Volkswagen is undergoing an assortment of changes and the company’s Chief Marketing Officer has revealed the automaker will become less German in an attempt to broaden its appeal.
Speaking earlier today in Berlin, Jochen Sengpiehl said “The brand is not in good shape compared to previous years” and part of this is because the company was trying to be “too German.” Sengpiehl notes this, alongside the dieselgate scandal, has made Volkswagen models less appealing.
Bloomberg reports Sengpiehl went on to say “We need to get more colorful” as “we want people to have fun with us.”
As part of the company’s mission to become more consumer-oriented, the automaker will embrace social media and digital advertising. Volkswagen will also use the two platforms to promote its technology and electric vehicles. Sengpiehl says highlighting these aspects will help to justify Volkswagen’s higher price tags.
In order to fine tune their message, Volkswagen will reportedly setup dedicated marketing hubs in major markets. The goal of these hubs is to tailor the company’s message to specific markets and quickly reaction to changing conditions.
The hubs will also likely play a key role in the company’s plan to launch an assortment of electric vehicles over the next few years. While sales of electric vehicles have been increasing, they still only represent a small fraction of the overall market. Volkswagen is planning to launch production versions of the ID, ID Buzz, ID Crozz concepts so marketing will play a huge role in conceiving consumers to go electric.
In related news, Sengpiehl confirmed Volkswagen will introduce a new logo next year. Little is known about the logo but Sengpiehl said it will be updated to better work on cars and smartphone displays. That’s not much to go on but the publication notes the logo was last changed in 2012 when it was given a more three dimensional appearance.
