The altering face of the auto trade
"Unboring the future". Any idea what that means? No, neither do I, but it's the line Peugeot chose that will convince us to stand behind the latest brand update. Car advertising, rarely a sector that picks up the creative pulse, has become a confusing, charisma-free vacuum. Which is strange since the industry is at the beginning of the biggest and most exciting change in its history.
With countries and manufacturers campaigning for a fossil-free future ten years from now, seismic change is on the way. The tide of recent digital first rebrands reminds us that existing brands are completely reinventing the way they make and distribute their models, while new electricians are gaining market share at a bewildering pace. The move to electric vehicles is also changing the infrastructure that supports driving, as well as our attitudes towards what has been such an important means of self-expression for so long.
Hoping to get an idea of where all this is going, I recently attended a Future of Cars Summit organized by Tortoise, the Slow News organization co-founded by former BBC News director and Times editor James Harding. , was held. Throughout the Zoom Day, policy experts, academics, journalists and stakeholders identified some of the key challenges the industry faces as it moves towards its battery-powered future.
What quickly became clear is that the move to electric vehicles will be unstoppable unless hydrogen comes together powerfully soon. It happens – it's just a question of how and how quickly. Here's the first meaty, exciting challenge for anyone involved in branding communications – how to overcome consumer reluctance to switch to electricity.