Ford’s Matt VanDyke leaving company, named president of digital marketing vendor

Matt VanDyke, a longtime Ford Motor Co. promoting govt who last year became CEO of the company’s FordDirect joint venture with sellers, is leaving the automaker to become president of Shift Electronic, a electronic promoting seller.

VanDyke will suppose the new position June 28.

“Customer purchasing behavior are dramatically shifting as more people today embrace the digital shopping for expertise, and it is essential that automakers and sellers produce an outstanding consumer encounter at the brand name level and dealers’ unique websites,” VanDyke mentioned in a assertion. “The prospect to join Shift Digital permits me to grow my understanding and effect much more manufacturers and vendors as the business goes by means of this electronic evolution.”

Shift Digital explained it is in the midst of expanding its automotive consumers and introducing new kinds in the powersports, significant products and hospitality industries. It has extra than 600 employees with five places of work in North America.

Dean Stoneley, now Ford’s common manager of North America vehicles, will thrive VanDyke as CEO of FordDirect, the corporation said in a launch.

In an emailed statement, Suzy Deering, Ford’s CMO, thanked VanDyke for his contributions to the automaker.

“A passionate marketer, Matt led Marketing and advertising in the U.S. and Europe, and served as the World Director of Lincoln,” she mentioned. “He introduced that deep awareness to FordDirect and was instrumental in modernizing the electronic promoting practical experience considering that he joined the workforce in 2021.

“We are fired up that Dean Stoneley – who brings deep practical experience with Ford and Lincoln – will be primary FordDirect for the duration of an amazing time of transformation. We are supporting our sellers for a digitally-connected ecosystem and FordDirect will perform an essential role in creating that changeover and moving our dealers forward into the long term.”

VanDyke invested 14 decades at Ford in a wide variety of marketing roles. From 2018 to 2021, he was the firm’s director of internet marketing, in demand of major Ford’s built-in communications, electronic buyer expertise, brand alliances, profits administration and retail go-to-market tactics.

In the latest several years, he served guide the promoting approach around the start of the redesigned F-150 and new Bronco SUV, and led the company’s “Crafted for America” and “Built to Lend a Hand” advert campaigns.

Since early 2021 he has served as CEO of FordDirect, a joint venture between the firm and its retail community tasked with encouraging dealers sell far more vehicles with data-based mostly marketing and promotion.