Dell CMO Erin Nelson to Join Bazaarvoice

Bazaarvoice, which enables brands to integrate reviews, ratings, and social media to their e-commerce operations, announced that current Dell CMO Erin Nelson will be joining the firm as chief marketing officer.

Nelson will make the move in the coming weeks, taking over for Sam Decker, who is leaving to pursue opportunities in venture capital. In a statement announcing the hiring, Bazaarvoice CEO Brett Hurt said Nelson “fundamentally understands the power of the customer conversations and word of mouth, and she is widely recognized as someone who embraced social early. She will be an amazing asset to the Bazaarvoice team and will play a key role as we cement our leadership and bring the transformative benefits of customer conversations to more and more companies around the globe.”

While Nelson’s exact responsibilities were not outlined, Bazaarvoice noted her deep experience in brand strategy, global communications, social media, e-commerce, corporate responsibility, and global research. Nelson has been Dell’s CMO for about 20 months and prior to that worked as the computer giant’s marketing VP for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She’s also held sales and marketing positions in Dell’s consumer, small and medium business, and large enterprise divisions. Prior to joining Dell, Nelson worked for Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, and the management consultant firm A.T. Kearney.

Launched in 2005, Bazaarvoice initially focused on software that helped companies add ratings and reviews to their websites. But in recent years, the company has positioned itself as the “fabric of social marketing,” working aggressively to help brands participate in the explosion of social media. Its current client list has more than 950 brands – including Dell, Costco, Macy’s, Procter & Gamble, and the financial services company USAA bank – that use it to facilitate consumer word of mouth on more than $2.7 trillion worth of goods and services sold worldwide.