Autoblog

Ewanick's crafty budgeting, Farley Award, led to ousting

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, GM

In the end it doesn't really matter, as Joel Ewanick is no longer working at General Motors. But curiosity over what led to his departure is still keen, and this latest story from Bloomberg offers further insight into the situation.

While we all know that Ewanick was something of a rogue within GM's still-conservative corporate culture, cutting deals that broke with tradition, mouthing off about Facebook, and deciding that Super Bowl ad rates are too high, that's ostensibly what he was hired to do. But it seems that perhaps his methods may have been a bit too much for GM CEO Dan Akerson and other execs.

Bloomberg says Akerson scolded Ewanick after he publicly cursed at a conference, giving him the "Farley Award," a Ford Blue Oval inscribed with the name of Ford marketing head Jim Farley. The dubious honor was a reference to Farley's infamous f-bomb directed at GM in Once Upon A Car, a book written by New York Times reporter Bill Vlasic. Akerson reportedly used to award to remind GM employees to always behave professionally, according to the report.

But it was Ewanick's record-breaking sponsorship deal with British soccer powerhouse Manchester United that was his ultimate undoing, according to the report. Apparently the $559 million deal was a series of separate sponsorships divvied up among different budgets "to avoid his boss' spending limits," according to Bloomberg, a charge that Ewanick denied.

You can read the full article here.

Ewanick's crafty budgeting, Farley Award, led to ousting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM sticking with Commonwealth despite ousting Ewanick

George Kennedy — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:31:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, GM

According to reports from Adweek and The Wall Street Journal, General Motors is sticking with in-house ad agency, Commonwealth. This news comes despite the fact that GM recently informed Joel Ewanick, the brains behind the firm, that his services were no longer necessary. These reports further speculation that it was more than just a botched sponsorship deal with sports team Manchester United that led to the global marketing boss' demise.

Ewanick's other high-profile decisions at GM included dropping out of 2012 Super Bowl advertising and decimating the $10 million that was earmarked for Facebook advertising, a move announced just days before the social media site's IPO.

All of these actions played into the same cost-cutting strategy that brought about Commonwealth. Ewanick's brainchild, Commonwealth is only four months old. The Detroit-based Detroit-based ad agency is estimated to save GM $2 billion over the next five years.

The advertising house and the cost-cutting plans are still in place, but Ewanick is out. GM says that the executive "failed to meet expectations the company has set for its employees." He was given the option to resign, and at age 52 with stints at both Nissan and Hyundai under his belt, he stepped down from the chair of his very creation.

While General Motors looks for a replacement, Alan Batey, GM's U.S. sales and service vice president, will take over Ewanick's duties.

GM sticking with Commonwealth despite ousting Ewanick originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick leaves GM

John Neff — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, GM

General Motors Global Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick is no longer with the company. A press release issued by GM states that Ewanick had "elected to resign immediately," while a report by Automotive News claims he was dismissed, with GM spokesman Greg Martin commenting, "He failed to meet the expectations the company has of an employee." With no further elaboration, it's impossible to say what circumstances led to Ewanick's abrupt departure, but his rather short two-year tenure at the company is at an end regardless. His interim replacement is Alan Bately, current vice president, U.S. Sales and Service.

Ewanick, 52, was hired by General Motors as U.S. Marketing Chief in May 2010 and named Global Marketing Chief, a new position, in December 2010. Previously he did a short stint as the head of marketing at Nissan North America, but was best known for his work before that at Hyundai Motor America.

Ewanick might be remembered most for the GM's decision to pull its advertising dollars from Facebook, citing the social network's ineffectiveness shortly before its initial public offering of stock. He also announced that GM would not be advertising in next year's Super Bowl and was the man in charge when Chevrolet unveiled its controversial "Chevy Runs Deep" campaign.

Other decisions made by Ewanick may have a more lasting, if less visible, effect on General Motors. For instance, Ewanick led a recent effort to consolidate GM's creative marketing and advertising agencies, a move that has been estimated to save the company $2 billion over five years. In the case of Chevrolet, the brand transferred all of its business from dozens of agencies around the world to one newly created joint venture called Commonwealth of Detroit that located itself in the city of Detroit, bringing with it new talent and 280 new jobs.

Continue reading Global Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick leaves GM

Global Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick leaves GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM's Ewanick mulls turning Chevy ad campaign into sitcom

Jeff Sabatini — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

If you haven't noticed, NBC's The Office has really jumped the shark since Steve Carrell left the show at the end of last season. Or maybe the beginning of the end was Pam and Jim's wedding during the sixth season. Regardless, the point is that the show is no longer very funny or edgy, nor does it ever make the audience uncomfortable in the way the brilliant original BBC version did. Rather, as the main characters in the American version of the show have become caricatures, The Office has grown predictable and formulaic.

And this is why Chevrolet can launch an ad campaign like its "Under The Blue Arch" series. Despite the brief, 30-second running times of the ads, the characters are instantly recognizable and the "plots" are easy to follow. Although the scenes set in a Chevy dealership play with the tropes created by the Emmy Award-winning series, they do so to little comic effect. Because comedy isn't the point - these are ads, after all, full of ham-handed product information and designed to sell cars.

If anyone should understand that it's Joel Ewanick, General Motors' Chief Marketing Officer. Yet he told Automotive News at the New York Auto Show that GM has "talked about turning this into an actual show because we've got so much material."

Well, that Chevy product line isn't nearly the joke it once was, but if you say so...

Let's just chalk this one up to Ewanick being a bit starstruck. "Under The Blue Arch" was created by Randall Einhorn, one of the directors of The Office, and it "stars" Wayne Wilderson, who appeared on the NBC show in 2006.

Click past the jump, where you can watch a few of the ads.

Continue reading GM's Ewanick mulls turning Chevy ad campaign into sitcom

GM's Ewanick mulls turning Chevy ad campaign into sitcom originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM chooses "Chevy Happy Grad" for Super Bowl ad

Chris Shunk — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chevrolet, Toys/Games

Super Bowl commercials are big business, with multimillion-dollar 30-second spots and productions that seem to get more costly and elaborate every year. General Motors bucked that trend by giving independent film makers the opportunity to make their own 60-second spot, with the winner having their ad played in front of an estimated 110 million viewers during The Big Game.

Long Island, New York resident Zach Borst is that winner, and his first place entry is available after the jump. Borst decided to show what would happen if a new graduate was given a brand-new Camaro convertible as a graduation present - except the grad is really getting a mini fridge. Sounds like a bit of a letdown to us, but Chevrolet marketing boss Joel Ewanick says the ad "clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits."

Hit the jump to read the GM press release and stay to watch the minute-long video.

Continue reading GM chooses "Chevy Happy Grad" for Super Bowl ad

GM chooses "Chevy Happy Grad" for Super Bowl ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joel Ewanick named GM head of global marketing

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, GM

Less than one year after his initial hire as General Motors' vice president of marketing, Joel Ewanick has just been named the automaker's global chief marketing officer.

In this new role, Ewanick will "ensure consistent global messaging" for the entire suite of GM brands, including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC here in the United States, as well as Holden, Opel and Vauxhall abroad. Furthermore, Ewanick will oversee GM's presence at important global auto shows, as well as the automaker's marketing and participation during major global events.

As you'll remember, Ewanick spent three years as the vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motor America before defecting to Nissan. After only a two-month stay at Nissan, Ewanick was hired by General Motors to replace Susan Docherty, the company's former marketing VP. Follow the jump for the official press release about Ewanick's new position as global marketing chief.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Joel Ewanick named GM head of global marketing

Joel Ewanick named GM head of global marketing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Why? behind "Chevy Runs Deep" slogan

David Kiley — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

When it comes to launching a new marketing strategy and ad campaign for Chevrolet, the gorillas in the room are Chevy's once illustrious advertising past: namely the Heartbeat of America campaign that ran from 1987 to 1994, and the "Like A Rock campaign that ran from 1991 to 2004.

"Every brand we have is important, but it starts with Chevy."

Those two iconic, Hall-of-Fame caliber, indelible campaigns have made any attempt at solving Chevy's advertising problem a nightmare for every bright-eyed, ambitious advertising or marketing manager that has taken their turn at the Chevy wheel, and the ad agency that held the account until a few months ago.

A few things have changed, though, in the last 12 months at Chevrolet and parent company General Motors. And GM chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick and his hand-picked ad agency, San Francisco ad shop Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, are trying to stage a new era for Chevy starting tonight on the MLB World Series. The effort also precedes GM's initial public offering of stock in the new company in a few weeks. And the company is cognizant that many an investor will be watching the World Series.

To position Chevy for the future, GM and Goodby are not bashful about trying to tap the past. A 60-second so-called "Anthem" TV spot, voiced by Michigan-bred actor Tim (Home Improvement) Allen, draws on black-and-white footage of GM workers from the 1940s assembling vehicles, houses being built in the 1950s, a young couple in the 1960s full of hope and promise driving... then a cut to modern Chevrolets like Malibu, Cruze and Volt. The first line of the ad starts, "100 years ago..." A new theme line for Chevy, though Ewanick says it is not a "tagline," is "Chevy Runs Deep."

Continue reading...

Continue reading The Why? behind "Chevy Runs Deep" slogan

The Why? behind "Chevy Runs Deep" slogan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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