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Google Hires Fashion Marketer to Head Glass, Make It Cool

Everyone knows about Google Glass. That’s part one. Now, for part two–making people actually want to buy the wearable tech–Google has employed a former top-level marketing executive to head ...
Google Hires Fashion Marketer to Head Glass, Make It Cool
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Everyone knows about Google Glass. That’s part one. Now, for part two–making people actually want to buy the wearable tech–Google has employed a former top-level marketing executive to head the Glass team.

    In a post to Google Glass’ Google+ page, Ivy Ross says that as the new head of Google Glass, she’ll be tasked with answering the following question: “Can technology be something that frees us up and keeps us in the moment, rather than taking us out of it?”

    “My name is Ivy Ross, and I’m excited to be joining Google on Monday, May 19 to lead our Glass efforts. With your help, I look forward to answering the seemingly simple, but truly audacious questions Glass poses: Can technology be something that frees us up and keeps us in the moment, rather than taking us out of it? Can it help us look up and out at the world around us, and the people who share it with us?” she says.

    “I have spent my career–Calvin Klein, Swatch, Coach, Mattel, Bausch & Lomb, Gap and, most recently, Art.com–at the intersection of design and marketing, trying to answer questions like this in different ways, for different products. But Glass is especially cool, as no one has really tried to answer them with a product like this before. That’s our job, Explorers! I’m just getting started on Glass, but, because of all of you, and your thoughtful and smart feedback, I feel like I have an incredible head start. And I look forward to learning even more from you, and experiencing Glass together.”

    Ross most certainly has the resume. She spent six years as a VP of Design and Development at Bausch and Lomb, and then moved on to hold a similar job at Coach for two years. She headed up Calvin Klein’s mens accessories division for a year before taking a job as Senior VP of Worldwide product design and development and Brand Image for the girls division of Mattel.

    After that, Ross worked in design at Old Navy and spent three years as the executive VP of Marketing for Gap.

    Google knows that one of the main hurdles Glass will have to jump is simply making it fashionable to wear it on your face on a regular basis. That’s why you’ve seen Google team up with fashionable glasses brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley. By putting Ross at the forefront of the Glass team, it’s clear that Google has turned its focus to making Glass cool.

    The move comes at a very big moment for Google Glass. Google just opened the beta up wide and is now allowing anyone in the U.S. to purchase Glass, considering they have $1,500 to spare and it’s in stock.

    Image via Google Glass, Google+

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