GM creates chief transformation officer role as agency reviews continue

General Motors has created a chief transformation officer role as the automaker continues an extensive review of its marketing and agency approach under new Global Chief Marketing Officer Norm de Greve. Taking the job as of May 1 is Molly Peck, a longtime GM exec who since 2021 has served as chief marketing officer for global Buick and GMC, a company representative confirmed to Ad Age. Peck’s replacement on Buick and GMC is Suzie Guzzo, currently CMO for the Africa and Middle East region. Peck will report to de Greve and have a focus on ”building stronger brands, driving growth and enterprise business results,” according to an internal GM memo. She most recently oversaw a marketing overhaul for Buick, including a new tagline. Peck’s promotion into the newly created role comes as de Greve oversees a potentially major shift in GM’s agency approach. As first reported by Ad Age in January, the company is conducting an agency review for its customer relationship management business, while also evaluating its media operations and creative agencies. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs “Our customers are evolving how they connect with brands,” de Greve said in a statement. “To build strong brands and business value, we continuously evaluate every aspect of our marketing model with a vision to lead.” The automaker has had discussions with creative agencies outside its roster, according to people familiar with the matter. GM has engaged with 16 shops, according to one person familiar with the process. Creative incumbents include Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Commonwealth/McCann for Chevrolet and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett, which works on Cadillac. The creative agency evaluation is being overseen by SnapPoint, a marketing consultancy run by Tony Weisman, the former Dunkin’ CMO and Digitas CEO. The automaker has not directly commented on the nature of the creative agency evaluation. “I think they are trying to get a new roster of a more diverse range of creative agencies that they can go to,” said one agency executive whose agency has been involved. “They are tired of the old traditional agency model from what I can tell.” What type of creative agency model GM chooses remains to be seen, whether it be assigning agencies of record for its individual brands or taking more of a project approach. The CRM agency review, which is being managed by MediaLink, is expected to be completed by early summer. MediaLink is also consulting GM on its media model, although as of this point, that does not include a formal agency review. The automaker’s media agency is Dentsu’s Carat. Multiple shops handle customer relationship work, including Interpublic’s MRM. Peck’s new global marketing transformation team is expected to be involved with agency relationships, including creating a consistent approach when briefing agencies. Two new roles are being created inside the team—manager of agency operations, filled by Jane Hussar, currently strategy and operations manager for Chevrolet; and agency operations lead, which will be handled by Jaztan Teen, currently Buick/GMC marketing and operations business planner. GM earlier this year created a new global chief media officer role, hiring Shenan Reed, formerly the senior VP and head of media for L’Oréal, into the job. Peck’s team is expected to evaluate creating other roles overseeing so-called centers of excellence. Creating a “transformation officer” job to oversee such activities fits into a broader trend. Other companies that have used the term as part of job titles in recent years include Gap, Kraft Heinz, Albertson’s and HP. “Our clients—particularly large multi-brand, multi-region, multi-business unit companies—are closely focused on ensuring they have the right marketing structure that supports their enterprise strategy,” said Richard Sanderson, who leads the marketing, sales and communications officer practice in North America for executive search firm Spencer Stuart. “They are asking themselves fundamental questions around should their marketing structures, capabilities and decision rights be centralized, decentralized, or in some hybrid structure and are we delivering the biggest bang for the buck. The concept of a transformation office is at the heart of tackling those questions.” The automotive industry has unique challenges, including building new electric vehicle businesses while maintaining gas-powered brands, which still represent a huge majority of sales. While EVs hold long-term promise, demand has cooled of late. “As GM moves forward with its electrification strategy, it will need to convince the mass market that its image is changing,” said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, which provides car shopping information to consumers. “GM is no longer the company struggling through bankruptcies with vehicles that are technologically behind their foreign competitors. GM has been aggressive with its EV strategy—particularly for Cadillac—but the mainstream American consumer may not perceive the company to be one taking the lead in electrification. That needs to change for GM to ultimately be successful.”

GM creates chief transformation officer role as agency reviews continue

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