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Ropes Exits Ford for Internet Company
DETROIT–David Ropes, director of corporate advertising and the integrated marketing group at Ford Motor Co., is leaving to become executive vice president of business development at Zuniversity.com, a one-stop shopping site for university students. Ropes was one of the first outsiders hired to help lead Ford’s transformation from a traditional manufacturer to a consumer-service company, and was considered a key architect of many of its recent consumer-friendly moves. He was instrumental in dozens of initiatives during his nearly three years at Ford, including the creation of Ford’s first Web site, consolidating media operations into Ford Motor Media and shifting the corporate ad message from “Quality is job one” to “Better ideas.”