Former Ford and, later, Chrysler marketing whiz Julie Roehm resurfaces at SAP.
Julie Roehm, the one-time Chrysler marketing chief known for risky – and sometimes controversial – moves like the Lingerie Bowl has resurfaced at business software company SAP, where she will serve as a senior vice president.
The 40-year-old Roehm has maintained a low profile since running headlong into the Wal-Mart juggernaut, five years ago, in an ethics dispute. She has since been serving as a private consultant on marketing matters for companies like the short-lived Next Autoworks.
Roehm will be based in New York, reporting to SAP’s Chief Marketing Officer Jonathan Becher. The firm provides advance business software for a variety of industries, including a number of major automakers, and has traditionally been one of the heavier advertisers in its normally staid line of business.
Roehm began her automotive career with Ford and was known for innovative moves, such as staging a Golden Era-style live ad for the then-new Ford Focus in 1999. She jumped to Chrysler shortly afterwards and continued to press for more cutting-edge marketing efforts than Detroit was traditionally known for.
Perhaps her most memorable campaign actually never made it to air. In 2004, Chrysler’s Dodge brand signed up for the pay-per-view Lingerie Bowl, which was counter-programmed to the Super Bowl halftime show. The move was initially defended by Dieter Zetsche, at the time the CEO of the Chrysler side of what was then known as DaimlerChrysler. But, under intense criticism from the public and dealers the sponsorship was scrapped at the last minute.
But Roehm was to face an even bigger challenge when she jumped from Chrysler to Wal-Mart in 2006, where she was hired on as senior vice president of marketing.
Barely a year later, she became embroiled in an ethics issue allegedly involving a male subordinate. Roehm subsequently filed a breach of contract action and claimed Wal-Mart tried to smear her. But as the marketing giant escalated the battle and showed no sign of easing Roehm eventually chose to halt her lawsuit and slipped out of sight for several years.
“She’s a seriously talented woman who didn’t deserve the problems she got at Wal-Mart,” said a ranking automotive executive who has remained in contact with Roehm since she left the marketing firm – the executive asking not to be mentioned by name. “I think this will help restart her career and let people focus on her talent.”
Roehm was not available for comment, though she tersely told Ad Age magazine she was going through “several changes” in her life.