Automotive News Canada - August 2022 - 18

18
* AUGUST 2022
She strives to bring 'the creative campaign to life'
HEATHER BOUTCHER
CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMERS
AND KEEPING THEM ENGAGED
BUYERS DO THE MATH WHEN
vehicle shopping, but their
choice also involves emotion.
In her role as national manager
of brand communications for
Mazda Canada in Richmond Hill,
Ont., Heather Boutcher ensures
advertising campaigns tackle
both.
" The hardest thing is building
that emotional connection with
customers in a way they may
not even think of, " she said. " If
it's a vehicle like the CX-50 [utility
vehicle], we'll show it in the
outdoors, someone hiking. We're
saying it fits the lifestyle, rather
than 'you have to see this car,'
and then when those outdoor
fans are shopping, they're thinking
about Mazda.
" The flip side is keeping
owners engaged
with the brand, reinforcing
why they chose
it and why they want to
continue with Mazda. "
Each day is a " lot of
meetings, " connecting
with her four-person
team and with ad agency
partners on digital, social
media, print and TV campaigns,
as well as sponsorship partners
such as Rogers Cup and Canada
Snowboard.
" We work together to bring
the creative campaign to life.
There are very specific things
we want to do, because what
works on TikTok won't work on
Facebook. "
While earning a biology
degree in university, Boutcher,
47, worked at Sears, using her
fluency in French in the customer
service department. Out of
By looking through the
" consumer lens, " Heather
Boutcher determines how to
connect buyers emotionally
with Mazda vehicles.
PHOTO: MAZDA CANADA
school, she did the same job at
GM Canada. A friend at Mazda
told her a customer-relationship
management position was open,
and she joined the company
in 2010.
" We had very limited
experiential [events]
and I was asked to come
up with something
engaging, so we did a
fun contest [at various
auto shows in Canada],
and then supporting
Miata clubs with track
events. I was promoted to national
manager last year to take on
more of the social [media]. I've
always been with marketing,
just growing it and adding the
team to support me. "
MATTHEW WILSON
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
ROLLS-ROYCE SAW THE
importance of the Canadian luxury-vehicle
market, but it lacked
corporate presence. In February
2021, it planted a flag.
Holding it is Matthew Wilson,
general manager for Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars in Canada: He's the
" one and only " representative.
" Canada is one of the strongest
markets globally and that's why
my role was created.
" I'm a generalist more than
As the only Rolls-Royce
company representative in
Canada, Matthew Wilson works
directly with retailers, clients
and the automaker.
PHOTO: ROLLS-ROYCE MOTOR CARS
anything. I work with our dealer
principals on business plans and
facilities, with management at
the retailers on client orders, on
the after-sales business, with our
logistics partner making sure the
vehicles arrive on time, and with
our financial-service partners
ensuring we have the right offering
in the market. "
Wilson said 2021 was very successful,
with the brand's four
retailers in Montreal, Toronto,
Calgary and Vancouver delivering
" north of 200 " vehicles. From
his office in parent BMW Group's
headquarters in Richmond Hill,
Ont., he works closely with RollsRoyce
head offices in the United
Kingdom and the United States,
which jointly handled Canada
before his position was created.
" The biggest difference versus
other [automakers] is the
client relationship, " he said. " I
can't be involved with every vehicle,
but a portion of our clients
want to go above and beyond,
and have unique requests. One
of the strengths of Rolls-Royce is
the relationship clients can have
directly with the manufacturer.
" We don't circumvent the
retail partners, and the dealer
is always involved, but there
may be customization that I get
involved in with our [factory]
partners in Goodwood [England].
It's a joint effort. "
Wilson, 44, has a business
degree. Before joining RollsRoyce,
he worked in product
planning for Mazda, Honda and
then BMW.
" I don't have a typical day.
It's a small number of cars but
there's a lot more involved with
the experiential aspects. It's part
of the lifestyle of owning a RollsRoyce. "
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Automotive News Canada - August 2022

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