District-based LivingSocial has recruited a new chief marketing officer to oversee advertising and communications for the firm, which has long sought to broaden its brand beyond the daily deals that made the company a household name overnight.
Barry Judge will oversee online and offline advertising, brand management, social media and communications, according to the company. He previously served as the executive vice president and global chief marketing officer for electronics retailer Best Buy.
“Barry helped one of the world’s largest retailers build a powerhouse online and mobile presence, and we’re confident he can help us extend our own leadership in the local commerce space,” LivingSocial chief executive Tim O’Shaughnessy said in a statement.
O’Shaughnessy is the son-in-law of Washington Post Co. chairman and chief executive Donald E. Graham.
LivingSocial has sought to bulk up new lines of business beyond the sale of online discounts to restaurants, spas and retailers. Those products, which range from selling everyday goods to facilitating restaurant food orders, have been met with mixed success.
“My career has been spent inventing and reinventing great brands, and LivingSocial has a unique opportunity to build a new industry from scratch by helping millions of local customers discover and share the best things to do in their cities,” Judge said in a statement.
Judge joined Best Buy in 1999 to help the company create its online retail Web site bestbuy.com, according to a news release. He was named chief marketing office in 2008 and held that position until his resignation in May of last year.
The appointment also comes amidst LivingSocial’s review of its existing businesses, both here and abroad. The company let go of 400 employees in the United States in November, including 160 workers in the District.
LivingSocial posted a net loss of $566 million for the third quarter of 2012 after writing down the value of the international companies it has acquired in recent years. It has closed some of its operations overseas where executives said they did not see a clear path to profitability.
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