One
of the most common complaints of dual-career couples is that one or
the other has to commute, or even live away from home. Keith and Amy
Manchester don’t have that problem. Asked what’s the best
thing about working at the same place, they both say, true to their
automotive jobs, “Saving on gas.” They also get to talk about
office procedures and marketing strategies, but not always about what
great new products their clients are getting ready to launch.
The
reason? Even though Keith and Amy work in the same building for the
same company, they have the classic Detroit mixed marriage: his client
is Ford Motor Company; hers is General Motors.
The
Manchesters work for Visual Services, Inc., in Bloomfield Hills, a marketing
company that specializes in producing educational and training materials
for a wide range of corporations.
“For
automotive clients, we focus on helping dealers put technical features
such as a stability control system into real-world terms for the customer,”
Keith explains.
Merging
Career Paths
Keith
began working for VSI in 1995, two weeks before he graduated with his
bachelor’s degree in advertising. Through another Ferris advertising
grad, he learned about the specialized area of product information for
the automotive industry. With his interest in cars, he knew that was
just what he wanted to do.
“I
grew up in a Ford family,” Keith says. “My dad just recently
retired from Ford, and I drove Ford vehicles my whole life. So I was
really able to fit into VSI that way.”
After
graduating in May of 1996, Amy spent five months on a job search before
starting at VSI as a creative coordinator. In that position she worked
with all aspects of the company, from the creative to the financial
side of the business.
In her
current position as account executive, Amy travels to the GM Headquarters
in the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit a couple times a week,
attending meetings for new vehicle launches. Her first new vehicle launch
was in 1998 for the ’99 Silverado. While most of the materials
VSI produces are geared toward educating dealers about new vehicle features,
some make their way to consumers as well.
“We
deliver information in a variety of media,” Amy says. “For
example, we had a 30-foot trailer that expanded into classrooms for
dealers. It was also used at consumer events where a 13-minute sneak-peak
video for the Silverado was screened. The trailer was even fitted with
overhead sprinklers, so that when the vehicle went through a puddle
the viewers would get splashed.”
Trade
Secrets?
Right
now Amy’s working on medium-duty trucks, but she’s going to
be doing more work on passenger vehicles, which will cause more conflict
with Keith. Already Keith’s boss, who’s involved with Ford
trucks, asks about information that Amy might have, but can’t divulge.
Some
of the most sensitive topics include new vehicle launch dates and new
vehicle features. The secrecy is one of the down-sides to what Keith
describes as “a dream job” for a car guy.
“It’s
hard not telling people about new things on their way,” Keith says.
“I know some really neat stuff about the 2003 Cobra, but I can’t
tell you.” Keith gets some of his information by driving new cars
long before they’re on the market and by attending the North American
International Auto Show at Detroit’s Cobo Center during press week
that allows him to get up close and personal with concept vehicles before
they’re roped off from the hundreds of thousands of people who
attend the event each year.
Even
auto news that is public can prove a temptation. After the 2001 auto
show, press kits handed out to journalists (some complete with miniature
die-cast models) found their way onto eBay. What might be an ethical
low point for journalism suggests the great interest that exists in
the latest auto news.
“Even
working with your laptop on a plane, you have to be careful,” Amy
adds. “You never know, the guy next to you could be a Ford employee.”
Differences
in job responsibilities temper any rivalry between the two. Keith is
a “mechanic” in the business. As a product information specialist,
it’s his job to make sure that vehicle information is correct in
everything from text to photos to video. In her job overseeing a vehicle
launch, Amy consults an information specialist to get that descriptive
language, the snappy photographs and video to her.
From
Conception
You
might think that this could be a marriage with one foot on the gas and
the other on the brake. Yet Keith and Amy say there are more times they
help each other than times they have to stay quiet about the newest
bells and whistles.
Keith
helps Amy understand things like yaw control and other technical issues.
Even though Amy isn’t a part of any technical team, the information
helps her hold her own in an industry that’s still very male-dominated.
In turn, Amy helps Keith to be more organized and think like the account
executives who use his information.
“Being
in the same business allows you to understand each other’s problems,”
Amy says. “Some couples have no idea what their partner goes through
during the day.”
Of course,
there are always new models that offer new challenges. In September
2001, Keith got the opportunity to drive the 2003 Crown Victoria. In
addition to handling, fuel consumption and zero-to-60 performance, Keith
was thinking about another aspect he never thought much about before—how
it would look with a baby seat.
Ashton
Logan Manchester arrived on Sept. 17 at 6:29 a.m.
The
Manchester production team reports that its newest model hit the showroom
with an overall length of 21 inches and “curb weight” of 9
pounds and eight ounces.
“The
sporty Ashton Logan has a drool exhaust system and also comes equipped
with two spoilers, the Manchester and Popovich families,” according
to a birth announcement entitled “Introducing the Ashton Logan.”
“Truly
one-of-a-kind, the Ashton Logan is ready to face the world and take
on any challenges the future holds.” So when “Manchester Motors”
boasts, “This baby really screams!” be assured, it’s
more than just clever PR. It’s the real thing.
