Chief Marketing Officer at Chevrolet, Tim Mahoney, was faced with a multitude of difficult tasks when he assumed the role after leaving Volkswagen in 2013. Chevrolet was in the midst of executing some of its biggest product launches in years and Mahoney was tasked with changing brand perception and marketing Chevy as a global brand on top of pushing the all-new products.
The Detroit News sat down with the 57 year-old marketing guru to find out his opinion on the much talked about recall of 2.6 million GM cars, also knwon as ‘Switchgate’, and Chevy’s “Find New Roads” marketing campaign.
According to Mahoney, changing Chevy’s brand image is all about consistency, something the brand has struggled with in the past.
“Great brands are built with consistency and integration. I’ll give you an example from Porsche. Porsche values rested on performance, design and exclusivity. That applied to a 911, to a Boxster, to a 356. That also applied to a Cayenne. So we’re setting an expectation,” he said.
As for the recall debacle, Mahoney says they can turn it into an opportunity if they handle it right.
“Mary Barra said were going to be judged based on how we handled it, not that we had it. She tells the story that she got an email from a customer who was concerned and she picked up the phone and called them. So she really is walking the talk.”
Mahoney also commented on Chevy’s future in China. The brand expects the market to grow to about 30 million cars in the next 8-10 years and believes the upcoming Manchester United sponsorship will help bolster sales. He says when the bowtie goes on the team’s jersey’s in September, “it will be like Super Bowl Sunday every week when they play in terms of the number of fans watching,” due to the nearly 100 million Man U fans situated in China.
Click here to read Mahoney’s full interview with The Detroit News.Â
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