Virgin swaps out marketing execs

I’ve made no secret of my disfavor for Virgin Mobile’s “You Rule” ads. Every time I think they’ve gone away, I see another one, whether on a billboard or on TV. I can’t imagine they were particularly effective. It basically said, “you rule, just like no contracts and no credit checks.” Only it was jumbled with a bunch of non-related crap. Well, the day has come where we might see their demise. Virgin has announced that Chief Marketing Officer Howard Handler will be leaving the company. Please, Howard, take your ads with you. There’s just one snag: They’re promoting from within to fill the position. Bob Stohrer, who has served as Virgin’s vice president of brand and integration marketing, will be the new man in charge. For all we know, he could be the guy who conceptualized that ad campaign. In other Virgin news, the company is, in fact, facing a class action lawsuit in relation to its October IPO. The case alleges “misrepresentations of the market concerning its business, operations, and financial performance, thereby artificially inflating the share price.” Not an issue for you subscribers, but I’d like to see what comes of this one. [CNN Money]]]>