Fast-track on Auto Marketing: A Recap

Marketing as a car brand has never been easy, but it is more challenging with changing consumer behaviors. What do car-buyers prefer now? How many of them conduct their research online and enter showrooms with their minds made up? Or are buyers shifting entirely online to make their purchases? Should auto brands target offline and online buyers together or separately? And what messaging will attract each audience? These are only a few of many questions auto-marketers must ask themselves.

To answer these questions and more, Quora partnered with Talkwalker and Grant Thornton to host “Fast-track on Auto Marketing: Insights, Trends, and Conversations.” Moderated by Gurmit Singh, Quora’s APAC General Manager, the webinar hosted an expert panel of industry leaders who discussed decision making and marketing trends in India’s automotive industry.

The discussion brought insight into discerning trends in the industry, plus the panelists’ predictions of what is to come. Social listening, in particular, was a specified need as consumers become more vocal in today’s digital world. Harish Lalchandani from Mahindra shares, “Data collected from social platforms are fed to respective teams with the company to be analyzed and addressed. Social platforms can shift perceptions about a company significantly. Therefore, listening [to customer reviews, pain points, and product queries] is important.”

The relationship between online research and offline purchases was an additional talking point amongst the panelists. Many consumers rely on the internet for research and decision making. However, they still prefer in-person purchases. The offline car buying experience is often associated with showrooms and dealerships, but auto brands have successfully introduced experiential marketing at physical locations. Saket Mehra from Grant Thornton points out the allure to these experiences. “The idea of customer experience centers is completely different from dealerships, which brings synergies from the OEM and customer standpoints and tangible and intangible benefits attached to it.”

While these are just a few highlights from the webinar, there is more to discuss when it comes to car buyers’ changing preferences in India. Quora and Talkwalker partnered with Grant Thornton’s industry experts to co-author the “Car buying landscape: The road ahead.” From auto enthusiasts to online customers, the report explores additional trends, including the shift to electric vehicles (EVs). Readers can also learn:

• How Indian auto-consumer preferences evolved in recent years,
• How digital channels are shaping vehicle purchasing decisions, and
• Which key trends and predictions to watch.

Automotive marketers can leverage these learnings for planning and strategizing. Download the full report to access curated industry insights, or watch the webinar to hear from our expert panelists.