• by Tanya Gazdik , December 29, 2023

Readers are very interested in the coming and goings of CMOs, as evidenced by the most popular automotive stories of 2023.

General Motors hiring CVS Health’s Norm De Greve as its new CMO in July was the no.1 automotive story of the year. 

De Greve, 54, takes over as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, replacing Deborah Wahl. The story of Wahl leaving the automaker also made the top 10, coming in at no.5.

Wahl’s claim to fame was the crafting of the phrase “EVerybody In” to hype the brand’s electric vehicle offerings. 

Another GM-related personnel story also was among the most read. Former Cadillac executive Melody Lee  being named Mercedes-Benz CMO came in at no.6.  Lee served two executive roles at Cadillac, including global brand director of Book by Cadillac and director of brand marketing, during her six-year tenure.

Campaign stores were also popular this year, especially those having to do with influencers. 

There have been several stories this year having to do with Lexus and its focus on golf. One about the luxury brand signing two young golfers as brand ambassadors got a lot of reads, coming in as the no.3. most-read automotive story of the year.

Lincoln continued its relationship with tennis icon and businesswoman Serena Williams. The brand took the unusual tactic of breaking a campaign for its new Navigator SUV on Williams’ Instagram account, which in August was followed by 16.9 million people. That story came in at no.4.

Chevrolet enlisted celebrity journalist Kara Swisher to tout its Chevrolet Bolt, which she actually drives “in real life” via a campaign in April, which came in at no.8. The automaker announced not long after that the vehicle brand was being discontinued, but later announced it would be revived with a new vehicle and new battery in 2025. 

The timing of another campaign was also interesting. Ford celebrated the American worker in an effort just as a strike by the United Auto Workers was looming. The story was the no.2 most-read automotive story of the year.

A story about a campaign from luxury Korean nameplate Genesis was the no.7 most-read story. The creative effort aimed to introduce consumers to the design elements of its SUVs.  Each ad shows the vehicle’s features through a variety of pinpointed, dynamic shots.

Toyota made headlines in November when it announced it was taking on the title of the official automotive partner of the NFL, the no.9 most-read story. The brand took a clever approach to announcing the partnership on its social media via a 30-second video from AOR Saatchi & Saatchi. 

Finally, an article about a drop in automotive TV spending in May according to iSpot.tv. came in as the no.10 most-read automotive story. The ispot.tv data is a monthly automotive story fixture, but the dip in May garnered more reads than of the other months.