Brand podcasts: a new Eldorado for luxury car brands?

The automotive industry has already moved into the podcast sector...But what about the luxury car industry?On closer inspection, we can already see that Ferrari, Lexus and Audi have launched their own branded podcasts. That's what we want to find out in this article on the link between the luxury car industry and podcasts.

Branded content and the luxury automotive sector: a long love affair

The automotive sector has always been a pioneer in branded content. Just think of the Michelin Guide which, as early as 1900, served as a guide for drivers.Since then, branded content has become widespread in the automotive industry, and especially in the luxury car sector.Initiatives have multiplied, including :

• Sports sponsorships like the Berlin Marathon for BMW
• Races or competitions,
• Driving assistance tools,
• Print consumer magazines or iPad content, like BMW, to extend the link with their customers

Museums highlighting the history of luxury car brands

To show how luxury cars have stood the test of time, there's no better place than a museum:

• Ferrari Maranello Museum
• Lamborghini Museum
• The Audi Museum

Fictions in which the luxury car plays a decisive role

Short films, webseries... Luxury car brands have always played on the cinematic aspect of their cars.These almost Hollywood-style branded contents always put forward the brand's luxury car as an asset for getting out of all kinds of dangerous situations.This is the case for fiction :

• "The Hire", the BMW saga launched in the USA in 2001.
• "Untitled Jersey City Project" the Audi series, a breathless 8-episode detective adventure broadcast free-to-air in the U.S. by the director of True Blood.

Branded music content

The German brand BMW has already adopted this approach. To achieve this, it has created audiobooks, written especially for the brand by contemporary writers.But podcasts in all this... Well, as you might expect, luxury car brands weren't going to stop there.Keep reading if you want to know why luxury car brands are turning to podcasts.

An audience sensitive to podcasts of different genres

The report revealed that comedy podcasts were the most attractive to car buyers, but other equally promising categories also appeal, such as :

• The news,
• The company
• Culture,
• The business
• Education

A varied production of luxury car brand podcasts

This explains the variety of podcast types produced by luxury car brands such as :

The podcast to illustrate the history of the luxury automobile:

• The link between Ferrari's history and our own with the Ferrari podcast "The origins of a legend".

• Aston Martin's development through history, war in Europe, and the industrialization of the world The Aston Martin Heritage Podcast

THE Podcast behind the scene:

• "Ghost Stories" a series of behind-the-scenes podcasts detailing the five-year quest to establish "the new Ghost". A new model. The story is told by the designers and engineers behind the adventure.

• The Art of Silence, Audi's podcast series. The aim of this podcast is to highlight the Audi e-tron range of 100% electric vehicles. It is presented by actor Guillaume Canet, who lends his voice to the project. This audio format evokes history's most striking silences. And above all, how this silence has been used by the world's greatest artists (filmmakers, musicians, speakers and sportsmen) to create an impact in their discipline.

• The Luxury Item is a McLaren Automotive podcast presented by Scott Kerr. We talk about the various actions undertaken by the brand, such as :
• Engage a younger audience using collectibles like NFTs,
• Gain a strong female customer base (and sign up its first ever female racing driver),
• Customize your cars with McLaren's in-house bespoke division,
• Maintain a strong brand link with its customers through its programs,
• The brand's popularity in China,
• Building supercars in the EV era.

• The Lexus " Go and See " podcast. Presented by Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times best-selling author and car enthusiast. A six-part audio content that plunges us into the heart of Japanese culture, through Lexus.

The podcast for surfing the luxury car news:

Automotive industry news with the Mercedes Benz "Let's Talk Mercedes" podcast reviewed by experts with topics such as:

• Artificial intelligence,
• The environment,
• Sound and design,

Podcasts to strengthen community spirit:

• Membership of a private club with the "Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club" podcast dedicated to Jaguar fans around the world.

The podcast to imagine the brand in the future:

• Reinforce the imagination with "Hypnopolis", BMW's science fiction podcast scripted by Robert Valentine, an award-winning screenwriter recruited for the occasion. Like an audio detective novel, this podcast tells the story of a character who wakes up in the future accused of a crime he claims he didn't commit. It's a unique approach to podcasting.

• Future Dimensions - the podcast by Mercedes-Benz that takes us on a journey into the future. An immersive audio podcast that lets us explore the future and what's shaping it.

Educational podcasts to educate consumers :

"Jaguar Land Rover in partnership with Dentsu X, 14HAUSSMANN and Le Figaro. This podcast aims to help consumers choose between :

• 100% electric cars,
• More traditional combustion engines,
• Flexfuel Hybrid technology,

Presented by Laurent Pinel, a leading figure in the automotive industry, this 4-part podcast features a host of automotive experts from Jaguar Land Rover, and is broadcast across the entire Media Figaro ecosystem.

Avner UZAN