Furniture Brands International Inc. has tapped Alexander W. Hodges to fill the new position of chief marketing officer, part of an effort to improve the Clayton-based company’s appeal with retail customers.

Hodges is a marketing veteran who has worked at Eastman Kodak and Russell Athletic.

Furniture Brands, the seller of Lane, Thomasville and Broyhill pieces, is trying to simplify its marketing and product-development process in order to weather a big industry slump that has cut into sales and profits.

“Building our brands and winning with the consumer are both critical elements of our strategic plan,” chief executive Ralph Scozzafava said in a statement. Hodges will help marketing executives at the company’s subsidiaries “drive brand equity in the marketplace and build our brand franchisees.”