It also seemed so rosy as Manchester United and Chevrolet announced their partnership as the US motor giant become the shirt sponsor of England’s biggest soccer club. But now it appears that GM’s global marketing chief Joel Ewanick’s sudden departure from the company is directly related to his role in the Man United deal.
The official statement from GM read:
“Joel failed to meet the expectations the company has of its employees.”
That sounds pretty cold, even for a US motor company. Ewanick had orchestrated many advertising deals for GM, including ones already featuring Manchester United players. The former executive took to Twitter to briefly say:
“It has been a privilege & honour to work with the GM Team and to be a small part of Detroit’s turnaround. I wish everyone at GM all the best.”
Both Reuters and The Wall Street Journal are reporting the rumors that it was linked to the United deal, the finances of if, and the commitment that GM would have to make to the deal. Though the official statement released today said that Chevrolet will be the club’s shirt sponsor, the initial deal didn’t include being shirt sponsor.
GM’s Vice President of U.S. sales and service Alan Batey said:
“This relationship is about connecting our brand with the deep-seated emotion that surrounds the team everywhere it goes.”
Ewanick had been with GM for two years, rising fast in the company from US to Global marketing chief in that time.
According to the LA Times, Ewanwick biggest truimph in the motor industry was his Hyundai Motor America strategy, that allowed Hyundai owners to return their cars if they lost their jobs. Which garnered much media attention during the height of the recession.
His time at GM was less successful, he declined to advertise at the Super Bowl, he pulled $10 million dollars worth of ads from Facebook, and his Chevy Runs Deep campaign was a massive failure. It could be that his role in the Manchester United deal was the last straw.
Follow me on Twitter: @PaulFarrell1895
Source:
http://news.fanfeedr.com/2012/07/30/gms-marketing-chief-fired-over-manchester-united-deal/
via The News from http://onsuperbowlcommercials.blogspot.com