Rocket Companies, the parent company of Rocket Mortgage, appointed Jonathan Mildenhall as its inaugural chief marketing officer.
Mildenhall, a renowned marketing executive, is scheduled to assume his role on Monday. In this capacity, he will establish a more cohesive brand identity across Rocket Companies' diverse businesses, encompassing home search platform Rocket Homes, personal finance app Rocket Money, and advertising firm Core Digital Media. Marketing and communications teams for all of Rocket Companies' brands will report to Mildenhall, who, in turn, will report to Rocket Companies CEO Varun Krishna.
“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.”
Mildenhall has more than 30 years of experience building and promoting large, brand-focused companies like Airbnb and Coca-Cola.
In 2018, he co-founded TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a branding and marketing consultancy. 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.
Historically, Rocket's marketing functions were decentralized among its various units. However, the company aims to enhance the alignment of its business marketing efforts. Casey Hurbis, CMO of Rocket Mortgage, will remain in that role and report to Mildenhall.
Before joining Rocket Companies, Mildenhall served as the CMO at Airbnb, where the company aired its first Super Bowl ad under his leadership, and vice president of Global Advertising Strategy and Content Excellence at Coca-Cola.
Mildenhall intends to apply lessons learned from his experiences to establish a distinct cultural presence for Rocket Companies. This approach aims to ensure that discussions about Rocket continue even during periods when significant media advertising is not underway.
“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,” Krishna said. “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.”
