Kim tipped to quit Samsung for Intel

by Arun Sudhaman, Media Asia 10-Sep-04

GLOBAL: Intel has refused to comment on mounting speculation that Samsung's current executive vice-president of global marketing operations, Eric Kim, has accepted the chief marketing officer role at the company.

At Media's press time, reports suggested that Kim would replace Intel's interim CMO, Donald McDonald.

McDonald, who will revert to his position as head of the corporate marketing group, is based at the company's HQ in Santa Clara, California.

While an Intel spokesperson would not comment, the news follows the appointment of Gregory Lee as global chief marketing officer at Samsung earlier this year. The Korean brand is in the final stages of a review of its US$400 million account, currently handled by FCB and Cheil.

Kim was seen as a driving factor behind FCB's initial appointment in 2000, although rumours have surfaced of an alleged power struggle over the value of brand-building between Kim and the company's product groups, which reportedly prefer tactical campaigns. "The appointment originally was by Eric Kim," said a source close to the business. "While it wasn't always certain what was included in the budgets, the only thing definitely included was Eric Kim's brand budget."

The other contenders for the business are the WPP Group and Publicis Groupe.