Vauxhall moves Andy Jones to head up OnStar UK launch

Vauxhall marketing operations director Andy Jones, who oversees the car company’s £84m advertising budget, has moved to a new job at sister company OnStar.

Jones is on secondment to head the UK launch of OnStar, the satellite vehicle communications company owned by Vauxhall parent General Motors (GM).

OnStar was launched in the US four years ago, and is referred to as “telematics” – a system that combines navigation, communication, information and entertainment in cars.

Jones’ position at Vauxhall has been dissolved, with Dean Barrett, who was promoted to marketing director earlier this year (MW March 9), taking on full responsibility for marketing. Patrick Dunstar, who has transferred from GM in Eastern Europe, is to become marketing operations manager.

Jones says that when he returns to Vauxhall he will have a new role.

He says: “I don’t have an official title, but I’m likely to be at OnStar for several months rather than weeks.”

Although no UK launch date has been set for OnStar, Jones is in charge of implementing a communications strategy. He declined to comment on ad budgets or whether Vauxhall’s agency, Lowe Lintas, had been briefed.

Jones joined Vauxhall in 1984 and was appointed marketing operations director three years ago. He was responsible for implementing Vauxhall’s umbrella ad strategy, starring Griff Rhys-Jones and Vauxhall’s catchline “Vauxhall. Raising the standard.”