McDonald’s Vice President of Marketing Neil Golden will have his work cut out for him next April when he takes over as the company’s new chief marketing officer, experts say.
Golden will replace William Lamar, the company’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, who is retiring from the position March 30 after five years. Rumors have circulated for months that he planned to leave (Promo Xtra, Nov. 30).
“Anybody who has executive responsibility at McDonald’s has a lot on their shoulders and certainly Golden is going to have big shoes to fill if only to keep the momentum McDonald’s has going right now,” said Scott Hume, editor-in-chief of Restaurants & Institutions. “There are some big challenges ahead.”
That includes finding a successor to McDonald’s ongoing “i’m lovin’ it” campaign, Hume said. Another is to continue to innovate new products, which is “central to keeping the quick service restaurant category alive,” he said.
Golden, 46, will likely follow Lamar’s lead to increase ad buys on cable, and to develop more microsites and social networking sites: Strategies that have helped push McDonald’s to the forefront, Hume said.
It’s come as little surprise that McDonald’s tapped Golden for the job. Golden joined McDonald’s in 1989 as a regional marketing supervisor for the Indianapolis region. As the chain’s current vice president of marketing, he oversees new initiatives, identifies emerging trends and is in charge of strategic planning and ethnic marketing.
“For somebody to be moving up is the McDonald’s way,” Hume said.
There are no immediate plans to fill the vice president of marketing post, McDonald’s said.
In his new role, Golden will handle national marketing for McDonald’s USA, including working with McDonald’s Operator National Advertising Fund, which supplies funding to buy advertising for about 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S.
Lamar, 55, has worked as McDonald’s U.S. marketing chief since 2002 overseeing national marketing, new product development and business research for the company.
The 25-year company veteran is credited with launching new menu items and helping turn around the fast food chain.
Previously, Lamar worked as general manager and regional vice-president for McDonald’s Atlanta Region, handling more than 700 restaurants in five states. Before that, he held marketing jobs with Quaker Oats, Burrell Advertising and United Airlines.
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