Hyundai USA CMO Angela Zepeda on the biggest marketing changes and successes from 2020

When COVID-19 hit in the Spring earlier this year, many dealers dialed back their marketing dollars to prepare for a rough road ahead. However, automotive retail came through the pandemic with record sales while also keeping advertising costs to a minimum. On today’s show, we speak with Angela Zepeda, CMO of Hyundai USA about automotive marketing trends and how dealers can best utilize their ad budgets effectively in 2021.

Due to Hyundai USA’s strong connection to South Korea, where Hyundai originated, Zepeda says her organization saw the fallout from COVID-19 early on before it ever reached the U.S. markets. Zepeda says they began preparing for when the pandemic would hit U.S shores, not if. Hyundai USA was in a strong position entering 2020. 2019 saw the launch of the popular Palisade, with more SUVs to follow. The automaker also had a robust inventory supply on the ground.

In this segment, Zepeda and anchor Jim Fitzpatrick take a closer look into the following:

• The impact of recently being named one of Automotive News’ 2020 All-Stars
• Some of the biggest marketing successes and changes within Hyundai Motor America over the past year
• The degree that the pandemic has affected auto retail marketing
• What marketing trends and changes the auto industry can expect moving into 2021
• What we can expect from the marketing team at Hyundai Motor America in the near future
• How marketing teams can finish the year strong in this in regard to their advertising efforts

Angela Zepeda brings over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience to the retail automotive industry. Prior to her role as CMO at Hyundai Motor America, she was the senior vice president and managing director at Innocean USA, where she oversaw all creative, planning, and media operations for Hyundai. Her impressive resume also includes some of Los Angeles’ top advertising firms including TBWA\Chiat\Day, Team One, and FCB.