Lucas Watson has made Procter & Gamble quite visible online since 2008 when he became the packaged goods company’s top digital executive, but as he moves to a new position in the company’s South American arm, he’s set to be replaced by Ilonka Laviz, associate marketing director for the P&G’s Always brand.
Watson referred calls to P&G spokeswoman Tonia Elrod, who confirmed the move and said Watson would be shifting to a role in P&G’s personal health-care business in Latin America. Laviz will transition this quarter into the role of marketing director-digital brand-building strategy and global e-commerce in the global brand-building organization. Watson, based in Panama, will be marketing director in P&G’s personal health-care global business unit.
P&G has substantially stepped up its digital and social-media marketing efforts under Watson, who reported jointly to Global Brand-Building Officer Marc Pritchard and Alex Tosolini, VP-global e-business. P&G earlier this year consolidated its digital marketing and e-commerce efforts into a single “e-business” unit.
Since Watson took the job in 2008, P&G has more than tripled measured internet ad spending to $169 million last year, according to Kantar Media. P&G also had one of the most widely watched social-media and viral-video campaigns ever with the “Responses” effort for Old Spice last year. It also had several other videos, particularly for Old Spice and Gillette, notch top spots in the viral-video viewership charts in the past year, launched its own e-store and added click-to-buy options or Facebook commerce for several brands.
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