As we approach the next-generation, Xbox is making a number of moves to elevate the brand and division to new heights. The latest is the hiring of Jerret West for the role of Xbox Chief Marketing Officer.
West had previously been the Vice President/Head of Marketing for Netflix in the Asian/Pacific region. Per LinkedIn:
Jerret is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Xbox. His role as CVP of Microsoft Gaming encompasses all marketing activity in support of gaming efforts across the company. That includes a 200 person global team and over half a billion dollars in marketing spend. His team develops marketing plans for first party games (ex. Halo and Minecraft), hardware (console and accessories), and services (Game Pass and Xbox LIVE) across the division.
Jerret spent seven years at Netflix before joining up with Xbox.
His last stop at Netflix was as the Vice President of Marketing – APAC (Asia Pacific region) with Netflix. In that role he was responsible for managing all media, publicity, partnerships, go-to-market activity, and local creative decisions for Netflix across all APAC markets.
West has also worked with Xbox before during their most successful era including the launch of the 360 and the original Kinect (which was the fastest selling electronic device of all-time post-launch).
Additionally, Jerret spent six years at Xbox beginning with the launch of Xbox 360 and through the launch of the Kinect product. His entire time was spent within the global marketing team. His early years were spent as a global brand manager building marketing plans and then launching first party games culminating with the multi-year campaign around Halo 3. Following that, he transitioned to running the global marketing for Xbox LIVE and managed the transition from a branded gaming service to a broader entertainment service.
Our Take
This is an interesting move for the Xbox division and on the surface, looks to be a great pickup. Most notably is West’s experience in the Asian/Pacific regions which could help play a role in the brand making some headway which has been a struggle for years.
