Electric vehicle owners can be quite different from those owning an internal combustion engine. They’re two different markets and your branding should properly reflect the market you want to attract, advised a shop owner.
At the recent Worldpac STX event in Nashville year, Carolyn Coquillette, owner of Earthling Automotive in San Francisco and founder of Shop-Ware, shared the digital and rebranding strategies she took when looking to attract a new demographic of EV clients.
Coquillette emphasized creating a welcoming and distinct identity that appeals to modern consumers.
“It’s important to think about what your brand is today and where you think you’d like to refresh or change your brand in order to attract some of these different kinds of clients,” Coquillette advised.
Keep in mind the difference between digital and physical branding. You can exist differently in both areas, she pointed out as she has different feels when you find her shop online versus driving by.
Her goal was to attract attention while being “cute and welcoming.” She mentioned the creation of an EV mascot as part of this approach.
To effectively rebrand, Coquillette suggested a thorough comparison with leading EV companies.
She described Tesla’s branding as “very clean and crisp,” but also “harsh,” with strong reds, blacks, and whites. In contrast, she aimed for a softer, more friendly palette for her own shop.
“We wanted to pull colours together that felt a little more soft and more friendly. And obviously very mobile friendly,” she said.
So feel free to compare your existing brand to what’s out there in the EV realm. “Put your brand up there and compare it to what you’re seeing out of Tesla and Rivian and some of these others,” she said. This involves analyzing their colour schemes, positioning and messaging. Then adapt those elements to fit your own brand’s value propositions.
If you want to creatively update your existing brands rather than starting from scratch, that’s fine Coquillette said.
“How do you adapt what you currently have and hang those types of EV themes off of your existing brand versus necessarily having to tear it down?” she asked, urging business owners to consider how they can stand out and resonate with the EV market while maintaining their unique identity.
This is an opportunity for the aftermarket to up its image game and “glow-up,” Coquillette said.
“I think that there is a glow-up needed for a lot of repair shops, and maybe this is the chance for you to finally sit down and … start to think more creatively,” she said. “How you stand out there and ultimately resonate with but still be different from these other types of EV [shops].”
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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