Heineken marketing head Nick Hudson leaves to take up role at tourism body Marketing Edinburgh
Heineken head of marketing Nick Hudson has left the company to take up the same role at Marketing Edinburgh, it was announced on Wednesday.
Appointment: Nick Hudson is new head of marketing
He moves to the company after a turbulent period following its £300,000 "Incrediburgh" winter festival campaign, which led to a dispute between Edinburgh City Council - which funds Marketing Edinburgh - over its handling. Former director of marketing, Alan Gibson, left the organisation in February.
"I'm very clear on what needs to be done at Marketing Edinburgh and what our partners' expectations are," said Hudson. "I'm looking forward to getting on with the job and delivering outstanding work.
"Being part of FMCG, high profile companies such as Kellogg's has taught me a number of things; the importance of really understanding your target audience, how to be as efficient, yet as imaginative, as possible in marketing and also to agree and properly measure success."
Marketing Edinburgh said in a statement it expects to announce an interim chief executive in the coming weeks following the departure of Lucy Bird, who oversaw the Incredinburgh campaign. Marketing Edinburgh worked with the Leith Agency to come up with a series of slogans - including 'romance isn't dedinburgh' - and went public with them before council approval. The campaign was criticised by councillors and Bird's personal assistant, Sharon Duffy, and regional brand manager, Ailsa Falconer, also left in the aftermath.
Chair of Marketing Edinburgh's interim management group, Gordon Robertson, added: "There's been a lot learned at Marketing Edinburgh over the last few months. We announced that Edinburgh has increased its ranking in the world's top international conference locations and we're opening a new forum for discussion with the film and television industry.
"We're also working on some great promotion for the city in influential business and luxury media titles. Nick will further this momentum. His experience and commercial understanding will take the promotion of Edinburgh to the next level."
Hudson will focus on more effective online marketing for the city and brings experience from positions with the Royal Bank of Scotland and United Distillers.
Earlier this week, the organisation saw Edinburgh rise in the World Business Tourism rankings having helped attract around 55,000 delegates to the city, generating an estimated £84.4m to the local economy, an increase of £10m on 2011-12.
