Jack Pitney BMW president

Jack Pitney BMW president

BMW's vice president of North American marketing, Jack Pitney, died Thursday in an accident at age 47. Jack Pitney was the first general manager of BMW's Mini division in the United States, starting in 2001. Automotive News said Pitney was seen by many "industry insiders" as a potential future chief of BMW North America.

Jack Pitney, BMW's North American vice president of marketing was killed today in a tragic accident while vacationing on his farm. Pitney was tipped to become VP of BMW's eastern region on September 1.

BMW executive Jack Pitney, considered one of the company’s rising stars, has been killed in a freak accident on his farm outside New York City.

A tractor the BMW executive was driving flipped while Pitney was trying to remove a tree stump, according to a police report.

Just 47, Pitney was given much of the credit for helping the German maker craft the successful U.S. launch of the Mini brand. It was a challenge Pitney relished, recalls Marty Bernstein, a former advertising industry executive and marketing columnist for TheDetroitBureau.com.

“Pitney was probably the best corporate thinker in the business,” said Bernstein, following word of the BMW executive’s death. “Sad news,” texted Kerri Martin, a former Mini marketing executive, who worked closely with Pitney on the Mini launch.

After wrapping up his assignment with Mini, in 2005, Pitney was given the plumb job of marketing chief for BMW North America. Yet despite BMW’s strong position in the U.S. market, Pitney refused to coast. He experimented with alternative marketing strategies and explored new media.

He also ruffled feathers – most recently by launching the controversial “Joy” campaign, which many BMW loyalists felt diminished the brand’s long-running marketing tagline, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

Critics saw vindication when BMW announced Pitney was to be reassigned to a regional job, an unusual move for someone in a senior corporate position.