7-Eleven, Inc. has added chief marketing officer (CMO) to marketing VP Rita Bargerhuff’s title and responsibilities. In her new role, she will serve on the company’s executive committee and report directly to president/CEO Joe DePinto.
Bargerhuff leads the development and execution of all advertising and marketing initiatives for 7-Eleven products and services in the U.S. and Canada. Under her watch, 7-Eleven’s marketing successes include the 2007 summer campaign tied to the release of The Simpsons movie; the packaging and promotion of 7-Select, the company’s private-label brand; an aggressive grassroots and social-media program, and the just-introduced digital signage network.
Bargerhuff has rapidly moved up the marketing ranks since joining 7-Eleven in 2005 as a marketing director, responsible for fresh foods. She was promoted to senior director of marketing and later named marketing VP in 2007. Before joining 7-Eleven, Bargerhuff was national marketing director at Greyhound Lines, Inc. In this role, she led the initiative to sell and promote web-based tickets, and directed national advertising and promotion programs to increase ticket and service revenue.
Bargerhuff’s initial marketing experience was in package goods as a product manager at Nestlé Purina Pet Care Company. While there, Bargerhuff led strategic initiatives to grow the pet food segment and, ultimately, led the marketing function for its category development group. She began her professional career as a systems consultant with Price Waterhouse.
Based in Dallas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses some 7,900 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 36,900 stores in 15 countries. During 2008, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $53.7 billion.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More