MAN Marketing Welcomes Former Toyota Group Vice President Steven Sturm as Executive Auto Advisor
At MAN Marketing, we believe that the strongest partnerships—and the most transformational results—come from pairing deep automotive expertise with innovative marketing strategy. Today, we are proud to announce a major milestone in that mission.
Steven Sturm, former Group Vice President of Corporate Communications, Strategic Planning & Research at Toyota Motor North America, has joined MAN Marketing as Executive Auto Advisor.
Read the full press release here
Sturm’s appointment represents a significant inflection point in MAN Marketing’s growth as an employee-owned, full-service automotive marketing agency. With more than 35 years of leadership experience spanning OEM strategy, dealer performance, media, and digital transformation, Steve brings rare industry depth that will benefit both our clients and the broader automotive community.
A Legacy of Impact: Who Is Steven Sturm?
Steven Sturm is widely recognized as one of the automotive industry’s most respected marketing strategists. His career includes more than three decades of innovation and leadership across:
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Toyota Motor North America – where he oversaw national brand strategy, corporate communications, strategic planning, research, integrated marketing, and retail effectiveness
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Landmark product launches, including one of the most successful luxury brand introductions in history: the debut of Lexus
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Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) – as Executive Auto Advisor, guiding national media strategy
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AOL – serving as Auto Category Development Officer
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Informa Advanstar – as Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Throughout his career, Steve has helped transform how OEMs and dealers communicate, compete, and grow. His expertise bridges the worlds of automotive retail, marketing modernization, and customer experience—making him uniquely equipped to help dealers navigate today’s rapidly evolving market.
What Steve Brings to MAN Marketing
With nearly four decades of experience impacting some of the most influential automotive brands, Steve’s role at MAN Marketing will focus on:
1. Strengthening Dealer Performance
Steve has spent his career helping retailers succeed in both stable and volatile markets. His insight into operational excellence, customer experience, and long-term strategy will support our clients as they adapt to new retail challenges.
2. Enhancing OEM-Level Thinking for Local Dealerships
Few agencies can provide dealers with guidance informed by OEM decision-making. Steve’s experience launching Lexus and shaping Toyota’s national brand strategy will provide a unique competitive advantage for MAN Marketing’s clients.
3. Guiding Strategic Planning & Research
His expertise in data analysis, consumer research, and strategic planning aligns directly with MAN Marketing’s performance-driven philosophy.
4. Accelerating MAN Marketing’s Growth Trajectory
As an employee-owned agency with 45+ years of history, we are constantly evolving to better support the dealers we serve. Steve’s leadership will help guide our next chapter of innovation and expansion.
A Shared Vision for the Future of Automotive Marketing
President of MAN Marketing, Kurt Schneider, emphasized the importance of Steve’s appointment:
“Steve’s vast OEM and retail expertise gives our clients a competitive edge few agencies can offer. His insight into how manufacturers and dealers succeed at scale will directly benefit our clients’ growth and performance in a challenging automotive market.”
Sturm echoed this forward-looking perspective:
“MAN Marketing is built for today’s rapidly changing retail landscape, and I’m excited to help dealers grow smarter and faster.”
Both leaders share a commitment to helping dealerships thrive amid accelerating technological change, rising customer expectations, and increasing competition.
Why This Matters for Dealerships
The automotive retail landscape is undergoing one of the fastest transformations in decades—driven by digital shopping behaviors, technology adoption, and shifting consumer expectations. Dealers need partners who understand:
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How OEMs think
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How media and messaging influence buying behavior
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How to build long-term customer relationships
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How to modernize operations and marketing efficiently
Steve’s arrival strengthens MAN Marketing’s ability to deliver exactly that.
With his advisory leadership, dealerships can expect:
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More strategic guidance
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Stronger integrated marketing campaigns
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Deeper insights into market behavior
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Improved alignment between OEM strategy and digital retailing
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A partner committed to fueling profitable growth
About Steven Sturm
Steven Sturm is a veteran automotive and media executive with more than three decades of leadership across Toyota Motor North America, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), AOL, and Informa Advanstar. His expertise spans brand strategy, retail effectiveness, media planning, and digital transformation.
About MAN Marketing
MAN Marketing is a full-service, employee-owned automotive marketing agency headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. With more than 45 years of experience delivering performance-driven marketing solutions to dealerships nationwide, MAN Marketing specializes in helping dealers maximize sales growth through data-driven strategy, creative excellence, and integrated media execution.
Looking Ahead
Steve’s addition to the MAN Marketing team reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class strategy and measurable results for our dealership partners.
We look forward to unlocking new levels of growth, innovation, and service excellence—together.
