The Internet mortgage company E-loan has hired the executive credited
Joseph J. who started at Saturn Corp. in 1985 as a core member
Investment partners in Palo Alto, Calif.-based E-loan include Benchmark
Mr. Kennedy spoke to American Banker about his new challenge.
What is the importance of creating a brand name, with Internet companies
KENNEDY: This is a tremendous opportunity for E-loan to build a national
In the Internet world, there are enormous choices, and already, even in
The consumers will migrate to sites they know and trust, and that is
What marketing ideas will you bring to E-loan from your experiences at
KENNEDY: Saturn revolutionized the part of buying a car that people did
At the core of both companies is the vital role of customer service and
Underneath, there is the same critical role of building an enthusiastic
E-loan has done a lot of marketing to date, with a combination both on-
It (E-loan) has used a variety of print, radio, and television, and I
As the company continues to grow, there will be greater funding
Aren't cars and mortgages fundamentally different products to sell?
KENNEDY: The products are completely different, but they share a
They are both high-involvement purchases. It's not like going to the
Also, the magnitude of the financial commitments raises customers'
Saturn's greatest opportunity was to put customers back in control of
You created a warm corporate image of family and teamwork for Saturn. Is
KENNEDY: Friendly and trustworthy are two very important dimensions of