By Kelly MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer of General Motors Middle East 

Kelly MacDonald, Chief Marketing Officer, GM Africa and Middle East

It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact on the automotive industry, however, amid the challenges, we have been presented with the opportunity to reassess our marketing efforts to truly drive brand purpose in these unprecedented times.

Our key objective, as marketers, is to create desire, excitement and drive product demand. Yet, when faced with the global pandemic, this immediately stopped being our priority. Instead, we pivoted to reflect the environment and current realities and were laser focused on how we could best support our customers and communities through our marketing initiatives. 

Pre-pandemic, we encouraged consumers to hit the roads but we reversed our marketing focus to encouraging people to stay home, stay safe, in line with government guidelines. Utilising our GMC and Chevrolet digital platforms, our content solely explored ways to keep entertained whilst on lockdown and practical tips on how to keep vehicles in top condition whilst stationary. 

Giving back to our communities is and has always been a priority for us. Across General Motors, we rolled out extended warranty and roadside assistance on all our vehicles, to alleviate any additional stress on our customers’ minds, allowing them to focus on staying safe at home. 

It will come as no surprise that with customers spending time at home, we have seen a huge spike on online shopping, however this is an area that automotive retail has lagged in. Traditionally, the goal of automotive marketing has been to drive traffic to dealerships, however, COVID-19 has rapidly accelerated customer adoption of using e-commerce to buy new cars.

In fact, we know the very start of the new-car-journey, begins online with research indicating that people in the market for a new vehicle will spend 59% of their time online conducting research. 71% of people research car prices while 64% compare different models by watching YouTube videos, reading reviews and checking out dealer websites.

In 2017, Chevrolet was the first manufacturer in the region to bridge the gap between research and online purchasing, with the launch of Shop.Click.Drive., the first regional automotive e-commerce platform, allowing customers to browse and purchase a vehicle outright at the push of a button.

More recently, we launched Shop.Click.Drive. for GMC and upgraded the Chevrolet offering through a partnership with Emirates NBD to integrate end-to-end financing options on both websites, providing a seamless digital experience for all. This has already proven successful, with multiple purchases from Shop.Click.Drive on GMC and Chevrolet. This is a trend we anticipate will continue, even once all movement restrictions are lifted and we must evolve in response to consumer demand.

We entered 2020 with a strong line-up across GMC and Chevrolet portfolio, with all-new nameplates such as the Chevrolet Captiva. The appetite for these vehicles was already high in the region so finding a successful way for our customers to still shop with our brands was an important milestone for us. E-commerce tools have been instrumental in bridging this gap for consumers between researching their new vehicle and purchasing it with the touch of a button, all from the comfort of their own home.

COVID-19 has forever changed how we interact with customers. Long gone are the days of traditional marketing methods of selling cars. Over the past few months, all our marketing initiatives were 100% digital and we will continue to explore tools and methods that reach our customers effectively, while keeping them at the heart of everything we do.

The reality is, vehicle ownership has evolved and will continue to do so. Today, customers are seeing their vehicle as more than a convenient way to travel from A to B, instead they are being perceived as a family companion and a completely secure way to travel around while remaining isolated and protected. As an automotive marketer, our job is to lean into this trend and continue to create content that resonates with our customers, looking at the safety and comfort of their personal vehicle, during these uncertain times.