Following a significant shift to online and self-direction, much power in the automotive marketing industry has moved to the customer. How can auto marketers, then, create an unforgettable customer experience and ultimately boost conversions? Research suggests that the key may lie within the unconscious mind.

In this session, Dan Monheit from Hardhat will bring to life foundational research utilising ‘behavioural biases’, covering the way customers value, choose and remember the experiences they've had. With real-world examples and actionable key takeaways, discover ways for auto marketing professionals to resonate with customers psychologically and create evidence-informed strategy.

Australia’s automotive landscape is littered with the bleached bones of failed brands. This is the world’s most crowded auto market, where dozens of brands, many barely viable, battle to win the hearts and garages of the nation's drivers.

Not since 2007 has a European brand successfully launched and lasted in this competitive environment. So why did CUPRA, a Spanish brand just four years old, pick Australia as the starting point of its Asia Pacific expansion?

Join Volkswagen Group Australia's Ben Wilks as he explains how he tackled the challenge of launching this new competitor against established brands. Find out the key to holding your own and making inroads when the odds are against you, and learn what 'the spirit of distance' means when it comes to navigating the path ahead.

Authenticity allows brands to build relationships that attract and retain high value customers. To understand the importance of authenticity in auto, you only need to consider what happens when it’s missing.

CarExpert will explore key issues across this topic, including brand values, independent advocacy, audience engagement, the role of content, and customer retention.

The session includes a research-based presentation from Gavin Merwood of Brand Metrics, and a discussion panel of industry thought leaders.

Following a two-year transition process, the Ampol brand relaunched in market and returned to Australian bowsers. Not seen since 1995, the heritage brand name nonetheless maintained an emotional connection throughout its absence, with Ampol partnered with Saatchi & Saatchi over 16 months to spread the word across media channels, partners and sponsorships.

In this session, Ampol chief brand officer Jenny O’Regan, Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Anthony Gregorio and chief strategy officer Iona MacGregor discuss the journey of returning to the past in order to build towards the future. Find out how to navigate a path through what can be considered a “grudge purchase” for those that were once familiar with a brand and for those that have never heard of it, and discover the importance of developing and maintaining your communications strategy when transitioning from one brand identity to another.

Research from TBWA found that the one downside car owners felt when engaging with mechanics and service technicians was having to deal with their infamously poor customer service.

Following Kmart Tyre & Auto Service rebranding to mycar in 2019, the business set out a vision to become the team of auto experts famous for customer care.

mycar has since delivered year-on-year growth, opened new locations across Australia and launched new products and services to deliver a product that continues to put people first.

In this session, Cynthia Fernandez and Jason Westerman will discuss the end-to-end transformation of mycar from the inside-out. Discover the steps to developing a multi-year CX strategy that works, and learn how leading with your customer can help pave the way for your brand.

Rising fuel prices, the switch to working from home and environmental considerations are at the forefront of the consumer consciousness, making the battle for auto brands to attract the Gen Z cohort all the more challenging. So how can marketers engage those customers ahead of their first vehicle purchase?   

Working with MG, JOY’s Katie Chandler will share her learnings on how and why the auto brand is connecting with Gen Z, and discuss the biggest opportunities afforded by this lucrative and influential audience. 

Discover the strategies of leveraging upcoming consumer trends, creating content that excites, and delivering through platforms and formats that engage, in order to create unshakeable automotive desire in the hearts and wallets of tomorrow’s drivers. 

In July this year, Australian Capital Territory has become the first state to announce an end to the sale of petrol cars by 2035, as it commits to the Zero Emission Vehicle strategy. While Australia is taking a serious look at EV as a part of its net-zero future, issues including EV prices, availability and infrastructure are making the rest of the country hesitant to follow ACT’s lead. 

In this talk, Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari will lead a panel discussion with speakers including Laurissa Mirabelli and Doug McNamee as they get down to the real business of EV’s and examine where they stand within the Australian automotive industry. Government incentives to move towards EV’s, a lack of infrastructure and misconceptions around EV technology amongst consumers are some of the barriers facing the industry that our panelists will unpack as we head towards a more sustainable future for the automotive industry in Australia.   

For OEM’s and their dealer networks, local area marketing plays an increasingly crucial role. Dealers need to have the strategic marketing in place in order to win the local battle for business. Without a clear marketing strategy and an actionable plan across awareness, consideration and conversion activities, dealerships will not be ‘market ready’ to win the hearts and minds of local customers. 

Managing partner at The Station Agency, Adrian Richards, has been working with OEM’s and dealers for the last 10 years and has unique insights into the challenges OEM’s and dealers face, and how to overcome them. Adrian will highlight the strategic pillars that dealers need to have in place to win against the competition.

A growing number of Australian consumers are now more open to making their next auto purchase entirely online, sight unseen. This doesn’t just happen in isolation; it’s the result of pre-established brand loyalty and trust.

Those qualities strengthen the prospect of future purchases. After all, if a vehicle owner is loyal to a specific brand, it becomes more difficult for another brand to woo them away when it’s time to buy a new vehicle.

Automotive manufacturers and dealerships alike are recognising the impact of this new purchasing landscape, and the representation of brand has never been more critical. And in an era where community building events and activations are expensive and social audiences are only ever owned by the platform giants themselves, the pathway towards fostering direct consumer advocacy could lie in technology.

In this session Michelle Schuberg will present case studies to explore the options and opportunities available to build brand communities and strengthen brand relationships. From creating bespoke VR activations to exploring the fringes of the metaverse, discover how an immersive approach to the purchase journey can give everyone the best seat in the house.