Automaker General Motors Co. (GM) said Sunday that Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick has resigned after a two-year tenure with the company, effective immediately. The company said in a statement it released that Ewanick will be replaced by Alan Batey, vice president of U.S. Sales and Service, on an interim basis.
Meanwhile, several media reports state that Ewanick was fired as he failed to meet the company's expectations.
Ewanick was named the vice president and global chief marketing officer in December 2010, after he joined the company in May 2010 as marketing head for its North America unit.
At General Motors, Ewanick was responsible its brands globally, ensuring consistent representation for all brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall, and was the single point for marketing.
Ewanick was also said to have been responsible for stopping advertising on Facebook, even as the world's largest social networking site prepared for its initial public offering, saying it had little impact on its sales.
GM was Facebook's third-largest advertiser in the U.S. after AT&T, Inc. (T) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG). GM reportedly spent about $10 million last year to advertise on Facebook.
Further, Ewanick had announced that General Motors would stop advertising in next year's Super Bowl and was also heading Chevrolet's controversial "Chevy Runs Deep" campaign.
Ewanick came to General Motors from Nissan North America, where he served as vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer. He had earlier served as vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motor America, where he was known for marketing efforts that helped power Hyundai's growth in the U.S.
Prior to his three-year tenure at Hyundai, Ewanick held executive positions at Hinckley Co., Monitor Clipper Partners, Palmer Johnson, Porsche Cars North America, Saatchi Saatchi Team One Advertising and Yamaha Motor Corp.
GM closed Friday's regular trading session at $19.67, up $0.56 or 2.93% on a volume of 6.80 million shares.
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