Google poaches GetJar’s Patrick Mork to lead apps marketing
Google has appointed free app store GetJar’s CMO Patrick Mork as its marketing director for mobile applications.
Mork joins as Google looks to build on Android’s market share lead against Apple, by adding more members to its mobile team and as it gears up to launch mobile contactless payment as part of its “mobile wallet”.
Google is set to announce further mobile marketing heads, including a head of commerce marketing, in the coming weeks.
Android now commanded a 48.8% market share in the UK in July, up 30.2% from the previous year, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
In Mork’s new position he will be responsible for Google’s revamped Android Market and warding off rivals’ app offerings, including Microsoft, which recently placed its Office software in the cloud.
In his three years at GetJar, Mork has helped the company achieve more than 2 billion downloads and, as a shareholder, has helped grow the company from seven to 50 employees. He joins Google in September.
Separately, Google is also ramping up its social media offering and has created a new marketing team ahead of a major communications push for the official launch of its social network, Google+