Tressie Lieberman appointed Starbucks’ first Global Chief Brand Officer

GLOBAL – Multinational coffeehouse chain Starbucks has appointed Tressie Lieberman as its first Global Chief Brand Officer.

The appointment will be effective November 4, 2024.

It comes barely a month after Starbucks’ CEO Brian Niccol announced plans to hire a global chief brand officer, meant to oversee ‘a consistent and compelling brand experience across every customer contact point.’

In her new role, Lieberman will oversee the marketing, product, digital, creative, and data analytics and insights to aid in more proactive branding strategies.

According to Starbucks’ new CEO, Lieberman has a proven ‘track record’ surrounding building brands, innovating products, improving customer experience, and creating effective marketing campaigns.

The new global chief brand officer previously worked with Niccol at Chipotle, serving as vice president for digital marketing and off-premise at the restaurant chain from 2018 to 2023.

She also served several roles in digital marketing in the food service sector at Yum! Brands, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

The move is part of Starbucks’ strategic shake-up implemented by Niccol. Lieberman is expected to work together with creative ad agency WPP to formulate and implement creative ad campaigns in North America via a bespoke unit.

Lieberman’s appointment is part of Niccol’s four-part strategy of rejuvenating the company’s brand image, pivoting around reestablishing Starbucks as a community coffeehouse chain, and better telling its story.

According to Niccol, the strategic shake-up is meant to reverse the company’s waning reputation as a ‘third place’ for working and hanging out due to store redesigns and a focus on mobile ordering. Although this channel has grown in sales, it has led to logjams and staff frustrations.

The shake-up also involves pulling back on the menu, and promotional offers meant to return the brand to a premium positioning and reduce the pressure of order surges on its employees.

The new CEIO emphasized this brand restructuring is central to helping the company return to its premium market position and steer the chain toward positive sales and revenue performance.

The chain’s comparable sales in the U.S. declined 2% during fiscal Q3 2024, with a 6% traffic decrease offset by a 4% higher ticket average.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE