HSN Chief Marketing Officer Bill Brand adds title of president of namesake division

HSN Inc.'s Chief Marketing Officer Bill Brand is adding the title of president of its namesake division as the home shopping network aims to deepen its entertainment experience for its viewers in the digital age, the company announced Tuesday.

Brand joined the company in 2006 as senior vice president of programming and became chief marketing officer in March 2013. He helped link the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based company with the top tier of current entertainment, transforming it from a network that that featured C-list celebrity names selling rhinestone-trimmed fashion.

Under his tenure, he has attracted partners like Disney and Univision and personalities such as Sofia Vergara with a series of shopping events inspired by movies and TV or that incorporate music performances. Brand had previously served as an executive at VH1 and Lifetime Television.

In April, for example, HSN, which sells a variety of products on television, online, through catalogs and in brick-and-mortar stores, announced a multifilm marketing collaboration with Disney Studios, incorporating tie-ins to "Maleficent," which was released in May; "The Hundred-Foot Journey," which is slated to hit theaters in August; and "Cinderella," which will be released next spring.

For the "Maleficent" film, HSN launched a jewelry, fashion and beauty products with some of HSN'S top designers Naeem Khan and Heidi Daus.

Such partnerships have lifted viewership, traffic to the site and sales, Brand said.

"It's about creating unique experiences that shoppers can't get anywhere else," said Brand, who will be hiring a chief marketing officer for the HSN brand, which spans a variety of products from Calphalon cookware to Apple electronics and Vince Camuto fashions. The company also operates Cornerstone, which focuses on home and clothing brands such as Ballard Designs and Frontgate.

In his expanded role, Brand said he will look to forge new growth strategies for HSN. Brand told The Associated Press he wants to personalize the HSN shopping experience based on the troves of data it has accumulated on its customers so shoppers will see more personalized discounts and later more customized content on mobile sites.

Brand will continue to report to Mindy Grossman, the company's CEO. Brand was her first hire after taking the helm in 2006.

HSN, which caters to women ages 35 to 54 and competes with bigger rival QVC, now reaches 96 million homes. The company posted $3.4 billion in revenue last year.

HSN's sales from computers and other digital devices were 38 percent of total revenue, nearly half of that coming from mobile phones and tablets.