On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East’s On The Record podcast, Wassim Derbi, the National Head of Marketing and Communications at Hyundai UAE and Genesis UAE, and the author of Retail Marketing Management, makes the case for automotive marketers to keep the total cost of ownership top of mind, and how the 5Cs of customisation, convenience, communication, care and consistency are critical to customer retention and loyaly.
In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Derbi also delves into data-driven strategies, advanced audience segmentation, allocation of budgets within the media and marketing mix, the impact of content creators and media influencers, as well as marketing strategies that should take precedence in the months and years ahead.
Referring to the five crucial elements of customer experience, Derbi says, “Any customer today wants the following. First, they want customisation: we have to constantly personalise communication with our customers. Second, every customer today wants convenience; all these innovative tools that we see in the market today are all trying to win customers through convenience. Truth be told, we all want the end-to-end service.”
Derbi adds, “Next comes communication. We want brands – and the people working with them – to communicate with us effectively, to follow up with us, to give us regular updates proactively on order or related issues. Care, is equally important – because don’t we all love to feel important and valued. But most importantly, stay consistent. We might have a great, memorable handover experience, but that memorable experience needs to remain through the customer journey.”
Derbi goes on to explain why the total cost of ownership plays a critical role in building brand loyalty within automotive marketing.
“Total cost of ownership for any customer today goes beyond the price of the car to include the cost services, fuel, insurance rates, maintenance and more. All of this goes through the mind of the customer when he walks into a car dealership. So, it’s far beyond just the initial price of the car,” Derbi adds.
For more such insights from a very intriguing conversation, watch the full video above.
CREDITS:
Guest: Wassim Derbi, the National Head of Marketing and Communications at Hyundai UAE and Genesis UAE, and the author of Retail Marketing Management
Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East
Videography: Mark Mathew, Creative Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
Studio and production: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group
Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
