• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 13, 2012

New York independent media shop Horizon Media has hired marketing and agency veteran John Marson as vice president, director of resource development for its expanding Where group. That unit focuses on strategic planning guidelines, brand research, planning and analytics.

In his new role, Marson will lead the development of next-generation strategic planning and multichannel marketing tools and will report directly to Eric Blankfein, chief of the Where group. Marson will remain based in Chicago.

Horizon CEO Bill Koenigsberg stated that Marson "has a track record of developing cutting-edge channel planning tools," and said his addition to the agency will "strengthen our leadership and innovation in this critical area."

Marson joins Horizon from Kraft Foods, where he served as senior manager of media planning, overseeing some of the company's best-known brands.

Prior to that, Marson held the position of VP, associate media director at Foote, Cone & Belding, where he managed various brands, such as S.C. Johnson, Diners Club, Kraft Foods, Gatorade and Coors Brewing Company.

Commenting on his new position, Marson stated: "With new consumer engagement environments evolving daily, the same old is just not good enough anymore."

For Horizon, Marson is the third senior hire in two months. Two weeks ago, the company tapped veteran cultural trendspotter Kirk Olson as director of the agency's TrendSights operation, a new unit at the shop. In October, it hired digital strategist and agency veteran Paul Santello as EVP, managing partner of its Los Angeles office.