Chapman named chief marketing officer for CarLotz
Consignment-to-retail used vehicle marketplace CarLotz has appointed Michael Chapman as chief marketing officer, noting that he brings more than 20 years of experience as a marketer and strategic planner.
Chapman’s appointment comes after CarLotz’s October announcement it would become a public company via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Acamar Partners Acquisition Corp. The merger is subject to closing conditions.
Chapman will report to CarLotz chief executive officer and co-founder Michael Bor, who described Chapman as a brand builder with strong ambition and a history of marketing success.
“He is exactly what we need at this time, and I couldn’t be happier to welcome him as our new CMO, to strengthen our position as a disruptor and industry leader,” Bor said in a news release.
Bor continued, “I am confident that with Michael leading our corporate and hub-level marketing initiatives, we will be able to effectively communicate our unique and differentiated value proposition to execute on our growth initiatives and deliver against our long-term strategic goals.”
Chapman most recently served as chief growth officer of The Martin Agency, based in Richmond, Va. Adweek recently named The Martin Agency as U.S. Agency of the Year.
Chapman has worked for categories and brands including UPS, Walmart, DoorDash, Intel, Heinz and Oreo.
“I have spent my professional life helping inject brands into the cultural conversation and driving growth,” Chapman said. “Creativity is essential in transforming businesses. I can’t wait to use everything I’ve learned over the years to help supercharge this next phase of growth for CarLotz.”
With The Martin Agency, Chapman oversaw brand strategy across all of Martin’s clients. He also served as lead architect of The Martin Agency’s own brand identity. That company promoted him in 2017 from chief strategy officer to chief growth officer.
As chief growth officer for Martin, he helped oversee a turnaround in how the agency approached and won new business. The agency previously showed a win rate of less than 20% in 2017, but it improved to a win rate that was the highest in agency history, more than 90%. Martin as a result has shown a 30% increase in new and organic revenue growth, and that has taken place during a year in which most of the industry has contracted.
“CarLotz is an exceptional company with a compelling and unique business model that will change the way consumers and businesses think of the used car market,” Chapman said. “The company’s mission to create the world’s greatest vehicle buying and selling experience is inspiring, and I’m thrilled to work with Michael and the outstanding CarLotz team.”
Before his time with Martin, Chapman was senior planner for McCann. At that company, he led global strategy for UPS, and CarLotz says Chapman helped establish UPS’s positioning as a top shipping and logistics company in China.
Regarding the merger, CarLotz and Acamar Partners Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced in October they agreed to a definitive business combination through which the used-car consignment and trademarked “Retail Remarketing” platform would become publicly traded.