Cadillac's G.M. LaNeve Named Grand Marketer of the Year :Hear Him On Today's AutoLab Show

CLICK4 LaNeve Interview (0:59 - 1:09:00 minutes in)

Dana Point, CA October 17, 2003; Mark LaNeve, Cadillac Division general manager, was named "Grand Marketer of the Year" by Brandweek magazine during an award ceremony last night.

Brandweek, a weekly marketing trade publication, annually selects one marketer as "Grand Marketer of the Year" for their contributions to their company and to the marketing industry.

"This is a great honor for Cadillac," said LaNeve following the award presentation. "The award is an indication of incredible team work and patience, and an unwavering focus that we've applied to the renaissance of Cadillac."

During LaNeve's tenure as general manager, Cadillac has committed to a new design direction, launched six new vehicles including the popular XLR luxury roadster, and introduced a successful ad campaign featuring the music of Led Zeppelin. In his first full year heading the division, Cadillac sales rose 16 percent and in 2003 have continued a steady rise despite a challenging economy and hotly competitive luxury vehicles segment.

Karen Benezra, editor of Brandweek confirmed, "We admire and salute Cadillac for its aggressive approach to re-branding itself and reaching out to find relevance with a whole new audience."

"Grand Marketer of the Year" recipients are announced during the annual convention of the Association of National Advertisers, which this year was held here at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.

Last year, Brandweek awarded "Grand Marketer of the Year" award to John Hamlin, vice president of the U.S. Consumer Unit at Dell Computers. LaNeve is the first "Grand Marketer of the Year" from General Motors. Past automotive category "Marketer of the Year" recipients included Donald Hudler of Saturn ('92), Ted Cunningham of Chrysler ('93), Lynn Myers of Pontiac ('94), Ross Roberts of Ford ('95), Robert Lutz of Chrysler ('96), Jim McDowell of BMW ('97), Steve Wilhite of Volkswagen ('98), Jim Rogers of Ford ('99), Susan Thomson of Chrysler ('00), Finbarr O'Neill of Hyundai ('01), and Jim Press of Toyota ('02).

Cadillac is a division of the General Motors Corporation. The Cadillac Division markets luxury cars and trucks, including the Cadillac XLR roadster, the SRX utility, the CTS and DeVille sedans, and the Cadillac Escalade trucks. General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs 341,000 people globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931.