I was wondering if this youtube "disturbance in the force" was going to be felt here.
From his days at Norm's, I didn't care for Mark's shtick of playing vintage guitars while wearing a jacket covered in zippers. That said, he seemed to be successful at pushing guitars at Norm's. From the video of Mark's personal collection, it is evident Mark is a huge fan of Gibson.
Agreeing to be a public face for an organization is risky pact. Mark is now a corporate shill, dancing to Gibson's tune. If Mark's hand was forced to deliver a script, he could have walked. That said, Mark just took this job and relocated his family a few months ago. I wouldn't put it past Gibson to incite vengeance upon folks that leave under "less than amicable" terms.
However this went down, Mark's marketability took a hit here and Gibson is still laughable. Gibson's current CEO, James Curleigh, used to push overpriced Levi's. It seems Gibson's current direction is to sell image over substance.