Nissan North America has “captured” Hyundai America’s top marketing man. Joel Ewanick, who was vice president of marketing at the Korean company, is credited with the effective Hyundai Assurance Program, where Hyundai buys back cars from customers who lose their jobs. While at Hyundai, he earned accolades including Chief Marketing Officer of the Year (2009) from Forbes, Grand Marketer of the Year (2009) from Brandweek and Marketer of the Year (2009) from Advertising Age.
Ewanick has been named vice president, Marketing, Nissan Division, effective March 22. He succeeds Christian Meunier, whose appointment as president, Nissan Brazil, was announced Feb. 5. In his new role, Ewanick will be responsible for all facets of marketing activities for Nissan brand products in the US, including marketing communications, C&I, pricing and product management.
Before joining Hyundai, Ewanick held executive positions at the Hinckley Company – Monitor Clipper, Boston; Palmer Johnson LLC in Wisconsin; and Porsche Cars North America in Atlanta. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Northridge.
To sell well one needs good products, but skilled marketing people can draw in seemingly uninterested people, just like Hyundai did in a troubled 2009 where it was one of only three brands to record growth. Surely, this is a coup for Nissan.
Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.
So, what would be the impact? Hyundai still move on right?
the impact is, Hyundai maybe hire someone with different ideas… so the outcome is yet to be known….
might be good, might be not…
I like this phrase – "To sell well one needs good products, but skilled marketing people can draw in seemingly uninterested people."
Maybe the new job at nissan pays twice more than hyundai?
Nissan has nice looking models, but not on the whole. Hyundai's new car's look better on the whole
a man created an opportunity to hyundai now have to spoil it with another plan. An anti-virus software company created a virus which they have a code to break, so ppl will buy their product. surely, nissan is more potential with marketing history & financial plans. Thats how he being "attracted". The buy-back plan cant be use for long especially after the financial crisis. Nissan needs new blood to flow in US market while Hyundai needs reinventing plan followed by the buy-back insurance. money money money with the brain.
A loss to Hyundai but I wonder what he did previously at 'Palmer Johnson'.
wow, degree only can be so sucessful.
goes to show you don't need academics in everything, sometime it takes raw skill, experience and street smarts.