Rocket Companies, the Detroit-based fintech platform company
including mortgage, real estate and other financial services businesses, recently
announced in a press release the appointment of Jonathan Mildenhall as its
first group Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
Mildenhall will be responsible for creating a unified and
compelling voice for all businesses under the Rocket Companies umbrella, with
all marketing and communications teams for the company’s brands reporting
directly to him, the release states.
“Jonathan is one of the top marketing minds in the world,
with a strong reputation for consistently delivering compelling campaigns that
break through the clutter and become socially relevant,” Rocket Companies Chief
Executive Officer Varun Krishna said in the release. “I have been highly
impressed by the number of incredible stories we have to tell. Countless
customers, team members and vendors have told us how working with Rocket
changed their lives. I am looking forward to Jonathan and the team creating new
and innovative ways to share these inspiring narratives with the world.”
Mildenhall brings more than 30 years of experience building
and promoting large, brand-focused companies. In 2018, he co-founded the
branding and marketing company TwentyFirstCenturyBrand. Over the past five
years, the business has helped some of the world’s most influential companies
scale their impact including Pinterest, LinkedIn, Zalando, PepsiCo, NextDoor
and Walmart. Mildenhall will remain chairman of the business, the release
notes.
“The role Rocket plays in helping people achieve the
American Dream through home ownership and financial freedom is massive and
cannot be overstated,” Mildenhall said. “I am honored to be given the
opportunity to work with this talented team, led by Varun, to tell stories that
will inspire and motivate. It will be our mission to create integrated
marketing campaigns that live up to the extraordinary social impact that Rocket
makes every day.”
Before founding his firm, Mildenhall served as the first CMO
of Airbnb and led the marketing through a major growth period for the company.
His team helped make the brand a household name while the short-term rental
company expanded from 400,000 homes on the platform to more than 4.5 million
residences in 191 countries in just three and a half years. Airbnb aired its
first Super Bowl commercial under Mildenhall and forged many co-marketing
partnerships with culturally relevant brands to raise awareness and legitimacy
for the business.
Mildenhall led Coca-Cola’s marketing efforts as vice president
of global advertising strategy and content excellence. He led a team that took
Coke’s creative in new directions and created the company’s global marketing
campaign “Open Happiness,” which helped the brand see its most profitable
growth period in 20 years. During his time leading Coke’s marketing, it was
named the Creative Marketer of the Year at the Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity.
Mildenhall is also a board member of GoFundMe and
Fanatics. He has been included on Forbes’ list of the World’s most
influential CMOs, Business Insider’s list of the most innovative CMOs and won
Adweek’s Brand Genius award.