Phase one of the IMI’s ‘There’s More to Motor’ campaign smashes 5 million impressions

IMI campaign to improve the perception of the automotive sector achieved 35,000 conversions in just three months

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), which launched its There’s More to Motor digital campaign across multiple platforms in September last year, is reporting significant success at the end of its first phase. Focused on improving perceptions of the automotive sector and encouraging individuals to consider a career in it, the highly targeted campaign utilised highly engaging creative - including video case studies - to debunk stereotypes that surround many automotive professions. As a result, the first phase of the campaign surpassed industry benchmarks across all platforms and planning for phase two is now well underway.

Key results
Overall, the campaign achieved:

•    More than 75,000 clicks
•    34,600 conversions
•    32,500 clicks on the ‘Search Jobs’ button
•    Almost 5,292,000 impressions by the end of the first phase of the campaign
•    Over 2,000 users were successfully taken to partner (recruitment) sites

“Not only did we achieve our objective of making significant inroads in changing perceptions of the automotive sector, but we surpassed industry benchmarks with our innovative campaign and achieved impressive results across multiple platforms,” said Sally Hodder, Head of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at the IMI. “Our most valuable conversion goal was to get users clicking through to partner sites where they can browse and apply for job opportunities; we saw more than 2,000 conversions for this proving how relevant the ads were for the audience.

“The campaign has certainly raised awareness for jobs across the automotive sector. However, there is still much to do to continue raising awareness and improving the overall impression of the jobs available in automotive so that we can continue to fill the growing skills gaps across the industry.”

There is an urgent need to encourage more people to think about a career in automotive, with IMI data suggesting 111,400 roles need to be filled in the next 10 years. There are currently 218 occupations across the sector, with technological advances – from ADAS and electric to connected motoring and online sales - creating opportunities that go far beyond traditional perceptions of working in automotive.

Sally Hodder continued, “We are already planning the second phase of the campaign, which will see us utilise a wider range of ad placements, with a focus on the social platforms that proved most successful in phase one. But to continue longer term, we will also need to achieve greater industry engagement and support in our activity. We will therefore invest more time and targeted offline advertising to raise awareness of the campaign and its value in filling the growing number of vacancies. The industry needs to come together to spread the word, improve perceptions and encourage talented individuals to consider a career in automotive.”