Are we turning into marketing machines? How do we prevent this… and how is the world of marketing evolving as we know it? We caught up with Matt Wrigley, Group Marketing and Innovations Director at Jardine Motors Group, to gauge his thoughts from an automotive perspective…
Roles and skillset have changed rapidly within the industry – and marketing is high on this list. What’s happening from your perspective?
Within automotive, and specifically retail, marketing departments have evolved from the traditional awareness, interest, desire and action aspects to become the repository of integration and innovation. Traditional activities still play a part, however, there’s now the added complexity of multiple channels, systems, consumer engagement and digital prowess to name but a few- then coupled with the increasing blurred lines not just between manufacturers and retailers but the ever-growing list of disruptors too.
How is this affecting the marketing function as a whole?
As humans, we’re so time poor because we’re so efficient. Our technology has made us this way. If you imagine what used to be the “traditional” marketing funnel, it was a lot simpler 20 years ago – because you had less channels and clearer lines of engagement. Now we have ultra-efficiency, whether that’s creating widgets on your phone to automate tasks, or using simply using voice to power and control appliances or access data. All of this results in limited attention spans as consumers and greater expectations as users. The challenge is, you need to somehow understand the synergies, translate for stakeholders and consumers and bring all of that together without being a complete machine, keeping the human element at the heart of everything. So, in the marketing world, that’s where those skill sets need to exist – you need to have an abundance of emotional intelligence, whilst also being able to understand the nuance of what your data is telling you (or not telling you).
What’s the best way to close potential skills gaps in this area?
There are two approaches – the obvious one is recruit to replace those gaps either from within industry (however usually as these roles are new within our market place it’s likely to come from out of industry). However, this alone is always expensive. Our approach is to blend this with recruiting raw talent and providing them with a defined training plan and recognised qualifications. The apprentice levy is a great way to not only educate but also develop and provide a defined and timed programme. However, you must appreciate that there will be an element of attrition either from an individual’s desire to progress quickly or being poached externally. That aside, I believe if you invest in someone then regardless of their time with you, you will get 100% support and commitment as well as different ideas and ways of thinking. I think within automotive we all have a collective responsibility to drive this as it is one of the most interesting and exciting industries to work in.
