Four media planners and one automotive marketer discuss their magazine media strategies

With the transition to electric vehicles underway, the pressure is on for carmakers. In the UK, brands must ensure that at least 22% of all new cars sold in 2024 are zero emission, a figure which has to rise to 100% by 2030. 

But according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the tough economic climate has led to a record low in demand for new cars. Combined with rising fuel costs and prolonged supply-chain shortages, amplified by Brexit and the pandemic, it’s a challenging time for motors’ marketers.

Respected reviews have a significant impact, according to a Sophus3 study, commissioned by four leading publishers earlier in 2024, into how quality content impacts the auto purchase journey. 

Publishers receive more visits, more organic traffic and greater engagement than manufacturers’ own sites. 

Moreover, a third of people looking to buy, only visit trusted automotive publisher sites before heading straight to the dealerships.

This was the result of the UK’s biggest user journey study based on observed digital behaviour – not on surveys.

Rob James, brand communications manager at Hyundai Motor UK, highlights that reaching new audiences who haven’t yet considered an EV is one of the biggest challenges for the industry. 

“Targeting this pool of people is crucial, but they may not yet realise that they are in-market for an EV,” he adds. “Not only do we need to find them, but we also need to approach them with a proposition that makes us and the product relevant to their needs.”

Becky Broe, head of media and ad tech at Hyundai’s lead agency Innocean UK, says that increased competition with multiple new entrants coming into the market has led to automotive brands upping their media spend to maintain their share of voice.

“A lot of focus within our media planning is on brand building and awareness, but cost efficient and quality leads are also a big part,” she says.

Imogen McNab, planning account manager at Spark Foundry, is seeing a shift in the way consumers buy vehicles, with people putting more effort into researching and reading reviews before picking.

She adds: “Not to mention how ChatGPT is changing Search – marketers need to start thinking about how and where they appear in ChatGPT rankings for specific search terms when people ask AI for advice.”

How magazine media can help

Mark Linnett, client business director, digital, at Manning Gottlieb OMD says that it’s difficult to stand out in the automotive market, even more so because most ads are generic, showing a car driving through beautiful scenery. 

“Specialist magazine media and bespoke activations help us get over the generic hill and create more specific, distinctive and relevant means of communication,” he says. “It allows us to reach and engage with users in a totally different way.”

Meanwhile, Broe points to the importance of digital magazine media as a trackable and measurable format helping brands show the “true effect of the high dwell and informative type of media that it is”.

She adds that magazine platforms also enable brands to “execute both brand building and lead generation, connecting awareness and high impact to lower funnel and more action based media, but within the same tonality, readership and trusted manner”. 

James says that multimedia channel magazine platforms help marketers find new audiences while offering up their propositions in a way that is relevant. 

“Dynamic content marketing is a great way of offering the right model and the right creative to the right customer,” he adds. “If we’re targeting young families, we can present them with KONA Electric creative showcasing its practicality; if we’re targeting a sporty young couple, we can serve them performance-based IONIQ 5 N creative.”

For Daniela Solari, planning manager at Dentsu’s iProspect, magazine media is key for luxury audiences. 

“We know publishing environments offer us trust, something that few other media channels, such as social or even AV, have to the same extent,” she says. “Using premium print formats and high impact display has allowed us to achieve scale through multiple touchpoints, while activating in more niche titles that index highly against our niche audience.”

Automotive-specific tactics

Automotive is different to other means of retail, with an often prolonged purchase journey and consumers who are only in the market once every few years. That means marketers have to operate in different ways to other sectors.

“We need to make sure we’re hitting users at various different stages and moments, albeit with the right message and narrative,” Linnett says.

He adds that bringing PR and magazine media partnerships together to produce content has worked, and that having good relationships with publishers is particularly important when relying on editorial and specialist opinion.

“Because of these strong relationships, we’re able to be considered for new pilots and test opportunities that we otherwise wouldn’t be considered for or get access to.”

McNab further notes that the vast range and variety of products within automotive specialist media opens up for more creative or partnership-based opportunities. 

“One tactic when it comes to promoting this sector is the opportunity to drive buzz and conversation around a brand,” she says. “For example, using an Autos publisher to highlight in detail the product spec or functions alongside creating blogs with real life reviews from a sector expert.”

Successful campaigns

Solari recalls a campaign that iProspect launched within luxury lifestyle and corporate titles across print and digital earlier this year.

“We included editorial formats for authenticity. Consumers now perceive luxury as less of what you have and more who you are,” she explains. “This was part of a wider campaign that also included events and social-media activity, and as a result our client saw an impact on on-site behaviours such as newsletter sign-ups and test drive requests.”

Broe says that some of Hyundai’s most successful campaigns have come from creative and media working together to achieve consistency across all touchpoints.

She adds that interacting with multi-platform magazine media publishers, helps tell the brand’s story and increase engagement. “Specialist media activations have increased our creativity by using more innovative formats, creating an increased cut through and attention.” 

Similarly, Linnett explains that MG OMD worked with a number of different automotive titles recently on a launch campaign for the Renault Scenic E-Tech 100% Electric. In addition to a partnership with magazine media lifestyle titles including Good Housekeeping, the campaign also included partnering with automotive aggregator sites to create hubs on their platforms, custom and targeted mailers and native ads aimed at users actively researching cars.

“By not applying the standard route to advertising such as targeted display banners and hoping for the best, we were able to drastically improve our ROI,” he says.

Hyundai’s magazine media strategy

James says that the carmaker’s strategy and media mix depends on the campaign objective.

“Specialist digital magazine media will give trackable, directly attributable results and allow specific targeting,” he notes, and adds that in the case of a wider brand awareness campaign, a “cohesive cross-channel campaign with multiple customer touchpoints is crucial in achieving widespread buzz”.

According to James, Hyundai considers every part of the customer journey, from when someone enters at the top of the funnel, through the consideration phase, to what they experience when walking through their retailer’s door.

Thanks to in-platform lead generation forms, customers can complete test drive requests without leaving the platform they’re on.

“Customers don’t want to be interrupted and taken away from what they are doing, so this new method of data capture is a game-changer,” James says. “The customer gets a more positive, less time-consuming, and less intrusive experience – a quick, simple form completed with minimal disruption, followed up by confirmation from their nearest Hyundai retailer.”

To see more motors case studies such as Peugeot from Bauer, Audi from Immediate, Seat with Time Out and more, visit our case study section.

This feature originally appeared in Campaign.

Nicola Bates, Chief Commercial Officer, Bauer, shares insight from their latest motors research study into how magazine brands can influence motors purchasing decisions. Read here.