REPORT: One week after announcing GM departure, Mark LaNeve surfaces at Allstate
When word got out that Mark LaNeve (right) was leaving General Motors effective October 15, we weren't at all sure where the soon-to-be-former exec was heading. The Wall Street Journal has finally let the cat out of the bag, reporting that LaNeve is leaving the auto business for a marketing gig at Allstate. LaNeve will sign on as the overseer of all marketing initiatives including brand stewardship, strategy and advertising, reporting only to CEO Thomas Wilson.
LaNeve leaves GM after five years as vice president of marketing and advertising. LaNeve was usurped by the General's own Bob Lutz, who semi-retired in April only to come back a couple months later to help strengthen the company's marketing and advertising initiatives. He is is being replaced as vice-president of U.S. sales by former Buick-GMC boss Susan Docherty.
While his new post at Allstate may not be as glamorous a job as being a VP at a major automaker, the insurer has recently made some hefty profits. The WSJ says Allstate raked in big bucks in the second quarter, after earlier getting hit hard by the economic downturn. In other words, LaNeve's company car perks might not be as generous, but he appears to be in Good Hands.
[Source: The Wall Street Journal | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dukeisduke 10:05AM (10/13/2009)
A good fit for somebody who looks like a gangster.
/top o' the world, ma!
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Gruv 10:13AM (10/13/2009)
This comment system is broken.
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skicat 10:26AM (10/13/2009)
Corporate America at its finest. LaNeve should have been fired for the hideous Buick "commercial within a commercial" TV spots. Then, the brain-dead board at Allstate gets snowed by his "credentials" and snaps up a glamour-boy from a failed automaker so they can star-f*#k. LaNeve lines his pockets and gets to help another company run its image into the ground.
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Paul 2:31PM (10/13/2009)
Absolutely 100% correct. This guy has proven himself to be of questionable marketing judgement time and time again, for years. Between Cadillac's recent loss of the entire male demo (thanks Kate Walsh & Modernista) and that utterly putrid Buick campaign, he was clearly not cut out to judge communications or design strategy.
The fact that Allstate took him in bodes poorly for that brand. He carried a big job and high profile on his resume but, in terms of effectiveness, he was the last person they should have hired. Their marketing has been first rate for the past four years (hence, success) but I'd say that's very likely to be over. Divest now.
vf34wrx 10:26AM (10/13/2009)
is it me or does he look like The Joker without makeup?
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Visnick 10:37AM (10/13/2009)
Exactly what I was thinking
Aznauto 10:28AM (10/13/2009)
Sure beats working in the world's most dangerous city amidst all the burned out and abandoned building.
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Seminole 10:31AM (10/13/2009)
I'm not sure I would call Detroit the World's most dangerous city. Somehow I think a place like Mogadishu is just slightly more dangerous.
Venom 11:38AM (10/13/2009)
Seminole,
I live North of Detroit and within the last month or so we have had a 13 year old shot and killed, a 9 year old executed in his bed and a 6 month old baby shot.
It may not be Mogadishu, but it sure ain't great....
daleam 12:29PM (10/13/2009)
Leave it to Asnineauto to make such an ignorant comment.
psu48187 1:13PM (10/13/2009)
Aznauto:
STFU and stop perpetuating that the city of Detroit is as bad as it gets. Outside of that little bubble that you live in there's the cities of Caracas, Cape Town and even New Orleans with higher crime rates than Detroit. Heck I'm from Detroit and while I have to admit some neighborhoods were a bit on the scary side, that pales in comparison to parts of L.A. (that I won't even venture into).
tom 10:51AM (10/13/2009)
that picture reminds me of every sleazy GM salesmen I have encountered.
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Jason 12:06PM (10/15/2009)
That's gotta be a hefty pay upgrade. Hopefully he can work his magic at Allstate. I wouldn't mind seeing a large insurance company die a slow painful death.
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saluki 11:18AM (10/13/2009)
Who considers being a VP for GM to be glamorous?
Working for a highly profitable Fortune 100 company in suburban Chicago sure as hell beats working for a govt owned car company in Detroit.
Not to mention, I've seen the fleet cars that execs at Allstate get. Mostly E-Class Benzes, I'm sure that's better than what he was getting working for Obama.
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Venom 11:42AM (10/13/2009)
I normally avoid commenting to people like you buy you are obviously a low functioning simpleton.
People like you talk all this nonsense about the government and how it is so bad for them to be involved but then you are the biggest military supporters, who guess what, are 100% government.
The school system is the government, as is the police, the fire department, a lot of the healthcare, the Post Office and so on.
You are just a pathetic racist and this was a way for you to vent and express your racism.
Saluki 12:55PM (10/13/2009)
Wow, so much anger.
Tim 1:40PM (10/13/2009)
Wow, now if you make a comment about a topic somehow related to politics (without even talking about politics), it's racist?
Sorry, but this guy made a move-up as far as I am concerned. Yes, Allstate might have less revenue than GM, but they make more money and, as such, probably compensate their executives better in the first place. Allstate wouldn't have hired this guy if he wasn't good at what he did. Having GM on your resume isn't quite the selling point you guys seem to think.
Based on the timing of this, I think LaNeve actually quit.
UCJR 11:28AM (10/13/2009)
After a period of slumber, LaNeve returns to feed.
I think Van Helsing needs to put him out of commission for good.
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Scott 12:12PM (10/13/2009)
So I guess that means Allstate will go bankrupt and need a government bailout too once their marketing goes into the toilet.
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Dude 12:20PM (10/13/2009)
LOL! Bye bye Allstate. AIG ate up all the insurance co. bailout money. ;) Wait. What? There's more? Oh. Ok. Go Allstate.