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decline in the sales of – mainly – diesel
vehicles. The knock-on effect of this is that when
going out to tender for agencies, it’s the classic
‘more-for-less’ pitches that win. What does an
automotive client expect from an agency, in both
the pitch stage and during the event partnership,
I ask Hambley.
“It is no secret that the automotive industry
has, and is, going through major change. Car
manufacturers need to become more efficient,”
he says. “For many they have been losing money
for years. That approach wasn’t sustainable; it
had to change.
“At the same time, car marques have had to
invest in new technology in order to adapt to the
changing needs of consumers and society at
large. There is an equivalent of a gold rush in the
world of automotive. And just around the corner
is a whole new way of owning or using a car with
the onset of personal mobility. This consolidation
and drive for efficiency has a direct effect on the
resources and budgets of manufacturers. And all
their suppliers need to align and adapt to this
new world order.
“This has consequently changed what
automotive clients want from an agency. They
still want the ‘wow factor’. They still think big and
they still want glamorous events and locations,
but at a lower, more efficient cost.”
Hambley goes on to suggest that to deliver on
this, agencies need to become more efficient
themselves, and drive as much value as possible
for the client. He says: “If you are not aligned to
this then you are not aligned to the needs of your
client. We have managed to achieve this by
consolidating a broad skillset of conference
production, dealer marketing and incentive
travel, into one offering.
“Not only does this deliver value but it also
Sector Focus
Pictured: Vauxhall
dealer conference
delivers the quality and brand
consistency that is driven by the
changing needs of the different
audiences that automotive clients
are engaging with.
“It’s been a relatively slow sector
to change but it is now, and rapidly.
Agencies need to be quick to
change with it.”
Strata, which launched in 2018
after the merger of Crown of
Communique, has strong pedigree in
this sector. Hambley tells me about
an example of one his agency’s
events. “We ran three dealer
conferences for Peugeot, Citroen and
Vauxhall in January 2019,” he says.
“They were large-scale events with
different audiences, presenters and
products. It required three very
Pictured: Citroen
dealer conference
www.conference-news.co.uk
It’s been a relatively
slow sector to change
but it is now, and
rapidly. Agencies
need to be quick to
change with it.
different brand experiences.
However, because we work with all
three brands we could see that there
was an opportunity to deliver a
consistent standard of experience for
all brands and reduce costs. These
costs could therefore be invested in
other activity.
“Our solution was to create one
infrastructure that could deliver three
distinctly different experiences with
savings on venue, lighting, sound, AV
and labour costs. All three events
were run back-to-back over the
course of a week with one day for
turnaround and rehearsal.
“Anyone can create a great event
with a bottomless budget. The
challenge is to do it with a relatively
modest budget. Agencies need to
find new ways of being creative. Not
just in the execution but also in the
planning.”
The conclusion, then, is that as the
automotive industry moves at pace
to improve vehicle efficiency, it needs
the events industry to buck up its
ideas and follow suit.