New Nissan Americas PR Veep David Reuter.
After shaking up its global PR line-up, Nissan is now realigning communications activities in the U.S., with 39-year-old David Reuter being named the new vice president of communications.
Reuter, who joined the Japanese maker earlier this year, will manage a PR network extending from the frozen Canadian North to the Argentine tip of South America.
“We are pleased to welcome David Reuter to his new role leading the Communications function across Nissan Americas,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas. “As Nissan continues to grow throughout the Americas David will play a critical role in strengthening our Communications capabilities and implementing an improved level of process, alignment and capability across the region.”
The appointment of Reuter follows news, earlier this autumn, that Simon Sproule would be returning to Nissan as its global communications chief, and taking on significant marketing duties, as well. Sproule had briefly left Nissan’s Japanese headquarters for a stint with Microsoft. He made a quick return to the auto industry, handling communications duties for the Renault-Nissan alliance, before regaining his post in Japan.
Reuter, who will report to Sproule, has also had extensive overseas experience. After beginning his career, in Detroit, as a PR agency representative for Michelin, he joined Ford, in 1994. With the U.S. maker, Reuter served assignments in both Tokyo and in Cologne, Germany.
The Detroit native made a move to Bentley, in 2006, initially as a general manager for corporate communications. Reuter was named head of Bentley’s communications, in the Americas, in 2008, following the British marque’s move to relocate U.S. headquarters to Boston.
“I’m truly pleased to lead the Communications function across Nissan Americas,” said Reuter. “The Nissan and Infiniti brands are each at pivotal moments in their history and it will be a great challenge to integrate our communications across such a culturally diverse and geographical large region.”
Since joining Nissan, Reuter and his family have relocated to Nashville, where the maker moved its own U.S. headquarters several years ago.
Reuter’s promotion comes at an opportune time, but nonetheless one with some serious challenges. Nissan has scored a significant turnaround since it entered into an alliance with French-based Renault, 11 years ago. It has been gaining ground at a pace well above the industry average, this past year, in November alone reporting a 45% sales jump in the U.S. market.
But despite growing sales and generally positive reviews for its newest products, Nissan has suffered a bit of a visibility issue, according to both industry analysts and senior company executives. That reflects several years of internal turmoil within the company’s marketing and communications operations, both in Japan and in the Americas.
The appointments of Sproule and, now, Reuter, are aimed at addressing the PR side of that problem. Nissan, meanwhile, is working on a broad rethinking of its marketing efforts, Tavares recently stressing the need to have a clear corporate message that relates what the brand stands for.
Much of that effort is being rolled out in connection with the launch of the new Nissan Leaf, the first high-volume battery-electric vehicle. Based on initial orders, the strategy appears to be gaining traction.