Chevy marketing chief Chris Perry introducing the 2013 Impala at the NY Auto Show.
The revolving door at the General Motors marketing department has been spinning fast the last couple years, and nowhere is that more apparent than Chevrolet which is losing another top manager as 2013 draws to a close.
The latest to depart is Chris Perry, who has been overseeing the Chevy brand’s U.S. marketing operations. Perry joined GM in 2010 after a stint at Hyundai. Though his unexpected departure is creating plenty of buzz, there’s no clear explanation for the move which comes just weeks after Perry’s boss, Chevy global sales and marketing chief Alan Batey was appointed the new president of GM North America.
For his part, Batey kept his comment on Perry’s departure short and sweet, noting “GM would like to thank Chris for his dedication and contributions, and wishes him well in all his future endeavors.”
The automaker says it has not yet come up with a replacement for the 53-year-old Perry who was elevated to VP of marketing for all four of GM’s North American brands in 2011 but then reassigned to focus solely on Chevy.
Insiders suggest that Perry may have been hoping to get Batey’s spot once the global chief was promoted earlier this month. Failing to get that job, Perry might have found himself caught in a battle with Tim Mahoney, who joined GM last spring as Chevrolet’s new global marketing chief.
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There are those who express surprise that Perry actually remained in Detroit as long as he had. The affable executive was considered part of a star team at Hyundai, working under his long-time friend and colleague Joel Ewanick, before moving to Detroit. There, Perry found himself working again for Ewanick who had been recruited by CEO Dan Akerson.
Hailed as a “change agent” given the power to challenge GM’s well-entrenched and questionably effective marketing empire, Ewanick shattered long-established agency relationships, shifted personnel and even dissed social media site Facebook days before what turned into a disastrous IPO. But he was summarily ousted in mid-2012, company officials implying unspecified irregularities that were reportedly linked to a $600 million sponsorship of British soccer powerhouse Manchester United.
Many expected Perry to soon follow Ewanick out the door – albeit voluntarily. But he decided to stick around and build a reputation and career on his own.
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Perry has made a number of changes since then, helping launch the “Chevy Runs Deep” ad campaign. When it didn’t connect with consumers, the maker introduced the current brand theme, “Find New Roads.”
This past year has seen a number of key departures in GM marketing, including Chevrolet’s former European boss Susan Docherty, and Don Butler, the former head of Cadillac marketing.
GM itself made some major changes in its management line-up earlier this month, announcing that Akerson will retire as chairman and CEO, the latter role to be filled by global product czar Mary Barra, the first women to serve as a chief executive for any major auto company.
(Click Here for more on Barra and the new GM team.)
I think you meant that the “Chevy Runs Deep” became “Find New Roads”…
The lack of stability in the marketing team is exaggerating the problems facing the brands. GM can’t keep removing scalps and hoping for different outcomes for every soft 10-day report.
Building share is a long road that requires consistency, presence and sheer weight to undo long-held prejudices against domestics, and particularly the lead brands Chevy and Cadillac. It also requires ideas with courage that penetrate not just the current buyers but level the field for conquest sales.
Love or hate what Chrysler Group has done over the last three years, they got noticed for the right reasons. Show me the high-potential GM leader who would green light anything Chrysler did for the last three superbowls… or even the Hyundai Advantage… and I’ll show you a person who will succeed mightily.
Yes, Ragtop, my error, now corrected.
And I agree that Chrysler’s marketing is some of the best in the business.
Paul E.
Somewhere west of Laramie, I suppose somebody somewhere once decided to see the USA in their Chevrolet. But hundreds of millions more times, would-be customers simply wander in anger or befuddlement before finally bumping into a salesperson capable of both understanding what they want and showing them how easy it is to get it. Marketing isn’t a gift; it’s wrapping paper, which is sold cheaply almost everywhere.