Fitbit Names Former EA Exec Rosa As Marketing Head

Fitbit, maker of the popular activity tracker of the same name, has hired Tim Rosa as vice president of global marketing. In the newly created position, Rosa will oversee all of the company's marketing efforts, including brand development, product marketing, PR, events and in social media.

Health and fitness technology has emerged as one of the promising categories in the emerging market for wearable devices, and Fitbit is already one of the top brands. The company's products, including the Fitbit Zip, Fitbit One and Fitbit Flex -- a rubber wristband launched earlier this year -- do things like count steps, track calories, log calorie intake from foods you eat, and monitor sleep efficiency.

Prior to joining Fitbit, Rosa was head of global brand development at Electronic Arts, leading branding for game titles including “Battlefield,” “Madden,” and “Need for Speed.” Before that, he was vice president of marketing ad digital video pioneer DivX, and also led marketing for video game publisher 2K. Rosa has also worked at agencies, including ATTIK and Organic.

NPD Group last week issued a report estimating the digital fitness device market this year to be worth $330 million, with Fitbits, Jawbone UPs and Nike Fuelbands accounting for 97% of sales. Given growing consumer demand for activity trackers, the research firm expects the segment to double in size this year.

Sony got into the act at CES this month, unveiling a wearable device called Core that can be clipped into wristband or clipped to clothing, like a Fitbit gadget.

Last year, Fitbit raised $43 million in funding from investors, including Qualcomm Ventures and SAP Ventures, that valued the start-up at about $300 million.

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