Nissan tapped Joel Ewanick a.k.a. Hyundai’s marketing chief
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
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Nissan North America has announced the appointment of Joel Ewanick as Nissan Division vice president of marketing. He will step into the post left last February by Christian Meunier, who has been promoted to president of Nissan Brazil. In this post, Ewanick will be responsible for marketing communications, pricing and product management. Ewanick is actually known for having been vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motor America, where he is credited with crafting the Hyundai Assurance Program. Of course, you may remember this as the ad that featured Jeff Bridges who assured customers that if they lose their job, they could return their Hyundai purchases with no credit implications.
The launching was made during the 2009 Super Bowl and at a time when everyone worried about the recession. The car industry experienced a downturn in 2009 but Hyundai was able to convince people to buy a Hyundai. In an interview last year with the Advertising Age, Ewanick said that the campaign proceeded from concept to broadcast in 37 days.
Hyundai and Nissan have both gained market share as two large carmakers faced serious financial troubles. At the end of February, Nissan was the industry's No. 5 brand, with an 8% US market share, up from 7% a year earlier. Hyundai got the No. 6 slot, with a 4.4% share at the end of February, up from 4.1% a year earlier. In the next few months, Ewanick will be tested as he faces an intimidating marketing task of launching the Leaf, a mass-market electric car.
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