BMW said the death of its North American marketing boss Jack Pitney yesterday was the result of a tractor accident.

According to the sheriff's department in Greene County, N.Y., Pitney was using his tractor to pull a tree stump out of the ground while on vacation at his farm in Durham, N.Y. He died of injuries sustained when the tractor flipped with him on board. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by a wife and five children.

Pitney is probably best known for his work with BMW's Mini brand a decade ago. He is credited with leading the fight -- and it was a fight -- to bring Mini's to the U.S. when the popular wisdom inside the auto industry was that there was no market here for a premium small car. He used the Internet, edgy billboards and the-unconventional methods to promote the brand in a way that has since become de rigueur for auto marketers. BMW North America president Jim O'Donnell called Pitney "a true creative soul."

Mini's success powered Pitney's career, but so did a rare sense of connection with the company's customers and potential customers. With Mini he helped develop a sense of community among Mini owners. He used a similar strategy in helping to develop BMW's current "Joy" advertising campaign aimed in part at recapturing a warmer, more fun-loving image BMW had in the U.S. during the 1970s.