Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit – Aug 9 Sydney
Mumbrella’s Automotive Marketing Summit returns with Mercedes-Benz Vans, BMW and MTA Queensland
Autonomous vehicles will take centre stage when MTA Queensland’s group CEO, Dr Brett Dale DBA, explains where Australia and the rest of the world is currently at with autonomous vehicles and how this could shape automotive marketing in the future.
In an interview with The Conversation, Dr Dale stated, “Sale models will change and consumers are less likely to be the owners of vehicles if supporting technology affords the convenience of on-demand transportation. Collision avoidance technology is already reducing demand for vehicle body repair, as is the transition of combustion engines to electric vehicles impacting mechanical repair businesses.”
Brett’s keynote will cover ‘Driving into the Future: Marketing Autonomous Vehicles.’ He will discuss that trust is a vital part of the brand / consumer relationship. When it comes to autonomous vehicles, that trust is currently lacking. Headlines in the media around the first road fatality involving an autonomous vehicle has made the trust harder to come by.
Brett said, “We are on the edge of one of the fastest, most consequential disruptions of transportation in history. There are predictions that by 2030, 95% of US car miles travelled will be served by on-demand autonomous electric vehicles owned by fleets, not individuals, and this alone will determine the need for a reinvention of industry.
“Education and awareness is key to the successful rollout of autonomous vehicles and AI. Consumers need to be assured that this is an evolving technology that is already prevalent to some degree, and that complete autonomy is only the refinement of existing applications in vehicles.
“So how will it roll out in Australia and what should brands and marketers be doing to get on top of it?”
Major automotive manufacturers Mercedes-Benz Vans and BMW are some of the first brands confirmed to take part in this year’s Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit.
Katherine Gracey, marketing manager for Mercedes-Benz Vans ANZ, will join Sarah Green, head of media relations from Character and Nick Cummins, creative partner at The Royals, to discuss how the manufacturer used strategies more often associated with consumer brands for its van and ute campaigns.
The work included involvement from Mick Fanning, Henry Rollins and Megan Morton and used a combination of creative ideas, social media, brand ambassadorships and cut-through content.
BMW Australia’s head of CRM, Daniel Tobin, will also speak at the summit alongside founder and CEO of New Republique, Nima Yassini. The pair will discuss the lessons learnt from an experience-led conversion rate optimisation (CRO) strategy at BMW Australia and what this means for other automotive brands looking for an increase in qualified leads and sales.
The luxury German marque has added a number of different vehicles to its lineup lately, including the all-new X2, targeting a variety of new consumers that goes far beyond what the typical BMW demographic was in the past. Yassini and Tobin will explain how the brand has not only stayed relevant via digital channels but has also attracted increased sales.
The Mumbrella Automotive Marketing Summit will take place on August 9 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. Earlybird tickets are on sale now (until 27 June) and submissions for session ideas are also open via the website’s Get Involved section.
1 Jun 2018
