at Mazda. “We’re constantly concerned with usability,
speed, functionality and information, and it’s with a
concentrated effort that we focus on a balance of all
those elements. We strive to make sure things are right
where they should be for consumers online.”
Mazda offers online visitors a baseline set of experi-
ences, including comparison-shopping tools, the ability
to request a quote and the option to compare in a third-
party independent manner, according to Harris. Key
DR elements of the site include creative tools such as
interactive videos of showrooms and visuals of what it’s
like to drive on various roads in Mazda vehicles.
Harris touts Mazda’s ability to integrate its online activity
well as its biggest success in digital marketing. The auto manufacturer is focused on building a foundation in various channels
and strengthening its DR efforts on social sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, Flickr and You Tube. Consumers are responding in great
numbers, Harris says.
“Our Facebook fans are a great group, and they’re great brand
enthusiasts. They’re excited about the product, and we’ve done
a good job of getting them to talk amongst themselves,” he says.
“The level of conversation is outstanding, and the quality is out-
standing as well.”
As the online experience for consumers continues to increas-
ingly revolve around videos, images, music and games, Mazda is
making a conscious effort to target those communication tools
on the Internet, Harris says. Flickr especially has been a great
opportunity for Mazda to provide information to customers in
a visually appealing manner, and give them the opportunity to
Forbes magazine recently ranked BMW’s Graffiti Car Contest — a
Facebook art competition as part of the 1 Series Coupe initiative
where users submitted their own drawings of BMW cars — as one of
the “Best Ever Social Media Campaigns.”
share their own passion for the brand.
“You get a feel for the passion our customers have through
the artists that take pictures of their Mazdas,” Harris says.
“They’re celebrating and romanticizing the car right there — we
want consumers to have and use that outlet.”
Balancing Facts with Functionality
Most auto manufacturers agree that their No. 1 priority — as
well as challenge — in the digital space is balancing rich con-
Utilizing Web sites outside of its own traditional site, such as
Flickr.com, has given Mazda the ability to provide consumers with
information on vehicles in a visually appealing manner, and allow
customers to share their passion for the Mazda brand through their
personal photographs and images of their own cars.
tent with functionality to meet consumers’ expectations. Auto
manufacturers’ Web sites should perform just as efficiently as the
cars themselves do, McKenna of BMW says.
“We have a lot of rich content and our challenge is to use
technology to keep the speed of the site up without sacrificing
information,” he says. “You need a balance between the speed
and the richness behind the content. We have a lot of stories to
tell, so the speed element is really essential to making sure it’s
still a good consumer experience.”
While improving technology has its perks, marketers need
to make sure they are staying up-to-date if they want to succeed
in the digital space. As long as the consumer is pursuing a new
online experience, so should the auto marketer, says Schoonover
of Kia.
“That’s the craziness of digital marketing: it seems like every
year or month there is a new communication platform. So we
have to make sure that wherever the customer goes, we’re there,
whether it’s in mobile, social media or a shopping site. We try
and be everywhere a customer might be looking for us,” he says.
“The challenge lies with technologies being mashed up. That
has to change to your marketing strategy, as well.”
For the auto industry, reinforcing the consumer’s purchase
decisions has always been another challenge key to successful
business. It was that mentality that led Buick GMC to expand
its digital presence beyond its own site and onto www.moment
oftruth.com, a one-stop source for customers to browse anything
that has been said or written about the brand.
“We think the car is that good, that the buzz on the car is
that good,” says Craig Bierley, director of Buick GMC advertis-
ing sales and promotion. “We think there’s a real value in hav-
ing that kind of transparency, and that’s something the digital
sector can provide.”
Bierley says that the more automakers embrace DR styles of
marketing to engage customers, the more successful they will be
online.
“Carmakers in general are like a really bad dinner guest when
it comes to media space, always talking only about themselves,”
