AUTOMOTIVE INNOVATION AND RECORD SALES

DRIVERS WANTED

Between 1997 and 2005 I was fortunate to contribute to one of the auto industry’s historic ad campaigns, “Drivers wanted” for Volkswagen of America. The effort restored a brand which was on the cusp of leaving the North American market. We sold over two million vehicles in less than a decade—and delivered lots of first-ever marketing innovation. I joined the team just as the Internet was being established, and “interactive” joined the marketing lexicon. I helped grow the agency’s interactive practice from zero revenue and one employee to over $8M and 15 employees for VW dotcom alone in less than two years. (Simultaneously, we grew the agency’s capability from scratch to over 100 people delivering user experience, coding, interface design, project management and content production for over a dozen brands.) We were the first OEM to sell vehicles online. We launched an online music service years before Spotify. In addition, I helped lead integration of marketing across websites, design collateral, direct mail, public relations and events. I helped launch several new models including the Phaeton and the New Beetle, as well as concept models including the Microbus.

In addition to advertising campaigns, I worked closely with the agency’s consumer insights (i.e. Planning) team to hone actionable insights, often in the form of brand strategy videos—created to help the diverse sales and marketing organization comprehend and embrace new direction.