Spartan Profiles: Marianna Fey

BEYOND PRECISION

            Buick remains a prestige brand in automobiles, endorsed by perhaps the greatest superstar in sports, Tiger Woods.  Last fall, the job of managing that brand has gone to an advertising executive with 24 years of experience who was recently named among Automotive News’ “100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry.”  Marianne Fey, MBA ’99, executive vice president and group managing director of Birmingham-based McCann-Erickson, now heads all Buick accounts. 

            Under her direction, the advertising agency launched a new campaign with the slogan “Beyond Precision,” meant to capture the attention to detail that Buick engineers have put into the new flagship line of sedans called Lucerne.  “The campaign has been received very well,” says Fey.  “Sales have met or exceeded all our expectations.  But this is a spectacular car that has received hundreds of rave reviews from the critics and is loved by dealers.  Positioned properly, built the right way, people will come.  We’re very excited.” 

            Originally from St. Clair Shores, Marianne was president of the Detroit branch of The Competitive Edge, a full service $60 million advertising firm that was sold to McCann Erickson.  She has won a host of honors and awards.  She lauds MSU’s executive management MBA program in Troy.  “It was a great experience,” she says.  “But it was really tough. I now have a young daughter at home.  I’m not sure I could have ever finished it had I had her then.” 

            She says she encountered a lot of good professors, in particular Mike Moch, “who was incredible, passionate, all about the real world.”  Marianne believes that Tiger Woods is the perfect spokesperson for Buick.  “He personifies our brand,” she notes.  “His golf game, like our cars, is beyond precision.”