60 Seconds on redefining marketing for an award-winning start-up – how challenges have led to productive change in the world of Polestar, with Louise Hardman, Head of Marketing & Events UK
Welcome to our latest “60 Seconds with Ennis & Co” series, bringing quick-fire interviews with selected senior leaders from the automotive and mobility industry on a regular basis.
This month looks to the future of automotive talent as we speak to Louise Hardman, Head of Marketing & Events UK, Polestar as she discussed how recent challenges had led to productive change in this start-up organisation.
During such a time where adaptability is key, and as a leader yourself, how flexible is your team in your view?
Working at a company like Polestar, which harnesses a start-up mentality and fast-moving, agile spirit, you need to be more adaptable than usual. It’s about dealing with constant change, coupled with creative problem-solving and seeking innovative solutions. Since joining the business back in 2019 when we were establishing the operational set up, we’ve expanded as a team and when onboarding new members of the Polestar family, I look for passion, drive and new ideas to bring to the table.
As a marketing and events team, we’ve responded incredibly well within challenging times. It’s about coming together as one team, looking at things with a positive and creative mindset and using our passion and drive to achieve outstanding things.
Can you tell us briefly how COVID-19 has impacted the way you launch products?
Launching a new premium brand in a small but fast-growing segment always involves challenges, alongside exciting opportunities. In the case of Polestar, the brand priority was increasing awareness and providing opportunities for people to experience the brand and car in person.
Whilst COVID-19 intensified this challenge it also put a spotlight on climate change with an increased demand for electric cars and more pressure to provide digital retail solutions. Polestar was in a fortunate position that it launched with a fully online sales model and had a blank canvas to enable us to fundamentally change the approach to car retail and come with fresh perspectives.
We identified suitable event locations and partners across the UK, creating temporary pop-up solutions and hubs, reviewing the customer experience journey, and designing safe environments for customers and staff with stringent health and safety measures in place. It was about putting the customer at the heart removing any anxiety around test driving cars during COVID-19 and creating a relaxed, informative, and fun environment for people to experience our brand. The feedback was incredibly positive with a high demand for our test drives and a lot of what was put in place over COVID-19 is being adopted for the future.
How has this changed your ways of working?
A focus on more creative thinking, innovative solutions and new thinking is key. It was about having the confidence to test new ideas, take risks and drive change. During COVID-19 we turned around a number of new initiatives and campaigns. With a number of advertisers pulling back on marketing spend, we decided to do the opposite. Leveraging media opportunities focusing on in-home advertising with a new TV campaign, Film4 sponsorship with presence every night for a whole year and an amplification across digital/ social channels. This was at a time when as a start-up brand we could benefit from record viewership levels and AV deflation to strengthen brand awareness. On top of this, we collaborated with like-minded partners launching the UK’s first electric drive-in cinema event with Fully Charged, involving test drives during the day and exclusive competitions and VIP experiences for customers and fans.
At Polestar, we want to drive positive change and reimagine the experience in a non-traditional way. This is one of the many reasons I thoroughly enjoy working for Polestar and I’m excited to see what the future holds.
Ennis & Co
Ennis & Co have provided leading marketeers for many organisations over the past 11 years. We know just how important this area is during such a transformational time – and especially at a time where we need to communicate now, more than ever, the importance of a sustainable future.
To find out more about how Ennis & Co can help source the best senior talent for your organisations, please contact hello@ennisco.com
