The value chain in this industry is key: its operation must be harmonious and precise. Sustainability and technological innovations to reduce environmental impact are central to this sector. Therefore, an adequate strategy and effective internal communication planning are essential for automotive companies.
Strength and global positioning
According to Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands, despite the scarcity of specific direct inputs, the automotive industry showed a remarkable recovery at a global level.
The study indicates that the category grew by more than 34% in brand value. The ten most valuable automotive brands totaled US$230,386 million in 2022. Hence, automakers are in third place among the most valuable categories, behind Technology (+46%) and Luxury (+45%).
It is a strong industry, with very powerful brands whose products are often objects of desire and very advanced development of communication, mainly aimed at marketing.
Impacting the entire value chain
Undoubtedly, the strength of automotive companies, beyond the financial and brand value, lies in their people. Internal communication within this industry presents some particular challenges since it encompasses direct collaborators and the entire value chain.
To establish a diagnosis, Oxean suggests mapping out the entire value chain to align strategy and initiatives with each profile.
Thinking of all audiences
In the automotive industry, characterized by cutting-edge and innovative industrial production, we find different internal audiences that should blend within the organizational culture of each company. Among them, we find:
- Finance, marketing, sales, communication, legal, and public affairs professionals.
- Highly specialized technical personnel and industrial plant operation personnel.
- Dealerships’ network.
Having such a diverse internal public, having a diagnosis that includes the characteristics of each sub-audience, knowing which communication channels penetrate better, and the points of presence throughout the country or region will allow us to understand the opportunities for improvement to establish a strategy and a plan accordingly.
One-on-one interviews, focus groups, and surveys are usually the most commonly used diagnostic tools.
Talking to people
As happened in most industries, the pandemic accelerated part of their digital transformation, making it possible to broaden the scope of communication channels.
The strength and reliability that brands project outwardly through marketing need to have their correlate inside the company. That’s why internal communication has become a strategic business pillar.
One of the challenges in the face of such a heterogeneous public is that each person feels informed but also listened to and contained and that it promotes quality conversations, enhancing trust and commitment to the achievement of organizational objectives.
The value of sustainability
The automotive industry is one of those at the center of the conversation regarding the environment and ecology.
The technological changes that come hand in hand with electric or hybrid vehicles have already had a massive impact on the entire value chain, production, marketing, and professional teams in all areas.
A future in which the energy and environmental sustainability commitment comes first will undoubtedly bring many more changes.
Autonomous vehicles guided by intelligent systems, transformations in the design of city transportation systems, or the blossoming of alternative energies to further reduce environmental impact are some points that have been on the automotive industry’s agenda for some time now.
All these central issues represent permanent challenges for the internal communication of automotive companies.
Employer branding at a steady pace
Global brands with top-level positioning require internal communication in line with their hierarchy.
For us, the internal public is always the first customer. As it usually happens when internal communication focuses on the strategic axes, it deepens the employees’ sense of belonging, generating engagement and a positive vision towards the company.
All this translates into an enriching experience that positively impacts the employer brand. The automotive industry needs employer branding to generate visibility and attract students of technical careers and specialized professionals in all areas.
