My Best Marketing Tips #13: Hyundai Motor Europe / Andreas Hofmann / Vice President, Marketing & Product
Andreas is a “car maniac” and a veteran in the industry, having marketed cars for 32 years mostly in the premium sector before moving to Hyundai three and a half years ago. In his work, he’s trying to figure out how to best attract European consumers to his brand, while also trying to develop “the best car for the world.”
Working in the car industry, Andreas has to balance an ever-growing appeal for digital customer journeys with the physical element that is so crucial to buying a car. He is also constantly seeking to create new and innovative products related to the mainstream car industry, but maybe not always “sticking to his cars.”
What would be your best marketing tip?
Back when I worked at Mercedes and Smart, the founder of Swatch watches told me: “You have to be fast and first to market.”
This stayed with me because it can already be the first unique selling point of a product: being the first to offer it. It’s what’s great about the car industry of today: we can be looking at new and exciting developments, from electric cars to flying taxis.
How have you put this marketing tip to good use?
Working at Hyundai, we want to become leaders in future mobility so we are innovating, sometimes beyond what you might think is a good idea. Some people might say we should “stick to our cars” but we’re looking at so many different avenues. When you do this, you can’t just use a classic car as a starting point. You need to be first and different.
I always think you have to go through trial and error and constantly explore new fields. That’s the basis of what I do.
What marketing tips does the industry need most right now?
You have to get experience with the product before deciding to buy. This is essential in the car industry.
At the moment, we’re having to find ways to strike a balance between digital and physical experiences for our customers. We all thought digitalisation was going to lead to more online purchases. When the pandemic hit, having an end-to-end online customer journey seemed like a great idea.
However, customers are still preferring a physical purchase in a showroom for their car. This is because, ultimately, the number 1 reason to buy a car is design, and design is 100% an emotional perception.
So, the question is, how do you strike that balance between physical and digital? Do you use more augmented and virtual reality? That’s not available to everyone just yet, so the physical component continues to be very important. We haven’t found the golden nugget yet, but that’s the challenge!
What is the marketing tip you give most often?
I think it’s important to explore, look for new fields and ideas, and stick to your guns if you want to innovate. I would say that, if you’re convinced by your idea, just follow it and don’t let others interfere. Of course, you can hear and digest their feedback, but follow your “golden nugget.”
Explore and just go for it.
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