Joel Ewanick is the new VP of US marketing for GM brands Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. He’s got a tough job, but as the man who brought Hyundai into the fold during his three years there, it may be a good fit. Oddly enough Ewanick is taking the job just six weeks after starting as CMO of Nissan. Wonder what GM paid for the man who understands the marketing strategies of two major players in the new American car stratosphere.
Ewanick is credited, in part, with bringing Hyundai into the American modicum of trusted auto manufacturers. As VP of marketing there he lead the work Goodby SF produced as well as some Richards Group projects over a period of three years. Remember ‘Hyundai Assurance (Plus)’? That happened under Ewanick at the manufacturer’s in-house shop, Innocean.
Then one day we find out Ewanick is heading to Nissan as their CMO. Then nothing. This is odd because six weeks is barely enough time to find that one hidden Aeron chair.
So far there’s no word why his stint was so short. The Journal breezes over this point, noting only “In March, Mr. Ewanick became chief marketing officer for Nissan Motor Co.’s Nissan North America. Before that, he served as vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motor Co.’s Hyundai Motor America, where he won acclaim for the Hyundai ‘Assurance’ campaign and other well-received ads.” Um, why’d he move on so quickly? That’s the story here. Could it be tumult within Nissan or a bigger paycheck from GM? Surely there were some major legal loopholes to overcome, further signaling GM’s dire need for better marketing.
At GM, Ewanick replaces Susan Docherty who ran the Ed Whitacre spots you all seem to hate so much. She’ll be put in a new role, says GM.
Update: Well, Docherty could be out because of this…(thanks GTIO)
Via Jalopnik
More: “Louis Vuitton Will Not Have Hyundai Besmirch its Image”