ANOTHER CASE OF HIT-AND-RUN: Porsche Speeds Away From Fallon By Beth Heitzman and David Kiley with Fara Warne

A combination of minuscule sales and a new management team led Porsche Cars North America to dismiss it

Reached Friday at his agency, ceo Pat Fallon would only say, ‘Now I know how Marty Puris felt.’
With the introduction of a revamped 911 RS this year, marketing manager Joel Ewanick said that the company plans to increase its overall marketing budget 50% to $18 million this year, but would not disclose how much of that would be media spending.
Though Fallon’s work for Porsche has generally been praised since the agency won the business in 1987, the relationship has been tenuous since last year when Porsche’s U.S. head Brian Bowler was ousted and replaced by Frederick Schwab. According to a source who does business with Porsche, Schwab has said to associates a number of times in the past few months that he wants ‘his own team.’
Porsche executives speaking at a Detroit auto show two weeks ago were upbeat about their chances for a sales recovery. Said Schwab, ‘We expect to more than double our sales in the next five years.’
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)