Connected rowing brand Hydrow hired Craig Tello as chief experience officer and promoted Diana Cino to chief marketing officer. As industry veterans with deep experience in strategy, customer lifecycles, digital content, and marketing, Hydrow noted that Tello and Cino will support accelerated, strategic growth.
Craig Tello was previously head of content strategy at Electronic Arts, where he led creative and content strategies in the gaming space for companies including FIFA, Madden and Apex Legends. He also led global content strategy, programming, distribution, and operations for WWE as SVP of content programming and media operations and the growth of the company’s SVOD/subscription video platform.
Over two decades, he has contributed to brands, including A&E, NPR, Marvel Entertainment, and Mattel. Tello is a New York Times best-selling author and executive board member of Future Now Media Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit focused on developing media’s future leaders.
The company said Tello brings a “unique experience in enhancing the customer journey and will be instrumental in continuing to transform Hydrow’s approach to content, ensuring new and existing members are engaged in the long term.”
“Hydrow has cultivated a loyal customer base by focusing on authenticity, connection and innovation every step of the way,” said Tello. “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at this pivotal moment in the connected fitness industry to continue connecting people through an enhanced immersive and empowering experience.”
Diana Cino was named Hydrow’s SVP of marketing and sales earlier this year, bringing over 15 years of marketing and brand expertise to the position. Hydro said she has “put the company on a path for meaningful year-over-year growth and reduced customer acquisition costs by over half in the past year.” Cino has also “implemented a full-funnel marketing strategy and new integrated approaches to rebuild demand following recent volatility in the connected fitness industry,” Hydro continued.
Previously, Cino was the VP of marketing at Bevi, director of marketing at Wayfair and director of strategy and product implementation at GoHealth.
“It’s been an exciting year, as we’ve been rebuilding the marketing funnel from the bottom up and seeing real success by leaning into educating consumers about the benefits of rowing,” said Cino. “In my new role, I look forward to bringing Hydrow to new audiences and amplifying the meaningful physical and mental benefits that the Hydrow experience provides, all while supporting our existing, loyal customer base.”
As CMO at Hydrow, Cino will continue to “execute strategies that will attract, convert and retain customers and build a rapidly growing brand while meeting the company’s financial objectives,” said Hydrow.
“Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that an executive from the WWE would want to bring their talents to rowing, but in Craig Tello, we are fortunate to add his blend of innovation, entertainment, and fan engagement to our mission of opening up the world to the rowing experience,” said Bruce Smith, CEO of Hydrow. “I am thrilled to further announce Diana Cino’s promotion to Chief Marketing Officer. Diana is a proven leader and her ability to drive performance marketing through data-driven decision-making and the implementation of new processes has resulted in significant growth for our company in the last quarter alone.”
Photos courtesy Hydrow
