The BBC has appointed Charl Bassil, CMO at Absolut Vodka for five years, as its first ever Chief Brand Officer. Bassil is set to assume the position in March 2024.

Bassil, who joined Absolut owner Pernod Ricard in 2013, brings over a decade of marketing and general management experience at SABMiller, working on brands such as Carling Black Label and Amstel. His background in FMCG brands played a pivotal role in his appointment, according to Kerris Bright, the BBC’s Chief Customer Officer.

The BBC, emphasizing the role of brand in fueling growth, articulated its need for a Chief Brand Officer in May. In his new role, Bassil will be tasked with defining the organization’s ‘priority brands,’ identifying those with the greatest potential for growth. This is expected to encompass flagship programs and intellectual properties, several of which BBC Studios, the for-profit arm of the BBC, is positioning for commercial expansion, notably using BBC Earth content as its flagship brand across social media.

Discovering and articulating the value of BBC brands, integral to the overall perception of the broadcaster, will necessitate the BBC to formulate a strategy for brand development beyond its owned and operated channels.

Bassil’s role entails “enhancing audience value across the BBC,” as specified in the job description. This requires him to proficiently advocate for the BBC’s value among the British public. This task becomes particularly crucial amid discussions about a potential decline in the license fee, which has now materialized.

On December 8, the BBC disclosed an anticipated funding gap of approximately £90 million following a less substantial-than-anticipated increase in the license fee.

Bassil’s emphasis on crafting a brand strategy that spans digital channels is aimed at safeguarding what the BBC defines as a “cherished daily practice.” This metric gauges whether audiences are inclined to subscribe to the license fee in the initial instance.