Las Vegas-based online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos has parted ways with its first-ever CMO, Ginny McCormick.
The circumstances surrounding McCormick’s departure are unclear, and Adweek could not reach her for comment.
McCormick’s time at Zappos was relatively short. She ascended to the CMO role in April 2022, having previously served as global marketing director for Amazon Worldwide Access Point. Amazon bought Zappos in 2009 for $1.2 billion.
Before Zappos and Amazon, McCormick held marketing leadership roles at well-known toy companies. She was CMO at Funko from March 2020 through the end of that year. Before that, she spent nine years at Hasbro, where she rose from a senior director role to the brand’s head of global media.
Changes at Zappos
The past several years have been a time of tremendous change for the online retailer. Its founder, Tony Hsieh, led the brand until 2020, when he died of injuries sustained in a house fire not long after stepping down as Zappos’ leader.
At the time McCormick was tapped as CMO, Zappos was undergoing organizational changes, including consolidating various marketing departments, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“We appreciate all of Ginny’s contributions over the past year to help move the organization forward. We wish her the best in her next endeavor,” a Zappos spokesperson told Adweek.
“This is an isolated transition and not part of wider leadership or company changes. There are no immediate plans to fill the CMO position,” the spokesperson said. They declined to elaborate further on McCormick’s departure or what precipitated it.
Zappos, in recent years, has focused predominantly on performance media investments. It spent $60 million in 2022 solely on digital media, according to COMvergence estimates.
McCormick had been expected at Cannes Lions this week, where she was to host a panel with creator agency Whalar. Adweek has learned she will no longer be attending the event.
