I started in automotive before I was old enough to drive. At 13, I worked as a weekend receptionist at my dad’s BMW dealership. At the time, I probably did not realise how much I was learning. I was just in the environment, answering phones, seeing customers come in, watching salespeople work, listening to conversations and absorbing the rhythm of dealership life.
Looking back, that was my first real education in automotive marketing, because before you can market cars properly, you need to understand people; you need to understand what excites them, what worries them, what confuses them and what eventually makes them take action. A car is a big decision. Whether someone is buying, leasing or financing, there is always emotion sitting alongside the numbers.
That is what makes this industry so interesting.
From showrooms to ecommerce
My first proper role in the industry was as a service receptionist after leaving school. I then moved into dealer marketing with BMW and MINI in Norwich.
Automotive marketing looked very different then; I used to help put together adverts for the local newspaper and the printed AutoTrader magazine, complete with used car listings. The website was nowhere near what we expect today. You were lucky if you could see the car properly online. I remember websites where you could only upload five images, and even those had to be such low resolution and quality.
There were no online payments in the way we understand them now. There was no slick ecommerce journey. No instant comparison culture. No social media content machine. The dealership was primarily the starting point in the customers journey.
And Saturdays were busy! When I was selling cars in 2010, every Saturday felt non-stop. During the week, there was usually a steady flow of customers too. People came in, looked around, asked questions, collected brochures and made decisions in a much more physical way.
Now, everything has changed. You can choose, finance, lease or buy a car from your sofa, sometimes without speaking to anyone until the vehicle arrives at your door. Footfall into physical dealerships has reduced massively, and the digital experience is often the first, second and third showroom.
That shift has changed the whole job of automotive marketing.
The website is the showroom now
One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that your website is not just a brochure. It is your showroom, your salesperson, your reception desk, your stock display, your finance conversation and your first impression all at once.
That is especially true in the leasing industry; people want clarity, they want price, specification, availability, trust, reviews, process and reassurance. They want to understand what they are committing to. They want everything to feel easy, but they also need to feel safe.
At Rivervale, one of the things I am most proud of is the work around the website and rebrand. Moving into leasing pushed me into an even more dynamic area of the motor industry. It is fast, competitive and very digital. You have to be commercially sharp, but also creative. That is the balance I enjoy.
Automotive marketing is not just about cars
People often assume automotive marketing is just about making cars look desirable; of course, that is part of it. Good imagery matters. Video matters. Brand matters. Offers matter.
But the real work goes much deeper:
- You are marketing trust.
- You are simplifying complexity.
- You are helping people make decisions.
- You are turning technical details into something useful.
- You are making finance, leasing, electric vehicles and ownership feel less intimidating.
That last point has become even more important with EVs. Electric cars changed the conversation. Suddenly, marketers had to explain range, charging, efficiency, battery sizes, home charging, public charging, salary sacrifice and whole-life costs. It was not enough to say a car looked good and had a strong monthly price. People needed education. They still do.
That is one of the things I enjoy most. Taking something that could feel complicated and making it clear, useful and human.
Getting in front of the camera changed me
For a long time, I was much more comfortable behind the scenes.
Strategy, websites, campaigns, email, content, creative, planning. That all felt natural. Getting in front of the camera to present car reviews was different. I didn't even like having my photo taken, so filming car reviews pushed me right out of my comfort zone. At first, it felt awkward. I was very aware of how I looked, how I sounded and whether people would actually take me seriously. But over time, it gave me confidence.
My health and wellness journey helped with that too. As I started feeling better in myself, being visible became easier. Presenting cars stopped feeling like something terrifying and started feeling like another way to communicate.
And that is what good marketing really is: communication.
Creativity still matters
Automotive is more ecommerce-driven than ever, but creativity still matters. In fact, I think it matters more.
When customers can compare prices, specs and reviews in seconds, you need more than a deal. You need a reason to be remembered. You need tone of voice, trust, useful content, strong visuals and a brand people understand.
The best part of my job is still the creative side. Getting hands-on with campaigns, shaping content, building ideas and finding ways to make people care.
Creativity without commercial awareness is just decoration.
You need to know what looks good, but also what drives enquiries. You need to understand brand, but also stock. You need content that entertains, but also answers real customer questions. That is the sweet spot.
My advice to anyone starting out
If someone wanted to build a career in automotive marketing, I would tell them to understand the whole business. Do not just sit in the marketing department.
Spend time with sales. Sit with service. Understand finance. Learn what happens after an enquiry. Listen to customer calls. Go on handovers. Look at the complaints. Read the reviews. Understand what customers actually ask, not just what you think they ask.
That full-picture understanding is what makes marketing better. Because the best marketing is not just about shouting louder, tt is about being useful, trusted and relevant at the exact moment someone needs you.
That is what this industry has taught me. Cars matter, but people matter more.