Mazda Canada CMO – Don RomanoPosted on: November 2, 2010 by admin On Monday October 25th, 2010, SleekandGreen had the opportunity to meet and greet with Don Romano, the newly appointed CMO of Mazda of North America.Romano, a Pepperdine MBA and native of southern California has been president of Mazda Canada CMO position since April of 2006 and has held various roles within the organization working on brand development, business planning and global integration. Romano urged industry CEOs and CFOs to see marketing as an investment rather than expense, as their can be no bottom line growth without top-line demand. “Marketing is telling a story” he continued – Romano emphasized that creating a true brand identity that you stick with for the long haul is one of the best ways to give your product/service meaning and keep demand strong. Mazda’s have always been known for being sporty, and this was emphasized even more greatly over the last 10 years through the Zoom-Zoom campaign highlighting the dynamic nature of Mazda’s most desirable products including the Mazda 3, legendary Mazda RX8, and their highly tuned Mazdaspeed 6.  Romano was realistic about the challenges of today’s automotive market in North America, but stated that many Mazda loyalists are the ones keeping the brand afloat right now – repeat buyers and those with whom the zoom-zoom image resonates with the most. It’s better to conquer 50% of a smaller segment, than 2% of a more generic larger segement Romano stated, and that smaller segment is the very one that has come back again and again to purchase Mazda products. From a creative perspective, one of Mazda Canada's greatest successes was their 2009 “33 Keys” marketing campaign (video above) done through the Doner agency. An intricate scavenger hunt nestled in a theme of good vs. evil, the campaign challenged young Quebecois to find 33 geo-cached car keys that with a few select keys able to unlock a new Mazda vehicle. The campaign was an instant success, and delivered sales results 500% over projections. Now that’s a marketing metric anyone would be happy with. Courtesy of sleekandgreen.comHave A Great Story you want to share?Do you have a great story about the Mazda experience? Share it! Return from Mazda Canada CMO to Mazda Canada
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