Geoffrey Frost, the executive VP and chief marketing officer at Motorola, Inc. and a key force in revitalizing the company’s image, died suddenly Nov. 17 at his home in Lake Bluff, IL. He was 56.
The company said he died of natural causes; however, some news reports said Frost had a massive heart attack.
George Neill, corporate VP-marketing, was named interim marketing chief.
“This is a very sad day for all of us,” said Motorola Chairman-CEO Ed Zander in a statement. “Geoffrey was an innovative and charismatic leader, and Motorolans around the world came to rely on him as both a trusted colleague and a friend. Motorola and the marketing community have lost a creative genius.”
Frost joined Motorola in 1999 and was instrumental in defining Motorola’s brand mission including developing the edgy “Hello Moto” ad slogan. He was also a key force in marketing the company’s new slim cell phone, the Razr. Frost drove a hard-charging agenda focused on design and innovation. His legacy is a reinvigorated global brand— brand that has rediscovered its roots and become cool again, the company said. He had been promoted to executive VP last week, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Frost was recently named one of the marketers of the year for 2005 by Brand Week and Ad Age.
Before joining Motorola, Frost worked for Nike as the global director of advertising and brand communications.
He is survived by his wife, Linnie. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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