Target Promotes Rick Gomez to CMO

Target Corp. announced Thursday that it has promoted Rick Gomez to executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Jan. 29. Gomez is replacing former CMO Jeff Jones (who jumped ship to Uber), and will be responsible for "furthering Target's brand positioning and leading the integration of all marketing programs," the company said in a statement. Before starting at Target in 2013, Gomez held positions at PepsiCo and MillerCoors, among others.

Total Retail’s Take: Gomez’s promotion to CMO comes at the same time Target announced its new partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS). Target will be the official jersey sponsor for the Minneapolis-based franchise Minnesota United FC. The MLS partnership is described as a “multiyear deal that includes airtime during MLS broadcasts on Univision, FOX Sports and ESPN, opportunities for in-stadium experiences, player appearances and ownership of certain major MLS platforms, which will be unveiled at a later date.” This could be the boost Target needs right about now — the company's comparable sales fell 1.3 percent in November and December.