Facebook hires new CMO, Antonio Lucio, formerly of HP

Facebook’s chief product officer Chris Cox and CMO Antonio Lucio.Chris Cox/Facebook

• Facebook has hired a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Antonio Lucio.
• Lucio previously held the same role at HP, and was at Visa and Pepsi before that.
• The hire comes as Facebook attempts to move past its string of scandals. Lucio will be tasked with helping repair the social network’s public image.

Facebook is trying to repair its image after its chain of scandals — and it has brought in a veteran marketer to help.

On Thursday, the Silicon Valley social network announced that it has hired Antonio Lucio to be its new chief marketing officer. Lucio was previously the CMO of computer firm HP, and served in the same role at Visa and Pepsi before that. He fills a role left vacant when Gary Briggs left Facebook in January 2018.

In a post on Facebook, chief product officer Chris Cox welcomed Lucio aboard.

“Facebook’s story is at an inflection point,” Cox wrote. “We have never faced bigger challenges, and we have never had more opportunities to have a positive impact on the world — in our families, our friendships, our communities, and our democracy — by improving our products at their core, and then by telling the story outside that we all know to be true inside.”

Facebook hasn’t had a great year, it’s fair to say. It’s been battered by successive crises, from the spread of Russian propaganda to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to the ongoing furors over the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation on the service. 

The company’s executives have found themselves on the defensive, and the company has tried to signal contrition to its users with ad campaigns declaring that “fake news is not your friend.” One of Lucio’s challenges, then, will be to try and repair its ailing image with the public.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg also posted about Lucio’s hire, writing:

“Antonio has a lot of experience leading marketing for major brands like HP and Visa – and he’s been recognized for both his talents and commitment to diversity. Now he’ll help us share Facebook’s story with the world. Every day people use our apps to connect with family and friends and make a difference in their communities. It’s what motivates me and our teams – and I’m excited to see how Antonio brings our mission to life.”

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