Target has named Mark Weinstein chief marketing and guest experience officer, effective immediately, reporting directly to CEO Michael Fiddelke. The retailer had been without a Target CMO since Lisa Roath — now chief operating officer — moved from CMO to chief merchandising officer for food, essentials and beauty early last year.
Weinstein stepped down as Hilton’s global chief marketing officer on September 10. He joined Hilton in 2010 as a senior marketing director, spent more than 16 years there and served as CMO from 2020, overseeing the company’s 28 brands, the Hilton Honors loyalty program and its luxury brands. Hilton had said he was leaving for a leadership opportunity outside travel; the destination was revealed four days later.
Weinstein will shape how consumers experience and connect with Target across channels, culture and community. He will also oversee Roundel, Target’s retail media network, and Target+, its marketplace. One executive now holds brand campaigns, store and digital experience, and a media business that sells ads.
In a company blog post, Weinstein said he wants Target to be “even more in culture and conversation by fully connecting all marketing through a consistent brand platform, more fully harnessing the power of loyalty and personalization, and really defining our in-store and digital guest experience of the future.” His experience running a major hotel loyalty program carries over directly.
Target’s comparable sales rose 3.8% in Q2, and traffic increased 3.6%. Filling the marketing post during a rebound — and expanding it to cover guest experience — signals how central marketing has become to the recovery.
Recent CMO hires at U.S. brands often follow business turnarounds, as when Wendy’s hired McDonald’s former CMO after six quarters of declines. Target’s move highlights another shift: the CMO evolving from campaign owner into customer experience architect and media business leader.
When a retailer places retail media inside marketing, its own brand advertising and supplier advertising sit under one leader. That can improve coordination for advertisers, but it also makes independent verification more important — a point underscored when the ANA warned against taking retail media network data at face value. Brands buying retail media should watch how the combined structure affects measurement and reporting.
Mark Weinstein, who spent more than 16 years at Hilton and was CMO from 2020. He is Target’s chief marketing and guest experience officer, reporting to the CEO.
Marketing and guest experience across channels, plus Roundel, Target’s retail media network, and Target+, its marketplace.
Lisa Roath moved from CMO to chief merchandising officer early last year, and the role was not filled until Weinstein’s appointment.
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