Cetera Financial Group Names Michael Zuna Chief Marketing Officer to Drive Brand Strategies in Support of Advice-Centric Experience Model
Former CMO of AFLAC to Leverage Consumer, Financial Services and Technology Sector Experience to Deploy Digital and Traditional Marketing Approaches to Industry and Retail Investor Audiences
Newly Hired CMO's Responsibilities Include Spearheading the Integration of Marketing and Digital Lead Generation with Ongoing Recruiting Efforts
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cetera Financial Group ("Cetera")*, a leading network of independent firms empowering the delivery of professional financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans, today announced the appointment of Michael Zuna as the company's Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Zuna, who is based in San Diego, will report directly to Adam Antoniades, President of Cetera.
As Chief Marketing Officer of Cetera, Mr. Zuna's responsibilities will include development and implementation of marketing strategy, brand development and digital and social media marketing. He will also oversee other key communications initiatives geared at driving brand leadership for Cetera that directly support the company's broader vision of an advice-centric experience™ model for the industry's future. Additionally, Mr. Zuna will partner closely with the entire Cetera leadership team to help revolutionize the company's business development function, by spearheading a closer integration of marketing, digital lead generation and advisor recruiting efforts.
Prior to joining Cetera, Mr. Zuna served as Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer of Petco Animal Supplies, where he had oversight of all marketing, e-commerce and brand-building activities for the company. Before joining Petco, Mr. Zuna served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of AFLAC, Inc., where he was responsible for brand-building activities across a comprehensive spectrum of marketing and advertising channels, including all marketing of the 'AFLAC Duck.' Mr. Zuna also was responsible for the creation of AFLAC's trailblazing One Day Paysm initiative, while taking a leading role with sales enablement, agent recruiting and product development. He also has extensive financial services, investment, insurance and banking experience with leading companies such as Ameriprise Financial, USAA and others.
Adam Antoniades, President of Cetera Financial Group, said, "Hiring Michael Zuna as Cetera's new Chief Marketing Officer is the next logical step in our long-term strategy, which builds on the significant success we've achieved in creating an advice-centric experience standard for our industry. Our vision of an advice-centric experience model places financial advice as the cornerstone of each client relationship, and supplants the product and sales-based approaches of the past. We interviewed a number of highly qualified candidates with this strategy in mind, and were immediately impressed by how instinctively Michael grasped our vision, together with his insights on how to leverage both digital and traditional marketing strategies to connect on a deeper level than ever before possible with business and consumer audiences. Moreover, Michael's expertise with marketing-driven support of AFLAC's 70,000+ independent insurance agents and brokers make him well-suited to spearhead our plans to more seamlessly integrate marketing, digital lead generation and advisor recruiting. We see this as an intersection of capabilities where there is considerable potential for future growth opportunities for our firm, our advisors and the broader industry."
Michael Zuna said, "I've always been inspired by companies committed to completely re-imagining how their industry can optimize the solutions they provide. From the start of our discussions, I was excited about the passion that Cetera's leadership team has for completely re-defining the delivery of retail financial advice in close collaboration with its advisors and institutions. I'm looking forward to building and implementing brand strategies that help foster more meaningful connections among firms, advisors and clients, while building even greater awareness and enthusiasm for the advice-centric experience model as the standard by which all retail financial advice businesses should be measured."
About Cetera Financial Group®
Cetera Financial Group ("Cetera") is a leading network of independent firms empowering the delivery of professional financial advice to individuals, families and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is the second-largest independent financial advisor network in the nation by number of advisors, as well as a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions.
Through its multiple distinct firms, Cetera offers independent and institutions-based advisors the benefits of a large, established broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, while serving advisors and institutions in a way that is customized to their needs and aspirations. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support and innovative technology. For more information, visit cetera.com.
* "Cetera Financial Group" refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Advisor Networks, Cetera Investment Services (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions), Cetera Financial Specialists, First Allied Securities, Girard Securities, and Summit Brokerage Services. All firms are members FINRA/SIPC.
Media Contacts:
Matthew Griffes
Haven Tower Group
424.652.6520 ext 103
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Joseph Kuo
Haven Tower Group
424.652.6520 ext 101
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SOURCE Cetera Financial Group
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