Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has created three brand marketing positions in its North American Tire division in an attempt to become more market-driven, according to Jim Vogel, vice president of consumer tires.
The new "brand marketing directors" are:
* Donn Kramer (Goodyear). Kramer was formerly director of global product planning.
* Rozmond Kennon (Dunlop). Kennon joins the company from H.J. Heinz, where he was director of marketing and general manager.
* Mark McDonald (Kelly, custom brands). McDonald was formerly general marketing manager for the Kelly Brands division.
The brand marketing directors will report to Mike Kitz, vice president, marketing and brand management. Kitz will be 100% devoted to consumer tire marketing, according to Goodyear.
The organizational changes will allow Goodyear to better focus on how it takes its brands to market, says Vogel. The directors are "empowered to focus on brand growth, streamline brand communications and improve the velocity of decisions."
