As manufacturing costs climb, automakers must balance luxury demand with the need for more affordable options to stay competitive.

To modernize its image, Cracker Barrel swapped its heritage-rich logo for a sleek, simplified wordmark. The change sparked immediate backlash, forcing the company to reverse course days later. The rebrand faltered for several reasons, chief among them a failure to understand its core audience.

As connected car technologies go mainstream, opportunities for advertisers are expanding. But success depends on balancing innovation with consumer privacy concerns and security challenges.

Ram Trucks was the No. 1 automotive brand by estimated TV ad spend in August 2023, surpassing Subaru, Chevrolet, Kia, and Jeep, per iSpot.tv as cited by MediaPost.

Nathalie Choy, national manager of digital, social and CRM marketing at Kia Motors America, discusses the challenges that come with unifying customer data and analytics in order to improve customer engagement.