4 Technologies That Will Impact Automotive Marketers

Connected cars provide marketers with massive amounts of relevant data about their target market's habits, preferences, and desires. In theory, this information would quickly and easily translate into irresistible marketing messages that could ultimately drive sales past the record-setting numbers of 2016.

Using technology to establish and maintain a personal connection between the driver and the brand is one of the most powerful ways marketers can use this data.

Smartphone apps connect drivers to a brand

Audi is an early adopter of smartphone apps that create a connection between drivers, their smartphones, and the brand. With Audi's MMI Connect apps drivers can access roadside assistance to get information about the nearest service station. They can send destination details from their smartphone directly to their car's navigation system and even locate their car with the touch of a button.

This technology takes the driving experience outside of the vehicle, deepening the relationship between the consumer and the brand.

Drivers are more likely to switch brands for better connectivity options than ever before, according to a McKinsey survey spanning three countries. They are also more willing to pay for subscription-based connected services inside their vehicle.

The connected experience enhances drivers' emotional connection to their vehicles

For decades, the most effective marketing campaigns used the personal connection a driver feels with their car to get the attention of their target demographic. Drivers consider their vehicle an expression of their personal taste, a status symbol that demonstrates their social standing, and an extension of their personality.

As technology evolves, drivers expect a new and deeper relationship with their vehicle that extends past the actual driving experience. The technological advancements that keep a driver connected to their car must also support their emotional connection to their specific vehicle and the brand.

Technology allows automotive marketers to access a demographic new to the automotive revenue pool

Technological advancements like e-hailing and car sharing that make vehicle ownership optional open lines of communication between marketers and a demographic of consumers that don't believe they need or want to own a car.

10% of Millennial Uber users in the United States either don't plan to buy a car or have given up their vehicle. For this demographic, traditional automotive marketing tactics will continue to fall flat.

Reaching this demographic is possible by facilitating the creation of an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand. It's up to the dealerships to help their employees tell the brand's story in a way that allows consumers to connect beyond pricing and specs.

70% of dealers think that the training they get from manufacturers is relevant, including skill building in digital marketing and social media management. While those skills are important, it's also crucial for dealerships to offer customers an opportunity to connect with the brand.

The revenue pool increases as it diversifies to include on-demand mobility. This presents marketing professionals with a unique opportunity to connect with a new demographic and capture revenue that was previously impossible to access.

A recent McKinsey study estimates that between now and 2030, technological advances in the areas of shared mobility, feature upgrades, and connectivity services will diversify and increase the automotive revenue pool by 30%.

Experiential marketing and live marketing has the potential to capture consumer attention while increasing the industry's ability to present high-quality solutions to technology-hungry drivers.

Technology sells cars

It may be easier than ever for marketers to lure loyal consumers away from competing brands by highlighting factors that differentiate their technology. Drivers want connectivity that offers both driving-related functionality like parking locators and connected navigation and non-driving related features like music streaming and access to email.

Customer retention could be the make-it-or-break-it factor in brand sales moving forward. As non-traditional companies like Uber, Tesla, and Lyft enter the world of automotive marketing, auto brands must work harder than ever to keep the attention of their previously-loyal drivers.

The research firm IHS estimates that autonomous vehicle sales will hit 21 million before 2035. Consumers are focused on emerging technologies, and they want to see exactly how their brand of choice participates in the changing landscape of mobility.

A big part of the customer journey from driver-controlled cars to autonomous vehicles is safety. Features like weather-predicting technology that alerts drivers to the presence of black ice require cooperation between automakers and companies like AccuWeather.

Nearly every major automaker is developing self-driving car technology that uses computer vision, radar, and GPS to provide driver-assist features that make time spent on the road safer and less stressful. Ford, Volkswagen, and General Motors gain media attention as they forge relationships with tech giants to develop partnerships that facilitate driverless vehicle creation. Toyota and Microsoft are working together to develop robotics and self-driving technology with an AI element.

For consumers that want to own a car, their concept of connected driving also includes real-time diagnostics, the ability to control and locate the vehicle from anywhere, service appointment scheduling via a smartphone app, real-time traffic alerts and reports, driving history reports, and even on-demand connection to live assistance while driving. The future holds many more stepping stones toward completely driverless technology.

It's now possible for marketers to make drivers feel taken care of by their vehicle in ways that extend beyond advanced safety features, comfort, and image. Brands can protect their customers' time with traffic jam assistance, for example.

The most effective way to get marketing messages across to a growing demographic of fragmented and non-traditional consumers is to show them solutions to their mobility needs that extend beyond the shape and speed of a vehicle.