Tag Archives: automotive

TLA named in The Sunday Times’ Tech Track 100

The Lead Agency has been named as one of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies by The Sunday Times’ Hiscox Tech Track 100.

Tech Track 100

Published in special pull-out in yesterday’s edition of the paper, the 18th annual listing ranks the country’s private technology, media and telecoms (TMT) companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years.

We’re a new entry in the table, placing at number 50 for the whole of the UK.

Disruptors and innovators

Tech Track receives applications from hundreds of companies every year representing a range of different sectors. Previous years have placed businesses that have gone on to achieve huge success, including Just Eat, The Hut Group, Shazam, Zoopla, Opta and Skyscanner.

As the companies listed above reflect, being included in the Tech Track 100 is about more than growth alone. Each one of those businesses has disrupted their industry through innovative technology and services, which is at the heart of what we do at TLA.

Team effort

TLA was founded by group CEO Anton Hanley in Wigan in 2002 and later moved to Liverpool, where the company has built one of the city’s biggest digital teams. The company now has offices in central London as well as a sister company in the US.

Commenting on what it means to earn Tech Track status, Anton said: “One of the great things about this form of recognition is that represents the hard work of everyone within the business. Every member of the TLA team has played their part in the growth and success we’ve achieved over the past few years.

“We also couldn’t have achieved this listing without the continued support and trust of our clients and partners. To them, we’d like to say a big thank you.”

Tech Track is our third league table inclusion of 2018, having been named as one of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses by the Financial Times as well as the fifth fastest-growing tech business in the north of the UK by Tech Nation.

Acquiring the Driving Generation: 8 important stats about millennial new car buyers

Within two years, 40% of new car purchases will be made by millennials – a generation of early adopters and natives of the digital world.

As competition for market share in the new car market remains fierce, engaging this lucrative audience is vital for advertisers and agencies.

So, who are they and how do we reach them?

For starters, let’s clarify who we’re talking about. Millennials – or Generation Y, as they are also known – refers to people born between 1980 and 1996 (give or take two or three years depending on your source). They follow Generation X (1965-1976) and baby boomers (1946-1964) and precede Generate Z (1997 to present day).

The Driving Generation

Millennials are becoming known in the industry as ‘the driving generation’.

According to a study by MTV, millennials drive 72% more miles than baby boomers, and 18% more than Gen X. Spending longer on the road is perhaps why millennials are reported to have little interest in ‘flashy’ cars, but instead are in market for reliability and practicality.

Compared to baby boomers, millennials tend to take longer to decide on what car to buy, an average of 15.7 vs 16.9 weeks. The Gen Y/millennial consumer also considers a wider range of vehicles during their research. This suggests that their decision is malleable and can therefore be influenced, if approached at the right time during their buying journey, to ultimately find the car that is right for them.

Despite the lengthier period in market, millennials are keen for convenience. This generation grew up in a time when convenience was emphasised, whether that be via increased digitalisation, technological advances or innovation – simplification and convenience is a consistent theme.

What do your millennial consumers expect?

Millennials have grown up in a world of choice-paralysis. Numerous products from numerous companies and numerous ways of paying for them.

Ultimately, because of their wide range of options, it is essential to guide your millennial consumer along the right path and ensure that the process is as simple, easy and accessible as possible.

Quality of service and products are of high importance to millennial consumers. With the rapid speed of online connectivity, news can travel fast. Thus, meaning that despite how long it may have taken to build it up, brand reputation can be crushed quickly, and perhaps unjustly, due to poor customer experience during the buying phase.

The typical millennial car buyer expects a transparent approach to business proceedings. Clarity of information requests and honesty is important to consumers during a high-stake, high-expense purchase, such as buying a car. The consumer expects a good standard of customer service, and failing that, a quick response to minimise disappointment and rectify any issues.

The growth of digitalisation

Third-party sites are the most commonly-used platforms for automotive shopping, with 78% of shoppers using them as part of their search.

Furthermore, 88% of millennials take to the internet to research their car purchase. Exploring the reliability and practicality of cars is much more accessible and easier when done at the click of a mouse, with the immediate response of a chatbot.

The growth of digitalisation and connectivity has also allowed social media platforms and innovative technology to form an empowered generation of new customers. Millennials are demanding cars that are stylish and practical, with adequate tech features that will help them to stay connected.

This audience has grown up in an age where technology continues to improve at a rapid rate. They are, as a result, quick to embrace digital innovation, giving a distinct advantage to brands that lead the way.

Ultimately, there are big opportunities for advertisers and agencies that can meet millennials’ technological expectations and provide a credible, transparent and quality service.

Communicating with millennials

With 59% of millennials following a brand on social media before purchasing a product, and 81% viewing their twitter account daily, it’s a sure indicator that social media is one of the most effective platforms for targeting millennials. It therefore comes as no surprise that millennials are twice more likely as any other generation to turn to social, rather than phone or email, when communicating with a brand.

It’s clear that millennials prefer to engage online, whether that’s via social media or digital messengers, such as chatbots. When it comes to chatbots, 60% of millennials have used them, 70% of those report positive experiences, and of the millennials who have not used them, more than half say they are interested in using them. Chatbots link seamlessly with millennials’ expectations, bringing instant gratification, conversational engagement, digital connectivity, and convenience.

Through pioneering the use of innovative tech and intelligent targeting through popular digital channels, we can target the consumer with the right message at the right time. By adapting the wording and approach based on the consumer, website they are visiting and product of interest, we can tap into the buying journey of the millennial car buyer.

8 stats you need to know about millennial new car buyers

  1. By 2020, 40% of new car buyers will be millennials (Brandwatch)
  2. Millennials drive 72% more than Baby Boomers, and 18% more than Gen X (Advantage Tec)
  3. Millennials tend to take longer to decide what car to buy, an average of 16.9 vs 15.7 weeks compared to Baby Boomers (V12 Data)
  4. 88% of millennials use the internet during the research and shopping process when buying a car (Brandwatch)
  5. 56% of millennials say they would rather clean their homes than negotiate with a car dealer (V12 Data)
  6. 59% of millennials follow a brand on social media before purchasing a product (SproutSocial)
  7. 81% of millennials view their twitter account daily (SproutSocial)
  8. 60% of millennials have used chatbots, 70% of those report positive experiences, and of the millennials who have not used them, more than half say they are interested in using them. (Forbes)

Learn more about how our technology has made us a market leader in digital customer acquisition.

 

Automotive News Round-up – 11 July

The automotive industry is an ever-evolving industry thanks to challenging economic conditions, emerging innovative technologies and new generations of car buyers.

We’ve identified four automotive news stories this month that highlight some of the key challenges and changes being faced, with insights from industry experts on how automotive brands and their suppliers can adapt.

  1. Why car brands need to adopt customer-focused digital KPIs – AM Online looks at the key findings from a Frost & Sullivan’s Intelligent Mobility event.
  2. Government plan to cut emissions gets mixed response – Car Dealer Magazine speaks to motoring groups about the Government’s plans to reduce emissions.
  3. World Cup of car manufacturing – The Telegraph compares the beautiful game with automotive prowess as it reviews which countries are the world champions of car manufacturing .
  4. Five original automotive campaigns driven by unconventional thinking – Get inspired with some of the latest creative work from the automotive industry, as chosen by The Drum.

Written a piece of content you’d like us to share? Let us know.

Rebuilding your prospect database quickly, with compliant data, in the new GDPR world

For many organisations, the biggest impact of GDPR could well be as a result of their own preparation.

Many organisations have taken the difficult decision to remove large volumes of data from their databases due to concerns over how it was originally captured. This is putting pressure on budget-holders to find ways to rebuild in a compliant manner.

For years, lead generation has provided a fast, efficient route to new prospects and customers – but can you trust third-party data to be compliant?

Understandably, we believe you can.

We take our responsibility with consumer data seriously, which gave us a great starting point on which to prepare for the incoming regulation. But it didn’t stop us  addressing this with the importance it deserves and putting every aspect of our approach under the microscope.

We implemented changes where necessary, including updated policies, procedures and documentation. We also implemented new technology such as our Client Portal, which provides a complete audit trail of every consumer’s journey from beginning to end.

Confident in our approach but still keen to identify areas for improvement, we recently invited specialist ASE Global, consultants to the majority of the world’s automotive manufacturers, to assess our preparation.

Data protection and compliance officer for ASE, Kevin Symm, said: “The levels The Lead Agency has gone to and the things it has implemented – such as the client portal, policies, procedures and documentation – go as far as anything we’ve seen for how companies can minimise the potential for something to go wrong and then maximise how quickly any potential issues can be discovered and acted upon. It really is impressive.”

Despite the excellent report, we continue to look for ways to improve and remain committed to obtaining and processing consumer data in a way that is right by the consumer.

How we can connect you with new prospects

Our approach to customer acquisition can provide you with access to a unique and extensive market place consisting of trusted publisher networks and TLA’s own digital assets including bot technology. These help you to reach and connect with more of the right consumers – in-market, compliant and with a genuine interest in our clients’ products and services.

Through our bespoke Client Portal, you can see every step of that consumer’s journey – fully documented for your peace of mind. Every lead is then qualified thoroughly using both tech and our in-house contact centre team that are extensively trained and work to your exact requirements.

For the consumer, we simplify their buying journey and route to the products and services they’re in the market for. This means that we can repopulate your databases quickly and efficiently with prospective customers who are at various stages of the funnel.

In automotive, a vertical in which we have operated in for more than 16 years, we supply lead types such as ‘keep me informed’ interest on new car launches, test drive and brochure requests and quotes – all of which are compliant with GDPR and qualified to ensure they are in-market.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you rebuild your prospect lists in a compliant manner, contact us today.

Manufacturers reveal confidence in TLA’s GDPR-compliant leads

With GDPR now in place, can car manufacturers continue to trust the third-party data they receive from lead generation companies?

In short, the answer is a ‘yes’ from The Lead Agency. This trust building hasn’t happened overnight. We’ve served the UK automotive industry since 2002 and currently work with the majority of the country’s manufacturers on their lead generation campaigns.

We took a proactive approach to GDPR, starting our preparation early and working closely with our clients over the last year. We have left no stone unturned to ensure our customer acquisition service provides both quality leads and peace of mind to our clients.

“The Lead Agency team are a trusted partner to our business,” said Jess Douce, marketing manager for Jaguar Land Rover’s UK new car sales team, looking after retail, fleet and business, AUV and aftersales. “They’re not only great to work with but they believe in doing things the right way.”

“They provide the highest-quality GDPR-compliant client portal that I have used, which help us to send more leads to our retailers,” she added.

“Remarkable” approach to GDPR

Last week we received a glowing endorsement from ASE Global for our “remarkable” preparation for GDPR, with the automotive specialist commenting that “the work undertaken by The Lead Agency goes far beyond what the new legislation requires.”

We’re proud of that feedback and it’s even more pleasing to hear our clients echo the sentiment.

“The Lead Agency team are a long serving partner of Hyundai,” said the manufacturer’s senior manager for CRM and insight Danielle Hollis. “They provide good quality GDPR compliant enquiries at scale, which means we sell more cars which helps us achieve our targets.”

In the coming weeks, we’ll reveal our thoughts on the future of lead generation in a post-GDPR world and our advice for making it a viable part of your marketing strategy.

In the meantime, you can read more about our GDPR preparation and advice for other organisations in our recent article in Car Dealer Magazine.

New Car Lead Generation: Ignore customer emotion at your peril – 5 takeaways to maximise the performance of your campaigns

Understanding the emotional rollercoaster of buying a new car and how customers are feeling during every micro-moment of their journey will transform your campaign performance.

Car manufacturers are undoubtedly the experts in understanding the primary triggers which bring a consumer ‘in-market’ for a new car – from family lifecycle events (some of us have had to morph from boy racer to safety conscious family man, with bags of room for child seats and a dog) to technological innovation and efficiencies. (One manufacturer even went as far as to identify 72 separate triggers and uses them in campaign creative!)

Despite this, Deloitte claim that a staggering 85% of car buyers do NOT think that they purchased their perfect car. How is this possible?

Put simply, researching a new car is over-whelming, emotionally draining and consumers are still wary of dealerships and indeed, the manufacturer brands.

In a study by Nationwide, 38% of respondents claimed that negotiating with a dealer was the most painful part of buying a new car. 11% felt that working out affordability was the main headache and 19% felt that financing the car was the main pain point.

In the same study, respondents claimed that buying a new car is just as stressful as preparing tax returns, jury duty and public speaking!

Three months. 900 digital micro-moments.

The various stages of the buyer decision-making process have been well documented. Although the latest research suggests there is no such thing as a traditional funnel. Instead, consumers flip between them over an average of three months:

  • What are the best options?
  • Which is right for me?
  • Can I afford it?
  • Where should I buy it?
  • Am I getting the best deal?

Google recently added to the research by mapping out typical user journeys over three months for consumers looking to purchase a new car. It used the example of Stacy, whose journey included a staggering 900 digital touchpoints or micro-moments in her path to finally selecting and buying her new car.

Interestingly, only 20% were with manufacturer websites and only 8% we were with dealerships. This means that over 70% of Stacy’s research took place elsewhere and, as we have seen above, it was probably a highly stressful experience.

Stacy’s consideration set went from 14 brands she explored at the top of the funnel down to six brands she compared in some detail, leaving her with a decision between two brands and her ultimate purchase.

14 brands across 900 micro-moments over three months – and only a 15% chance of making the right decision. How depressing.

There is a better way!

There will be as many as 2,500,000 new car sales in 2018. Excluding fleet, that’s potentially over 1m consumers who may have a similar experience as Stacy.

Billboards on motorways, the ads on trains and TV adverts all continue to have their place. But, when it comes to digital budgets, there is a more effective way than scatter-gunning display ads or relying on the micro-moments that take place on manufacturer websites or dealership sites via search or paid social.

Here are The Lead Agency’s 5 take-aways that will improve your digital new car lead generation campaigns:

  1. Test using triggers in ad copy and CTAs – search is absolutely still the strongest signal of intent but as Google’s research has shown, our search terms don’t always give away what our trigger is
  2. Brand is one of the least important elements for consumers during their research (premium brands aside)– they are much more interested in value for money, features and the opinion of their friends and family
  3. Most consumers decide which car is right for them BEFORE they research whether or not they can afford it – yet a lot of the first touch messaging is around financing
  4. We’re dealing with people, they aren’t aware that they are in a funnel or a target market! Let’s start producing copy that addresses the emotions and stress they are experiencing just by looking for a new car, and ways to remove it! One in five car buyers feel they are being confronted with too many deals
  5. Nearly half of all respondents in Deloitte’s study claimed they changed their mind about the make of car they wanted AT LEAST once during the buying journey… which means there’s plenty of conquest opportunity out there

Written by Justin Thorne, Head of Digital at The Lead Agency.

Enjoyed this content? Then why not discover more practical advice and insight here: ‘8 customer-centric tactics to dramatically increase lead quality and performance‘

PMA nomination follows campaign success for BMW

We have been nominated for a prestigious accolade at the Performance Marketing Awards 2018 (PMAs).

Our work for BMW and its media partner MEC Global has been shortlisted for Best Lead Generation Campaign – a hotly-contested category that recognises the most innovative and impactful activity in customer acquisition.

The nominations were revealed this afternoon in association with event sponsor Impact Radius and can be viewed in full via the PMA website.

We’ll have to wait until 24 April to discover whether our campaign has earned the top prize when the performance marketing industry gathers at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel for the ceremony.

Microsoft’s global agency director, Adrian Cutler, called judging this year’s entries an “incredible experience”.

“Cutting edge thinking really came through on the entries, they were not afraid to push the boundaries of what is possible with creative flair, a key focus on challenging the norm shone out,” said Cutler.

Justin Thorne joins TLA to lead digital team

As we continue to extend reach within each of our verticals and improve the efficiency of our lead generation processes, we have appointed Justin Thorne as our new head of digital.

Justin (left) has joined us from neuromarketing company Lab, where he had spent three years and was responsible for leading its performance marketing teams. Prior to that role, he held senior marketing positions at Kenshoo and SmartFocus.

At TLA, Thorne will lead a team of digital channel specialists, UX designers and CRO specialists in creating intent and technology-led, lead generation campaigns.

His focus will be on developing strategies that help us connect with and nurture in-market consumers within automotive, property and education.

Justin’s arrival follows the appointment of Antony Neill as performance manager, who joined us from a technology business within the Bibby Line Group earlier this year.

Commenting on their arrivals, TLA’s CEO Anton Hanley said: “We continuously look for ways to improve the services we provide to clients and consumers, which includes recruiting people who can bring something special to our team. Justin and Antony have a wealth of relevant experience in marketing roles; but more importantly, they have the skills, enthusiasm and ideas to implement positive change within the business.

“Justin will help us extend our market reach, so that we connect with more of our clients’ potential customers at different stages of their buying journey; while Antony will drive performance improvements across each stage of our process to ensure the leads we provide are of the highest quality.”

Our growth is set to continue with a number of other exciting vacancies now live within our careers section. 

TLA extends range of lead types beyond ‘new car retail’

Over the last 16 years, The Lead Agency has predominantly served the automotive industry with new car retail leads.

But recent changes within the industry, economy and the government initiatives have seen a steady rise in clients requesting a broader range of lead types. As the market has changed, we have found users looking for new ways to interact with manufacturers around a vehicle purchase; TLA are using lead types to adapt to the contemporary consumer.

New lead types offer us, and our manufacturing and agency partners, the broadest coverage across user interest and allows the user a tailored service around their car-buying needs.

While new car leads remain as important as ever, we’ve invested time, effort and money to expand our channels so that we cater for the needs of our client base. These lead types will allow us to produce higher quality, direct leads that help clients hit their most valued KPIs. The following lead types are now offered to support dealers with vehicle sales across all their channels.

Approved Used Vehicle

As financing a new vehicle becomes a more expensive prospect many users are turning to second-hand options, but they are still looking for the reliability and reassurance of a new vehicle.

Our sites and contact method allow us to promote the benefits of buying a used vehicle through the manufacturer’s scheme. This lead type allows us to engage users on a wider range of options and will help retailers get used vehicles off their forecourts.

Fleet & Business

We attract customers who are in-market to buy an individual company/business vehicle or a fleet of company vehicles. The Lead Agency has long-prided itself on its ability to connect with small and medium enterprises that fly under the radar of the larger fleet schemes in the UK.

Purchasing a new vehicle through a business is an attractive prospect and we can give users the information they need from our clients to make the right decision.

Commercial Vehicles

Customers engage with us in view of finding the perfect new commercial van. Each potential purchaser is unique, and have their own requirements for a working vehicle.

This can be a large amount of data to process through usual channels, but our contact centre allows us to listen to user’s needs and match them with the best commercial vehicle and deal. 

Retail Leads (new car)

We are still very focused on new car retail leads and are dedicated to supporting this channel and the dealers by driving the highest converting leads in the market. We are investing in new technologies to help drive, qualify and assist in converting these leads. The interest in these areas will only continue to grow as our offering diversifies across multiple channels.

All the lead types outlined above get the same level of lead confirmation, nurturing and qualification treatment via our in-house contact centre and delivered as requests for brochures, test drives or quotes.

If you would like to discuss any of the above or would like a forecast on any of the leads types, contact the team today.

Digital marketing awards nomination for BMW campaign

Our campaign on behalf of BMW has been nominated at the Northern Digital Awards.

We’ve been nominated for Best Digital Marketing Campaign – B2C after achieving record results and ROI. The campaign connected BMW’s sales team with in-market consumers throughout the UK.

Ryan Davies of MEC Global, BMW’s media agency partner, said: “The Lead Agency’s approach has consistently delivered strong conversion rates and ROI. The latest activity’s return exceeded campaign expectations and enabled us to convert hundreds of new BMW customers. The company’s continued support has made the process of meeting targets more achievable.”

The Northern Digital Awards is a joint initiative created by Don’t Panic Events and Prolific North. It aims to celebrate the best in digital marketing across the north.

This year’s awards have attracted entries from a broad range of companies, including Missguided, Shop Direct, Kellogg’s and Cisco.

To discuss your own customer acquisition needs, drop us a message today.