Disney Hires Buettgen as VP Over Marketing

Striving to position its Anaheim operations as a “destination resort,” Walt Disney Co. said Thursday it has hired a new senior vice president of marketing at Disneyland.

James J. Buettgen will leave video retailer Hollywood Entertainment to join Walt Disney Co. on Nov. 1, with full responsibility for marketing as Disney prepares to open its second Anaheim theme park, California Adventure, beside Disneyland in 2001.

Disney expects the “second gate,” along with a new luxury hotel and free-admission entertainment, dining and retail complex, will encourage visitors to stay at the Disneyland complex for several days.

Cynthia Harriss, Disneyland’s executive vice president, said Buettgen “brings a wealth of consumer marketing experience and successes” from his previous work at the video chain, the Olive Gardens restaurant group, and at General Mills, where he marketed breakfast cereals.

Buettgen, 39, was named to Advertising Age’s Marketing 100 in 1998 while leading the Olive Garden to 16 straight quarters of growth in sales at established stores. (E. Scott Reckard)

* Mike Fisher has been appointed executive vice president of E-Commerce Exchange in Irvine. He succeeds Jon Engleking, who recently became chief operating officer. Fisher joined the company in 1998 as vice president.

* John J. Madigan has joined Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.’s Computer Systems Group as vice president of marketing, systems and solutions. Madigan has more than 15 years of experience at IBM, most recently as large-enterprise marketing manager.