NASCAR is promoting Dr. Michael Lynch to VP, green innovation. The elevation of his role from managing director to VP is meant to further NASCAR's efforts to grow the sport's green platform. As he has done over the past five years at NASCAR, Lynch will champion the adoption and implementation of sustainability practices across the sport, per the organization. Lynch joined NASCAR in 2008, shortly after NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France announced the sport would work to reduce its environmental impact. After joining the company, Lynch launched the NASCAR Green sustainability program.

Toyota has made new appointments in its North American corporate communications group in line with the company's recently announced "total market" strategy, called Total Toyota or T2. The corporate communications function will now place an increased emphasis on establishing deeper relationships with influential Hispanic and African American communities in North America.

Dealertrack Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dealer.com, which provides marketing and operations software and services for the automotive industry.

The guy who helmed "The Italian Job" is behind a pair of cinematic TV spots for Nissan Rogue, via the Los Angeles office of TBWA\Chiat\Day. The spot, set to Sete's "Y.A.L.A.", uses the director's action-movie stylistics for a Walter Mitty-esque (no relation to the movie, which Jeep is involved in) theme. A man drives a carpooling group, which goes rogue, so to speak, as he takes off full bore, jumping a ramp onto a commuter chain among other things and gets to work early.

Chris Perry, who came to Chevrolet from Hyundai Motor America in 2010, has resigned according to GM. Perry followed his cohort Joel Ewanick, who had been VP marketing at Hyundai and became GM's controversial CMO, and was let go last July.

Toyota is creating a unified diversity market and media structure to address the fact that with a couple of decades Spanish-first demographics and those that identify as non-white will grow faster than any other.

Irving Siegel, who helped developed what is today known as databased marketing and analytical marketing, died on Dec. 17 in Miami. In 1962, Siegel created Getting To Know You International (GTKY), a direct mail marketing company which he built from a one-man operation into the largest nationwide new homeowner marketing company. With many large clients, including numerous Fortune 500 companies, GTKY had nearly 1,000 employees when it was acquired in 1995 by a NYSE-traded company.

Marketing technology firm Sailthru on Tuesday announced receiving $20 million in a third-round funding led by Scale Venture Partners. That brings the New York-based company’s total raised to date to $48 million. With the latest investment, Sailthru said it plans to expand its sales, engineering and marketing staff to accelerate growth in 2014. The company most recently extended its platform for personalizing content and marketing messages to mobile devices. Its core technology allows clients such as The Huffington Post, Khan Academy and Acumen Brands to send behaviorally targeted email newsletters, as well as offer tailored Web site content, …