We are seeing a steady trend toward modernising the image of the automotive brands. Rebranding brings many challenges. One of them is the need to replace the signage, which is a serious task involving a great deal of work and high risk. It is particularly demanding, especially when it comes to replacing the signage of used cars. Typically, this mission is assigned to the Fleet Sales Management Department, which does not always have experience in brand management and the rebranding processes. It also requires the coordination of activities with the Marketing Department, which increases the time needed and requires many people to be involved in the process.
A few words of theory
What exactly is the signage of car showrooms and cars?
The elements of car markings are commonly referred to as POS materials. This is the abbreviation of Point of Sales Materials. The elements of signage may include totems, signboards, lightboxes, masts, flags or banners. These materials are commonly used in the advertising industry.
Among car labelling elements, we can list advertising totems with a portable base support, flag masts with a portable base support, price presentations, offer presentations, license plate protectors and information tags. These are professional products, exclusively dedicated to the automotive industry. Their production is complex and requires knowledge of the needs of the Automotive industry and the manufacturer’s experience in delivering such solutions. The aspects to pay particular attention to in the manufacture of car markings include:
- The resistance of materials to weather, in particular to high and low temperatures
- Usefulness of the solutions offered
Why are the above aspects so key?
The change of signage entails considerable costs and the materials should serve for several years, while being useful in providing added value and support for our sales network. What if the materials start showing signs of wear and tear, and after several months, instead of supporting the sales, impair them?
Use case No. 1
Rebranding seen through the eyes of the UsedCar Manager operating on the local market
I am a UsedCar Manager and I have received new guidelines, i.e. the CI/VI/Guideline. What are the challenges ahead of me, what should I analyse, and in what order should I carry out the various stages of the process of rebranding?
Below is a list and the sequence of actions based on our experiences, which we have been gathering for over a decade:
- Step 1 –CI/VI/Guideline Analysis
- Step 2 – The analysis of potential suppliers
- Step 3 – Review of the signage solutions available for showroom and cars
- Step 4 – Supplier selection
- Step 5 – The selection of optimal solutions
- Step 6 – Consultation of the selected solutions with the sales network
- Step 7 – Implementing CI/VI/Guideline for signage elements
- Step 8 – Order coordination
- Step 9 – The coordination of logistics
- Step 10 – The coordination of the signage assembly process
The above list confirms how complex the rebranding process is in the used cars division..
How can this task be simplified?
JOne of the key aspects which can have the biggest possible impact on the actions of people responsible for the replacement of signage is the choice of an experienced partner. There are specialised companies in the market, offering the development and delivery of solutions dedicated for the Automotive industry, including the used cars division. What should we pay attention to when choosing a supplier who will become our partner and provide real support for the process?
- How many years has the supplier been in the market for?
- Which industries is it serving and does it have experience in manufacturing and working with the automotive sector?
- Does it specialise in the automotive industry?
- Does it have experience in manufacturing signage for the used cars division?
- How many brands and markets does it serve?
- What distribution model does it use?
- Does it have a range of tested dedicated solutions?
- Does the supplier offer full service? Is it able to create an offer tailored to the needs and requirements of the Customer?
- What resources does the supplier have? Does it have appropriate company divisions which will allow it to properly adjust the product to the needs of the recipient?
- Is it flexible?
- What is the added value if this supplier is selected?
It is a good idea to ask for references from other brands. In order to confirm the quality, it is worth going to the showroom in which supplier products are used to verify their actual quality. New signage elements can look very good. However, we can realistically assess their quality only after the first year of us.
Use case No. 2
I am a Used Car Manager responsible for several markets in Europe
How can I support the operations of individual markets? Above, we have demonstrated the process of replacing signage from the point of view of the local market. Automotive brands manage their sales in the continent by operating in many markets. To simplify, let us assume that there are twenty of them in our company. Looking at the replacement of signage globally, we are faced with the difficult task of replacing signage in several thousand car showrooms.
The signage replacement process is usually conducted in two ways:
- The prepared CI/VI/Guideline is provided to every local market which implements the replacement process on its own. It is the most frequently used mode of operation of automotive brands.
- The prepared CI/VI/Guideline is provided to the market including a selected dedicated solutions provider. However, this model is rarely used
What are the pros and cons of the above solutions?
From the point of view of the continent, the model described in the first option seems to be the easiest way. The responsibility and implementation of the process is diverted to individual markets. Such a solution is used most frequently because it is difficult to find an appropriate partner who could implement such a process in such a large number of showrooms and markets at the same time. However, such a model of operation has one drawback. The activities we can implement just once have to be performed many times, i.e. in each market. Furthermore, we are not able to maintain the standardisation of solutions with all recipients?
The activity described in the second option seems more difficult. However, it involves several benefits:
- The selection of the supplier and solutions is a one-time task, which means that we can devote more time to it and select the best partner.
- We provide the CI /VI/Guideline to the local markets together with dedicated solutions and the prepared look of the individual elements of the signage
- Individual markets remain responsible for verifying the language and accepting the final samples
Collective orders allow achieving the best prices in the market
The supplier should have experience and offer solutions for the operation in the market via internet platforms. It is an enormous benefit, both for specialists managing the brand and for local managers. Global managers perform the ambitious activity with benefits, and local managers can work in peace, focusing on their goals and devoting more time to the sales network.
As a result of the above activities, the brand gains in terms of image and financially, too. This allows a saving of 2 to 3 months of work for several dozen people and does not require the support of the Marketing Department.
In conclusion, by using this model, you support the operations of local markets through shortening the implementation time, and facilitate the process without the need to engage employees.
Paweł Samczyk, General Manager CSP Automotive:
Cooperation with Toyota Motor Europe is a great honour for us. We are experts. For the last 11 years, we have supported only automotive brands. We have created the best solutions available in the market; that is why we are happy that our company has received the recommendation of TME. We understand the market and its needs; thanks to our solutions, the Customers save time and gain full operational support on top of strong quality. For us, the implementation is the confirmation that CSP Automotive has taken the right path. We consistently implement new projects; we strive at CSP Automotive products being used by dealers all over the world in the near future. We are ready for this.
CSP Automotive actively supports
Toyota in the rebranding process
CSP Automotive has become the recommended supplier in the Toyota rebranding process within the Toyota Approved Used sales programme.
Under the Toyota Approved Used programme, we have so far served 8 markets and our products have been delivered to nearly 150 dealers.
CSP Automotive is responsible for the support of the rebranding process, starting from the design of products dedicated to the Toyota Approved Used programme, based on the Customer’s requirements and standards, and then the production, distribution and implementation with dealers operating in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece and Poland.
Why did Toyota Motor Europe recommend CSP Automotive?
Knowledge and support.
We understand rebranding and we know how to effectively support the implementation of this complex process. We think and operate globally. We know the needs of the dealers, we know how to support European automotive head offices and individual markets. Perfect work organisation and efficient distribution also allow us to supply dealers outside Europe. Through our many years of experience, we have gained expertise which we happily share with our Partners. We effectively select optimum solutions for a given region; our experts provide professional advice. We actively accompany the Customers in the process of change for the better.
Quality and consistency.
Many dealers are faced with the inconsistency of product quality between different markets. We solve this problem. All solutions applied by CSP Automotive are standardised and fully consistent, both in terms of the quality and the graphics.
In the opinion of our Customers, CSP products stand out from those of our competitors thanks to perfect quality and high durability. In their manufacture, we use top quality products; production is based on given standards. As a result, we obtain products resistant to bad weather conditions, low and high temperatures and UV radiation.
Time.
Many dealers are faced with the inconsistency of product quality between different markets. We solve this problem. All solutions applied by CSP Automotive are standardised and fully consistent, both in terms of the quality and the graphics.
In the opinion of our Customers, CSP products stand out from those of our competitors thanks to perfect quality and high durability. In their manufacture, we use top quality products; production is based on given standards. As a result, we obtain products resistant to bad weather conditions, low and high temperatures and UV radiation.