5 Experiential Automotive Marketing Thought Leaders To Follow

A great experiential marketing campaign is the newest gold standard in automotive marketing. Increasing brand awareness and creating an emotional connection with hard-to-reach demographics is a tall order for professionals in this field. These five automotive marketing thought leaders and innovators in the experiential space are worth watching, both for inspiration and to remain aware of the newest innovations and successes in the world of automotive marketing.

Each of these five people have helped the automotive industry move past antiquated marketing tactics and are experts at increasing the ROI of their brand or event's efforts to reach consumers with their message.

1. Lefteris Tsironis, Director of Experiential Marketing and Communications, LA Auto Show

Lefteris Tsironis is the mastermind behind the coordination of business development efforts and product launches at the LA Auto Show. He leads the program development for this epic auto show's conceive/drive marketing campaigns.

With over 1,000 automobiles on the floor during the public portion of the LA Auto Show, and 5,000 journalists, 20,000 industry professionals, and hundreds of thousands of consumers in attendance, this event is one of the most influential in the world.

This show was the first to bring the worlds of technology and automotive together in a non-traditional experience. As the leader of experiential marketing at a 10-day auto show located in an area of the U.S. known for innovation in the automobile industry, Leftis Tsironis is making a huge impact on auto brands and consumers from all over the world.

Connect with Lefteris Tsironis on LinkedIn

2. Greg Kitzens, General Manager, Lexus Marketing

Lexus, a brand known for bringing the luxury driving experience to the masses, bridged the gap between regular folks and the elite of New York Fashion Week with their Set in Motion photo shoot.

Inspired by the Lexus LC 500, guests entered the promotional installation to get hair and make-up done by Stylisted. They received a light snack and a takeaway gift before heading into a photo shoot where they were the center of attention. After their session, guests picked their favorite photo to share on social media.

Greg Kitzens notes that making a high-level event like New York Fashion Week accessible to the public inside an unforgettable and shareable experience was an important move for the Lexus brand.

Connect with Greg Kitzens on LinkedIn

3. Michael Curmi, Brand Experience Director of Marketing at Jaguar Land Rover North America

Michael Curmi understands that traditional marketing doesn't have the magic that high-level customer engagement offers when creating loyalty to a brand. He notes that the experiential marketing campaigns initiated by Jaguar Land Rover offer the opportunity for open dialogue with consumers.

This intimate connection creates an environment where people are more likely to share branded experiences with their social networks. For example, a recent PR campaign by Jaguar included a high-speed chase VR experience where the stunt driver was actually the consumer. This kind of creative thinking and high-level experiential marketing is exactly what drives brand loyalty.

Connect with Michael Curmi on LinkedIn

4. Arne Hull, Marketing Change Agent Driving Brand Engagement & Advocacy, Chrysler/FCA

Arne Hull is the force behind experiential marketing at Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep. The Camp Jeep track featured at auto shows has exposed over half a million drivers and potential Jeep owners to the brand by giving them a firsthand experience with riding through a challenging terrain-filled course.

Professional drivers are behind the wheel, and riders witness Jeep's superior traction and hill-climbing ability in the outdoor course with 35-degree, 18-foot-high hills. Camp Jeep appeared at five auto shows in North America during the spring of 2017.

He has fully integrated social media efforts and public relations to amplify each campaign's effectiveness. You can find Arne Hull on Twitter.

Connect with Arne Hull on LinkedIn

5. Jim OBrill, Director of Marketing, The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA), and producer of the Chicago Auto Show.

Previously a senior account manager at a leading experiential marketing agency in the Midwest, Jim OBrill joined The Chicago Automobile Trade Association as their Director of Marketing in the fall of 2017.

With a history of working on experiential marketing campaigns for big-name brands such as Marvel Universe LIVE, Kraft, Starbucks and Target, OBrill has much to offer the auto industry.

He's already created a relationship between The Chicago Auto Show and Cars.com. The partnership between CATA and Cars.com focuses on creating customer engagement all over the one million square foot showroom floor.

The 2018 Chicago Auto Show, under Jim OBrill's watchful eye, features three indoor test tracks and seven ride-and-drive outdoor displays for the ultimate in attendee engagement.

Connect with Jim OBrill on LinkedIn

Following these five automotive experiential marketing experts opens a whole new world of creativity for anyone in this ground-breaking field.

Technology is changing the face of auto shows and consumers are dedicating a great deal of their time in the sales funnel to online research. Experiential marketing is a way to cut through the noise and make an immediate and lasting impression on a hard-to-reach consumer base searching for more than just the features and benefits of an automotive product.