Automotive Aftermarket Masterclass

Today we’re going to a break from Davin and I babbling and speak with Andrew Rains. He’s the Marketing Director and Co-Founder of Apex Pro who build motorsports data acquisition products. They are one of the few companies I’ve seen to successfully use a mobile app that’s integrated with a hardware element. I’ll include a link to their site in the show notes if you want to take a look. Keeping that in mind, we talk to Andrew about two primary subjects. Customer Loyalty and his advice on introducing an app-based company into the automotive market. Apex Pro Links: Website: https://apextrackcoach.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialapexpro/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialapexpro/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1gjrm-7rAKen3KN70HBFw Studio Rhoad Links:Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Today we're going to discuss a topic that we see very often and have touched on briefly in previous episodes. And that is ego in relation to success. It might be fun to win an award or dominate your category in terms of market share, but what's it worth if it doesn't support the actual goal? Marketing in the automotive space is more powerful than ever and we have more leverage than ever before. This makes picking your milestones and your goals more critical than it has ever been. So on this episode, Davin and I discuss what success actually looks like and how to ensure your ego doesn't pull the rug out from under you. By the way, Davin gets really fired up about this topic. Links Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Ladies and gentlemen…. We’re back. That’s right, after taking a few days…. Well months off, we are officially starting Season 2 of On The Rhoad with a little bit of a twist. You all have requested that we do less interviews and have more discussions between Davin and I. So, that’s what we’re going to do. Although we do have a few very good interviews scheduled, you will be hearing a lot more from us over the coming weeks. To kick things off, we talk about the importance of the Chief Marketing Officer role and how automotive brands can acquire one without the $200k price tag. Show Links: Spencer Stuart Study:  https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/cmo-transitions-the-shuffle-continues Studio Rhoad:  http://www.studiorhoad.com/ Feel free to let us know what you think about the show by rating or writing a quick review. To be a guest on the show or would like Chris and Davin as a guest on your show, visit http://www.studiorhoad.com/podcast/

Today we’re talking with Tim Coltey, the Performance Marketing Specialist of a brand that we all know and love …. Garrett Turbo. When we think of Garrett we imagine large corporation but in fact, they are quite small. So they use some very clever approaches when it comes to media production. All of which are based in a quote, “Don't’ let the product be the hero. Your customers are the hero of the brand” Links Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

This week we have a very, very special guest with us. The Founder of AEM Electronics, Mr. John Concialdi. He provides some insight and a peak behind the curtain on how he started this iconic brand. One topic in particular was how we grew the business by decreasing the size of the business. Links Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

On this episode Chris has stolen the spotlight; for better or worse. Apparently his horse dies which relates to a framework that will allow your company to make better decisions more quickly.  Links Decision Jam: http://www.studiorhoad.com/services/decision-jam/ Validation Sprint: http://www.studiorhoad.com/services/concept-sprints/ Effort Impact Video: https://youtu.be/opvs6nOzZh4 Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Today we’re talking with the marketing director of a very iconic drag racing team. If you’ve seen pictures of a copper orange Mark4 Supra popping wheelies, then you know exactly who I’m taking about. Wes Bourne of Titan Motorsports. Wes tells us how that iconic car became to be. And how this 20 year old company walks a fine line between preserving their legacy while not racing to the bottom. Links Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Today we’re throwing questions at one of our very own clients, Tony Palo of T1 Race Development; They are a Nissan GTR Specialty shop out of Texas but, to be fair, that's an understatement. These guys are the best in the business and have more broken records than they can count. If you run a small shop or manufacture performance parts, this episode is for you. Links T1 Race Development: https://www.t1racedevelopment.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

On this episode, the Founder of MotorMavens and 86Fest and an old friend of mine, Antonio Alvendia, shares his experiences with creating content for automotive brands and why your brand’s social might be missing the mark. Links Antonio's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antoniosureshot/ MotorMavens: http://motormavens.com/86Fest: http://86fest.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

On this episode, we chat with the Director of Marketing for Ferrea Racing Components, Zeke Urrutia. Now Ferrea is a great example of a company who transitioning to digital while maintaining a very clever foothold in traditional marketing which we explore. But before we get into the nerdy business stuff, take a listen to Zeke’s story at the beginning. It’s an incredible peak behind the curtain of the company’s racing history and how his grandfather passed away during a race in 1948. Ferrea Links: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ferrearacing/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ferrearacing/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/Ferrearacing1 Studio Rhoad Links:Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

On this episode, we chat with Porsche Digital Business Consultant and long time friend, Marat Pashkevich. He lays down some serious insights on how companies should be approaching digital. More specifically, the downside of over produced videos, what you can do to make your content look different from everyone else and if you should have an in-house marketing manager. The answer to that may surprise you. Marat Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_rush Studio Rhoad Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

On this episode, we chat with the Marketing Director for one of the most recognizable brands in the automotive aftermarket. Lawson Mollica of AEM Performance Electronics. Normally we limit our episodes to 30 minutes, But here’s a few reasons why we’ve extended it to 45mins: - First…. When it comes to content marketing, Lawson explains why we should be playing like Ty Cobb, not Babe Ruth. - He gives us insights on their product innovation - What specific metric convinced them to build a new website after 6 years. - The content strategy that helped them triple their social media audience while simultaneously decreased the workload of the customer service department Studio Rhoad Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Davin and I chat about the reality of conducting business on social platforms. To give you some context, we read a post on a social forum which sparked the topic. So you’ll hear us reference that post throughout the show. Studio Rhoad Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Art Director of Vortech Superchargers, Andrew Schwartz, explains how they stay ahead of the curve and what they consider the true value of sponsorship. Andrew's Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwartzmotors Website: https://vortechsuperchargers.com/ Studio Rhoad Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

The Art Director of Haltech Engine Management Andrew DiMartino dives into the topic of customer relationships and Davin drinks some tea. Talks about: - The importance of accessibility between company and customer at times when it matters most. - Having the proper resources to support customers properly. - The importance of teams/drivers presenting themselves in a professional manor when times get tough. - Winning races is not always the value to the brand Communicating with customers Andrew's Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dimartinofab/ Website: https://www.haltech.com/ Studio Rhoad Links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Marketing Director of Konig Wheels Scott Weiss welds an office chair and Davin almost insults his DSM roots. - Scott Weiss Loves to work on build, crazy builds. Has a 2006, twin turbo 350z with only 23,000 miles on it One thing that made him/them successful in marketing - Success is subjectives. Make quality product. He really believes in what he does. Not in the business of convincing the market to buy Konig. - Stages of career. Learn then utilize. Over and over. - Being self aware. - Not being complacent with where you are How the auto sector markets itself: - Very comfortable with checking boxes. - Marketing tactics are moving very/too quickly. - Always playing catch up. - Have a hard time keep up. And don’t really trust where to go or how to get there 2019 Plans: - Long term focused (5yrs) Scott's Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scott_konig/ Konig Wheels Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konigwheelsusa/ Website: https://konigwheels.com/ Studio Rhoad Links:Instagram: https://instagram.com/st

Today Davin and I kick off our pilot episode. We explain what you all can expect in future episodes and we dive into a quick discussion about branding. Studio Rhoad Links:Instagram: https://instagram.com/studiorhoad Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/studiorhoad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/studiorhoad Website: http://www.studiorhoad.com

Sponsorships? Ambassadors? Social Media influencers? I speak in detail with the President of Varrstoen Wheels about what's going through his head when reading sponsorship applications for VTX Offroad and Varrstoen wheels. We also talk about building community and his worst business experience.

Last week I had the honor of being a guest on Do It For A Living. A podcast which focuses on inspiring motorsports entrepreneurs. It was my first guest appearance on a show in a very long time. What was intended to be a podcast about design ended up covering far more serious topics: - My worst business experience - Digital ‘hoops of fire’ - Sales = rich. Branding = wealthy - The future of the automotive aftermarket iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/095-hear-how-chris-rhoad-started-studiorhoad-com-to/id971910947?i=1000381939558&mt=2 The Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/Doitforaliving/posts/675003272687380 Do It For A Living Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R6WgcnS8iA

In this episode: - I refuse to talk tactics - I get a little pissy. - Discuss how Taylor Swift is kicking your butt - We learn to ‘see’ - Discuss why Karl Benz was an amazing idiot - Dance with fear /// Join Hundreds Of Auto Industry Businesses Who Have Removed The Guessing And Speculation From Their Marketing Efforts. http://bit.ly/srclassjoin Studio Rhoad /// http://www.studiorhoad.com A digital agency that helps aftermarket companies bridge the gap between customer experience and commerce. Questions - Show Suggestions /// chris@studiorhoad.com @StudioRhoad