Role Of Automotive Influencers In Shaping The Future Of The Industry
There is a marked shift in content consumption across the globe and India leads this change with the most number of users (thanks to heavy mobile internet penetration in the smallest of towns, led by the cheapest cost of mobile internet in the world). Automobile content consumption is definitely growing but is still small owing to less than 2 per cent of people owning cars in India. But we thrive on aspirations and a large chunk of people consuming content are doing it because of their enthusiasm towards automobiles.
Riding this wave today are automobile influencers and they are playing a big role in shaping the future of the automobile industry. Case in point is a very large chunk of vehicle buying decisions are being made after researching automobiles on YouTube.
Unlike yesteryears where it was a one-way communication - content was broadcasted and the viewers had no way to give feedback or engage with the content creators, today's digital world is a 2-way street where the audience is very vocal on feedback. This feedback could be about the way the content is presented but most often than not, it revolves around giving feedback about the vehicle, making the comments section a goldmine for automobile companies to gather feedback about their products and accordingly decide on the future course of development and changes.
Going Regional
Automobile influencers are a diverse bunch, coming from all kinds of places and languages which in turn helps automobile brands do more targeted marketing while also getting great insight into specific audiences. India being a diverse country with a multitude of languages, sees the biggest opportunity to lure people from unexplored territories. But getting that word across about the car or bike into these regions was a challenge until recently because automobile influencers from these regions are able to help people make a more informed decision.
Feedback Is King
While there is plenty of feedback from the audience, automobile companies leverage the passion and insight of automobile influencers to gather extensive feedback on their vehicles. Being from the industry, I am bombarded with 100+ questions post a test drive, all of which is then carefully analysed. When any car model gets an update, somewhere I do feel that my feedback has reached the right place, clearly influencers like me are helping shape the future of the industry and helping brands improve their products to boost their sales.
The Essence Of Time
Content flows at a rapid pace today and influencers have to ride this very wave to stay relevant. There is always the passion to do better and this rubs off to create a bigger audience, thereby making more people interested in automobiles. Since automobile influencers are relatively young, they are able to influence the younger audience which in turn become micro-influencers in their own circle, thereby having a massive impact in the buying decision.
Automotive influencers are able to tweak their content without having to stick to just one format of content creation, which makes them more dynamic. This also helps creative brands to try out new ways of marketing their vehicles. Gone are the days of boring promotions, today brands are dropping their corporate appearance to look uber cool in a bid to attract young buyers.
There is no denying the fact that automotive influencers play a vital role in shaping the future of the automotive industry. As social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube continue to grow and evolve, their influence is likely to become even more significant and a force to reckon with in the immediate future.
