Disney Hires LendingTree CMO Brad Wilson to Lead Disney Plus, ESPN Plus Performance Marketing

With T-minus 47 days until Disney Plus launches on Nov. 12, Disney continues to build out its go-to-market team for the streaming service.

Brad Wilson, former chief marketing officer of LendingTree, joined Disney Streaming Services as executive VP of performance marketing for Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.

Wilson reports to Michael Paull, president of Disney Streaming Services, which sits within the Mouse House’s Direct-to-Consumer and International group. Wilson will oversee performance marketing, a field of digital marketing focused on optimizing online ad spending based on results, for both Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, working with the respective brand and content marketing teams of each service.

Most recently Wilson spent two years as CMO at LendingTree, where he led brand strategy, marketing operations and consumer engagement at the online loan provider. Prior to joining LendingTree in 2017, he served as general manager of Travelocity for North America, where he reset the travel brand after Expedia’s acquisition.

Before joining Travelocity in 2011, Wilson spent a little over four years leading marketing, brand management and general management functions for Nutrisystem. Earlier in his career, he held marketing management roles at Blockbuster Online and Match.com.

“Brad is a talented and accomplished marketing executive who shares our vision for data-driven marketing that will accelerate customer growth, engagement, and retention for ESPN Plus and the upcoming Disney Plus streaming service,” Paull said in announcing the hire.

Wilson commented, “The rapid growth of ESPN Plus has been impressive to watch as a fan, and much like the millions of eagerly awaiting consumers, I’ve been counting down the days to the launch of Disney Plus.”

A Texas native, Wilson holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Texas at Austin and received an MBA from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.

Popular on Variety

Source: Read Full Article