NASHVILLE -- Nissan and Infiniti advertising and marketing chief Jan Thompson has abruptly left the automaker.
A spokesman for Nissan North America Inc. declined to give reasons for the departure. Efforts to reach Thompson at her home outside of Nashville were unsuccessful.
The company said Thompson will be replaced on Oct. 8 as vice president of marketing communications by Ben Poore.
Poore has until now been group marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Mercury Division.
Over the past three years since joining Nissan, Thompson has led Nissan and Infiniti brands into new corners of marketing, such as viral ads, live Internet video streaming and experiential customer relations. In recent weeks, she has been unveiling the new Infiniti EX crossover through a series of invitation-only luncheons for women in major markets where presenters discuss fashion trends, home furnishings, jewelry and the design of the EX.
She signed the new Nissan Rogue SUV up as the exclusive sponsor for the NBC-TV show "Heroes." That deal extends to DVDs, theatrical previews of the show, iTune gift cards relating to the show and Internet rebroadcasts of the series.
Heat from dealers
Thompson took heat from some dealers who believed that Nissan's traditional TV advertising presence had not grown adequately to reflect its growing product portfolio and larger U.S. sales base of the past several years.
"That's a comment you would've heard 15 years ago," she responded to the complaint in an interview with Automotive News on Sept. 13. "Given the opportunity we have with new media today, we don't have to spend more. Today, it's not just about spending more and more. It's about spending effectively. Our question is how are we being effective? Do we know what results our spending is having, or is it just gross tonnage and carpet bombing? And we're not going to do that."
In a statement released by Nissan on Tuesday evening, Mark McNabb, Nissan North America's senior vice president for sales and marketing, said, "I would like to recognize Jan for her contributions to the company and wish her every success in the future."
From Los Angeles to Nashville
Prior to joining Nissan, Thompson had been an automotive ad agency CEO since the late 1990s. She had also worked in marketing for Toyota, Lexus and Chrysler, and had been vice president of sales for Mazda Motor of America.
She was believed to be unhappy about Nissan's corporate relocation from the Los Angeles area to Nashville last year. But unlike other senior Nissan executives, she agreed to stay with the company as it launched several key models over the past 12 months.
McNabb's statement said that Poore "has extensive international automotive experience. I look forward to his leadership for the Nissan and Infiniti Marketing Communications organization."
At Ford since 1994, Poore has worked in marketing and sales positions in the United States and Central and South America. He also served as truck group marketing manager for Ford Division.
McNabb said Poole will be based in Nashville.
