John Hancock Financial names chief marketing officer

John Hancock Financial, a unit of Manulife Financial, has named David Longfritz as chief marketing officer.

In this newly created role, Longfritz is responsible for brand communication functions and for developing new strategies to help John Hancock’s insurance and wealth management business units achieve their objectives.

Longfritz will report to James Boyle, president of John Hancock.

Longfritz also has executive responsibility for John Hancock’s sponsorship opportunities such as the Boston Marathon and the Boston Red Sox.

Previously Longfritz served as senior vice president and general manager of John Hancock’s Retirement Income & Rollover Solutions (RIRS) unit.

Boyle said expanding the reach of John Hancock’s messaging, advertising and brand positioning for all of their US businesses is an important goal requiring centralized leadership. David brings a depth of marketing expertise to this new position, which includes a focus on social media and on leveraging their company-wide marketing resources.