Jumpstart Automotive Group

At a time when fear is driving most leadership decisions across the nation, and especially so in automotive, greed can be a very good trait. Specifically, greed fueling investment and growth in a market where there is absolutely zero ambiguity that it will be rebound stronger and better than we have ever seen. Timing is, of course, the big question.

I am proud to be part of a management team that decided to invest and grow the automotive sector in a very ambitious way. Last week, Jumpstart Automotive Group and the corporate parent, Hachette Filipacchi Media US decided to assemble all of its automotive assets into a single group and organization. The resulting organization will be named the Jumpstart Automotive Group, and will contain the consumer brands of Car and Driver and Road & Track, and the marketing services company, Jumpstart Automotive Group.

Why is this significant?

A media company that has been very reliant on print revenue had the audacity to invest in their brands and believe that the equation of high quality content + strong brands + bright minds will yield better results than selling in the face of a punishing market. And that type of vision is a rare and should be championed.

So maybe the appropriate movie quote is not Gordon Gekko, but Warren Buffett — “We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful”.