Samsung hires Pizza Hut marketer for the U.S.

In a move that signals the intensifying competition among handset vendors in the United States market, Samsung Telecommunications America today named a chief marketing officer, Bill Ogle, to a newly created position.
Ogle’s background-he comes from Pizza Hut, where he served as CMO-reflects the mature nature of the handset business here, in which handsets are increasingly being marketed with techniques long employed in other consumer-oriented industries. Ogle had previously worked for both Procter & Gamble and Sara Lee Corp.
Ogle will report directly to STA’s president, Dale Sohn, and will drive consumer branding and product marketing strategies in the U.S.
The news comes as Samsung begins a review of its $600 million advertising account, including its advertising operations in the United States.
Further, Samsung is hardly alone with its latest move. In fact, Ogle’s appointment comes after Samsung’s rivals in the U.S. took similar action.
Motorola Inc., the leading U.S. handset vendor, recently hired a marketing executive for its mobile device division. And LG Electronics Co. Ltd. last year hired a new strategic marketing officer to address its own ambitions in the U.S. market. Nokia Corp. too has shuffled personnel to address its fortunes here.
Samsung has recently risen to the No. 2 position among handset vendors globally, but is battling LG for the second spot in the U.S. behind Motorola. Nokia, by far the global leader but lagging in the U.S., is renewing its efforts to grow market share and brand awareness here.