Sports Direct’s Beckie Stanion promoted to CMO of Frasers Group
Sports Direct hired Stanion in February 2020 to lead the brand through a transformation and has since seen improvements across a number of key measures.
Frasers Group has promoted Beckie Stanion to group CMO, two years after hiring her as the first CMO of Sports Direct.
In her new role Stanion will oversee the brand direction and marketing for all brands within the company, adding Flannels, USC, House of Fraser, Frasers, Evans Cycles, Game and Belong to her remit.
Sports Direct hired Stanion in February 2020 to lead the brand through a transformation, which saw the retailer launch its first ever brand campaign in the Christmas of that year. More brand building activity followed, with its first summer brand campaign ‘Just a Game!?’ in 2021, followed by a second Christmas campaign.
As of April this year, Sports Direct’s brand had improved significantly on a number of key measures. According to YouGov’s BrandIndex tool, the sporting goods retailer’s overall index score – a measure of total brand health – improved from a score of -6.3 in October prior to the brand push, to -0.8.Sports Direct to continue ‘transformation’ as data reveals success of brand building push
Speaking to Marketing Week earlier this year, Stanion said she too had seen consumer impressions of the brand change, with a great deal more “positivity” coming through. However, the “evolution” is far from over, she said.
Stanion joined Sports Direct from communications agency Mission where she spent six years, the latter four as business director. Prior to that, she was head of promotion for the UEFA Champions League Final between 2011 and 2013.
Announcing the news on LinkedIn, new CEO Michael Murray wrote: “Beckie [Stanion] has played a crucial role in delivering our industry applauded campaigns, and will continue to transform and deliver our visions across the Group.”
The promotion came as part of a wider management reshuffle, which also saw Nike’s former vice-president and general manager of merchandising marketplace Ger Wright hired as managing director of sports. Meanwhile, House of Fraser’s managing director David Epstein has been promoted to managing director of premium and luxury across the group.
“I’m now five weeks into my role as chief executive and as part of my commitment I’ll be bringing the right people on board to lead Frasers Group into the future, and build on our strong foundations,” Murray wrote.
In a separate LinkedIn post, Stanion added: “I am so excited to see where myself and the new team can take things. Thanks to Michael Murray for the ongoing support and belief.”
Elsewhere, reports this morning (1 June) indicate that Frasers Group has bought Missguided for £20m, after the struggling online fashion retailer collapsed into administration. Murray said the group was “delighted to secure a long-term future” for the fast fashion company.
