Martin to head BBDO Chrysler unit By Richard Brunell

NEW YORK--Dave Martin, former director of corporate media for the Stroh Brewery Co. and currently a Detroitbased media consultant, apparently is heading to the

Several Detroit agency executives said last week that Martin, who is also the author of the “Lunch With” column in MediaWeek, will assume the managing director’s title at PenraCom, the wholly-owned subsidiary BBDO is forming to handle Chrysler Corp’s $400-million media planning and buying account. Martin will resign his MediaWeek column, effective with the June 21 issue.
The execs, who would not speak for attribution, also said Phil Matz, the longtime senior vp/director of media services at Bozell’s Southfield, Mich., office, will accept the No. 2 slot at PenraCom. Matz apparently will oversee the daily operations of the unit.
Neither Martin nor Matz nor Tom Clark, chairman/ceo of BBDO North America could be reached for comment late last week. A Chrysler public relations exec said the staffing of PenraCom is a BBDO decision and declined to comment.
But creating the one-two punch of Martin and Matz was not solely BBDO’s call, a wide variety of Detroit media sources indicated. While Bozell’s Matz was one of the candidates BBDO suggested to head PenraCom, it was widely believed that Clark did not want someone outside the BBDO family to actually get the job.
Martin was hired as a consultant by Clark when Chrysler threw its media into review last September. And he was one of the authors of the PenraCom plan that triumphed over Bozell and CMEKHBB/Southfield, Mich., in the protracted review.
The PenraCom concept, as drafted by BBDO and Martin, allows all three agencies to share in the revenues generated by the purchase of Chrysler media. It also dramatically reduces repetition in Chrysler’s planning-buying process, and decreases the number of people working on the business.
The fact that Clark was able to install Martin in the top slot is seen as a political victory because members of Chrysler’s top marketing staff, including vp/marketing John Damoose apparently were pulling for Matz.
“I think it’s right that Clark won the tug-of-war,” said one Detroit media exec. “He won the competition. He should be able to name the person who runs it.”
But by tapping Matz, Damoose also can claim a moral victory because Matz’s position–overseeing planning and buying on a day-to-day basis–was not in the original PenraCom plan. Originally, Clark said PentaCom would have a managing director and three brand managers to oversee media for the three Chrysler divisions–Chrysler-Plymouth, Dodge and Jeep Eagle. Clark, Martin and Matz now must fill the brand manager positions.
One top-ranking media exec said the compromise was a good example of the internal squabbling that sometimes marks the relationship between Chrysler and its agencies.
“You have Clark’s interests and you have Damoose’s interests,” the exec said. “In this case, Clark won. But they’ve created a two-headed monster. This is a significant deviation from the original plan.”
Others feel the compromise–even though it wasn’t part of the initial plan-will serve PenraCom and Chrysler well.
“I can see the rationale,” this exec said. “The person who runs that company will have to be in the limelight. He’ll have to give presentations and speeches and think quickly on his feet. That’s Dave Martin’s forte. Phil Matz is a highly-respected media guy. He knows the business very well.”
Also nailed down last week was PentaCom’s future home. Sources said the company will be housed in offices in Troy, Mich., that are currently being occupied by BBDO’s sister Omnicom agency, DDB Needham.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)