Turbine appoints chief marketing officer

LOTRO developer Turbine has announced the appointment of Jan Robert Horsfall as chief marketing officer, with responsibility for leading the company's brands on a worldwide basis, including consumer and partnership marketing, product planning and customer retention.

Horsfall has previously VP positions at Lycos and Valvoline, as well as founding several companies of his own.

"Jan is a veteran marketer with very deep experience in both consumer and online marketing which will help us reach customers in new, innovative ways," said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine. "He brings a proven track record in building surging brands, leading large and successful teams and a deep understanding of what makes consumers tick. We expect his leadership to create world-class marketing programs that drive additional growth for Turbine."

And Horsfall added: "Turbine has built an amazing brand experience with strong global recognition and incredible good will. This is a tremendous opportunity to build upon the company's strong reputation. The clear goal is to understand our consumer's values in light of the constant technology and creative innovation which Turbine is known for, and then lead the team that is integrating these brand experiences into our consumers' lives.

"It comes down to making these brands naturally indispensible based upon tying together those consumer values and the amazing stuff we're creating which nobody has ever seen. I hope to combine my enthusiasm for online communities and gaming with my passion for the consumer to help the Turbine brand realize its greatest potential."

Turbine is currently working on the latest content update for LOTRO, which will include the addition of Lothlorien to the game's world.