Dialogue release new Automotive Brand Communities Report

The concept of an automotive community is nothing new – many automotive brands have long nurtured membership clubs. However, with the advent of automotive content marketing and social media, these have often been absorbed into a generic marketing mix.

Yet, the need for a very clear sense of community is vital in the evolving automotive marketing landscape. Changing consumer needs, the shifting algorithms of Google and Facebook as well as the disrupted marketing mix mean customer acquisition is increasingly complex

As a result, equal attention needs to be focused on retention – and ensuring customers stay customers. An automotive community is a very real solution.

The key to success in 2020 and onwards has to be how well the brand articulates the core values that resonate with audiences – nowhere is this better articulated than with a brand community. Brand communities are different organisms to social media audiences and provide a vital role in powering marketing insight, developing brand ambassadors and nurturing word-of-mouth alike.

Hence the background to our new brand communities report which looks at the current state of play around brand communities and focuses on the need for an automotive community in particular.

In this report, we look at… 
– what actions members take as a direct result of being part of a community
– how consumers like to be incentivised versus the incentives actually on offer from brands
– who marketers feel should be in charge of communities
– the role of a brand community and what platforms work best
– the barriers to building a community and tips for a successful one
– which audience segments are most engaged with communities

We also shine a light on the brands achieving and benefiting from a real sense of community including our client Harley-Davidson, long-praised for its work in this space.

This report is vital reading if you’re…
– interested in developing retention strategies or developing your marketing further
– need guidance on setting up a brand community
– questioning the effectiveness and efficiencies of social media campaigning