of the airline, dropping Big Red, which had been with Jetstar since its inception 11 years ago, handing the business to JWT in Melbourne.
The agency’s first work for Jetstar rolled out at the beginning of June, focusing on ‘All day, everyday, low fares’.
As part of the new work, the ‘Jetstar Jump’, which had become a feature of its advertising was not included.
