#9 Richard Brauns on Automotive Advertising

Broadcast advertising works, and no industry puts it to better use than automotive sales. “The consumer is not in charge of how and when something is broadcast over the airwaves,” says Richard Brauns, Senior Partner at JKR Automotive Advertising & Marketing, one of the top automotive-only ad agencies helping 110 dealerships nationwide. Brauns, who has auto dealership sales and marketing in his blood and who was a client before he bought the agency, joins LeadsRx Marketing Director Lucas Sommer as a guest on Episode 8 of the Attribution Marketing Podcast. They discuss the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the automotive industry, why used car values skyrocketed in 2020, how little auto dealerships have changed over the years, and why broadcast continues to be the No. 1 driver of traffic to auto dealer websites and showrooms – up to 70% lift with good, strong campaigns. Dealer and car manufacturer radio and TV advertising is all about branding, Brauns said. He cited his 20-something daughter who doesn’t own a TV, uses paid music streaming apps to avoid all advertising, and who uses he and his wife’s Netflix account (again, no ads). While pursuing her master’s degree in Birmingham, Alabama – home to several car dealers JKR represents – she kept saying to her friends “those are my dad’s ads” she was hearing.