Purplebricks hires former O2 marketer Ian Cafferky as new CMO

Purplebricks has appointed former O2 brand director Ian Cafferky as its new chief marketing officer, replacing Ben Carter as he moves on to retailer Dunelm in the new year.

Cafferky is currently interim chief marketing and communications officer at SailGP, the sailing Grand Prix, where he has been for the last six months. Before this, Cafferky was director of brand and marketing communications at O2 for five years, helping the business to achieve 12 consecutive quarters of growth.

During his time at O2, Cafferky claims to have also designed and implemented improved operational business and marketing processes, achieving cost savings of 10%, and to have redesigned the brand’s social media advertising strategy, making O2 the fourth most engaged brand in the UK in 2018.

Between 2010 and 2012, Cafferky was chief brand and commercial officer at football club Manchester City, coinciding with Abu Dhabi’s investment in the team. He led the club’s move into multimedia and social media strategy, as well as its fan segmentation and CRM drive.

Cafferky joins Purplebricks in February, with responsibility for all aspects of marketing strategy and execution while focusing on continuing to build national brand fame and local relevance, as well as the brand’s digital-first approach. Ben Carter leaves Purplebricks to become Dunelm’s first CMO

Explaining his decision to join the business, Cafferky says: “I love working in fast-paced and dynamic environments. I have a deep understanding of business transformation, having started my career at Accenture, and combine this with my experience as a marketeer to make activity relevant, surprising and brilliant for customers.

“I look forward to drawing on both these skillsets as I join the amazing team at Purplebricks.”

CEO Vic Darvey says Cafferky’s combination of “business transformation acumen” and “results-led marketing” will make him a great fit for the business.

“We have the strongest brand in the industry and Ian has a great platform to build on,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Carter will assume the newly-created CMO position at Dunelm, with responsibility for accelerating the homeware retailer’s marketing strategy across all channels.

Carter joined Purplebricks in November 2020 and oversaw the launch of the online estate agent’s biggest brand campaign for five years, fronted by TV personality and comedian Mo Gilligan. Speaking to Marketing Week at the time, Carter explained Purplebricks wanted to go live with a “very confident platform” to engage potential consumers and enable the brand to become part of the broader national conversation.

Additional activity over the last year has included a partnership with Coronation Street, which saw the Rovers Return put up for sale with a Purplebricks estate agent sign, and the culmination of its Team GB sponsorship, with ‘Home Support’ artwork appearing on over 30,000 Purplebricks’ For Sale boards around the UK.