As we look to tell the stories about people and the products that support auto dealerships, Digital Dealer is shining the spotlight on companies that help dealers do their job more effectively.
We recently interviewed Brett Hall, Partner and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at EMG, who reflected on his career and offers his insights into the ever-evolving automotive technology landscape. Hall discussed streaming advertising, the growing role of artificial intelligence and helping auto dealerships reach consumers.
Digital Dealer: What was your first job in the industry, and what did it teach you?
Brett Hall, Partner and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at EMG: I’ve been in ad-tech at a variety of companies and roles for my entire career. EMG gave me my first real exposure to automotive; I had some experience with the industry before that, but nothing as intimate or at T3. I learned quickly that dealership principals are prudent and disciplined business operators and mandate demonstrable evidence that their marketing dollars are being spent well, which a career in ad-tech prepared me for.
Digital Dealer: What is your proudest accomplishments in the industry.
Hall: Deciding and successfully pivoting EMG into streaming advertising. While it has proven to be the right decision, it wasn’t obvious in 2017 when we started the transition. The streaming industry was a fraction of what it is now and we didn’t have much experience working with brands. Despite the risks and lack of experience, we were able to replace 100 percent of our revenue with managed streaming budgets by 2019 and have been growing ever sense.
Looking Ahead
Digital Dealer: What are you most excited for?
Hall: I’m hopeful that the automotive industry will return to an assemblance of normal exiting this year. First COVID shutdowns, then chip and inventory shortages, then elevated interest rates—the past four years have been a roller coaster. I’m excited for a balance in the space so that there can be a healthy approach to advertising initiatives, which is good for marketers and dealers alike.
Digital Dealer: What trends do you think will have a significant impact on the automotive industry in the coming years?
Hall: The macro trend of artificial intelligence (AI) in combination with the growing skills gap will have an impact on the EV race and push out mainstream consumer adoption far into the future. AI requires a massive amount of energy and as the technology goes mainstream, it will create a strain on the existing power supply. Along with other trades, there aren’t enough electrical engineers in the U.S. to expand upon the existing infrastructure. I believe AI will have better unit economics and therefore the energy will literarily and figuratively flow towards it, especially when there is convenient and relatively inexpensive alternative in fossil fuels.
Digital Dealer: What do you enjoy most about your role, company, and/or the automotive industry?
Hall: Easily the best part of my role is to connect with automotive marketers and educate them on a new advertising medium that is impactful to their bottom line. I always strive to find win-win propositions in business and I believe we have one with our automotive marketing solution between our company and dealerships.
About EMG
Digital Dealer: Please tell us about your core offerings, any new products or features, and how automotive dealerships are best leveraging those.
Hall: Our only offering is streaming advertising for the automotive industry. By focusing on one advertising medium and one vertical, it enables us to drive focused innovation that produces outsized results for dealerships. Our newest product, Maven, will be released sometime in Q3 and features a next generation dashboard and reporting suite purpose- built for streaming and the automotive industry. It boasts a media strategy planner that produces detailed recommendations for any franchise dealership in the country. Dealerships that closely follow the guidance outlined in our planner tend to see significant market share gains and turn inventory much faster.
Digital Dealer: Can you highlight any recent innovations or strategies that set your company apart in the market?
Hall: While not recent, our foot-traffic attribution capability has provided much of the momentum we have experienced in automotive for two reasons. The first is that we have an excellent marketing outcome that aligns well with a dealership business outcome, which enables a powerful feedback loop for optimization and has driven much of the media efficiency we have built over the past seven years. The second reason is that foot-traffic attribution provides for next generation dealership reporting and demonstrates the efficacy of our marketing solutions.
Change is Constant
Digital Dealer: What values and principles drive your organization, and how do you ensure they are reflected in the day-to-day operations and interactions within the company?
Hall: Our mission is that the success our marketing drives is self-evident. The primary principal we operate against to fulfill that mission is to “spend our customer’s money like it’s our own.” We have been served well by holding onto that mantra because it’s strong enough to offer direction to our team, but not so myopic that it requires dictation.
Digital Dealer: Looking ahead, what exciting developments or initiatives can dealerships expect from your company in the near future? Are there specific goals or milestones that your team is working towards?
Hall: Coming out of our conference this past April, the Streaming Automotive Summit, there is a clear desire from eco-system partners such as The Trade Desk, Roku, and Experian to articulate a cohesive and consistent vision for how dealerships should successfully navigate the streaming space. Our hope is to create a unified front with the companies that matter within the space and make advertising in the stream straight forward and effective.
Digital Dealer: What advice would you give to someone entering the field?
Hall: Be adaptable and embrace change, it is the only constant.
