DETROIT: General Motors Co's (GM) US marketing chief Joel Ewanick tapped a former Hyundai Motor Co colleague on Thursday, Aug 19 to be lead marketing executive for Chevrolet, adding to the team responsible for promoting GM's brands with American consumers.
Chris Perry, 50, replaces Jim Campbell, 46, who will be vice present for GM performance vehicles and motor sports.
Joel Ewanick, who took over GM's US marketing reins in May, is widely credited with some of the marketing strategies that helped South Korean automaker Hyundai increase 2009 sales while overall US vehicle sales declined.
Perry was at Hyundai for the past decade, where he worked closely with Ewanick, and took Ewanick's place when he left that company.
"I have worked with Chris in the past and know he will use his unique ability to ... reconnect consumers to the Chevrolet brand," Ewanick said.
Chevrolet accounts for about 72% of GM's US sales.
GM hired Ewanick with a mandate to enliven what was seen as a faded image for the GM brands that were left after the company's government-sponsored 2009 bankruptcy -- Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. GM had reshuffled its marketing executive team three times before hiring Ewanick.
Ewanick shepherds marketing on the home turf of a company trying to shed its "Government Motors" tag and sell cars in a market severely weakened by recession.
Two weeks after joining GM, Ewanick switched Chevy's advertising account to Omnicom Group's Goody, Silverstein and Partners, from the US offices of Publicis Groupe SA.
In April, GM dropped Campbell-Ewald, which had handled the Chevy account for 91 years, dating back almost to Chevrolet's beginnings in 1911.
Campbell-Ewald created some of the most memorable advertising campaigns in US auto history for Chevrolet, including the "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" ads of the 1970s and "See the USA in your Chevrolet" in the 1950s.
Image is vital as GM prepares for an initial public offering (IPO) expected later this year and for sales in a market where consumers are still shell-shocked by high unemployment and a depressed housing market.
The company filed initial plans for its IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The IPO will return some of the US$43 billion (RM135.02 billion) in taxpayer money that the US Treasury has tied up in 60.8% of GM.
Hyundai has not named a replacement for Perry, who resigned on Thursday, Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford said. ' Reuters
Chris Perry, 50, replaces Jim Campbell, 46, who will be vice present for GM performance vehicles and motor sports.
Joel Ewanick, who took over GM's US marketing reins in May, is widely credited with some of the marketing strategies that helped South Korean automaker Hyundai increase 2009 sales while overall US vehicle sales declined.
Perry was at Hyundai for the past decade, where he worked closely with Ewanick, and took Ewanick's place when he left that company.
"I have worked with Chris in the past and know he will use his unique ability to ... reconnect consumers to the Chevrolet brand," Ewanick said.
Chevrolet accounts for about 72% of GM's US sales.
GM hired Ewanick with a mandate to enliven what was seen as a faded image for the GM brands that were left after the company's government-sponsored 2009 bankruptcy -- Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC. GM had reshuffled its marketing executive team three times before hiring Ewanick.
Ewanick shepherds marketing on the home turf of a company trying to shed its "Government Motors" tag and sell cars in a market severely weakened by recession.
Two weeks after joining GM, Ewanick switched Chevy's advertising account to Omnicom Group's Goody, Silverstein and Partners, from the US offices of Publicis Groupe SA.
In April, GM dropped Campbell-Ewald, which had handled the Chevy account for 91 years, dating back almost to Chevrolet's beginnings in 1911.
Campbell-Ewald created some of the most memorable advertising campaigns in US auto history for Chevrolet, including the "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet" ads of the 1970s and "See the USA in your Chevrolet" in the 1950s.
Image is vital as GM prepares for an initial public offering (IPO) expected later this year and for sales in a market where consumers are still shell-shocked by high unemployment and a depressed housing market.
The company filed initial plans for its IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The IPO will return some of the US$43 billion (RM135.02 billion) in taxpayer money that the US Treasury has tied up in 60.8% of GM.
Hyundai has not named a replacement for Perry, who resigned on Thursday, Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford said. ' Reuters
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