Erica: So, who is Brian Ortega
Brian: I’m the self-proclaimed Creative Director at Hi-Valley Toyota and in a few days, I’ll be doing Kia, our sister store. We have 4 stores that are right next door. Another person will do Nissan & Honda while I’ll work on Toyota & Kia. I’ve been in the industry 11 years in July, and this is my first foray into automotive. I am a father of 3 adult men and been married for 26 years. I have a film degree at UC Santa Barbara.
Erica: How did you get into the Automotive Industry?
Brian: 11 years ago, I just started taking photos of cars for the GM and they wanted the best newest photos online. They did have a social media manager at the time, when it was basically just FB and taking photos of people in front of their cars. I had a lot of down time, and I said “Hey, let’s take some videos” and this was a time where there weren’t too many videos for dealerships. We would take trucks in front of Joshua trees and use Go Pro’s. They ended up blowing up. Early on, you just wanted to get people’s attention. It was video that did it – it's always been video.
Erica: What's the greatest career lesson you've learned that you wish someone had prepared you for?
Brian: The greatest career lesson? Adapt. Things are going to change, and you got to be ready to make those changes and/or cuts. For better or worse, the only constant is change. I came from an industry where we performed the same mundane activities every day. I was in a set position, and I couldn’t advance. Coming into the auto industry gave me the opportunity to take off and launch my career. It was incredible. I was 37, and my GM noticed that I worked hard and took initiative, and and appreciated my efforts. The best thing about this industry is that people are very happy & congratulatory - there are great people out there.
Erica: What piece of advice would you give to someone entering the Automotive Industry?
Brian: Be creative. Be out of the box. Because now is about just being different. Being able to adapt. Just be You. It’s so cliché, but if you're quirky and a dork, like me, just be that. There’s an audience for everybody. Getting in this industry means getting comfortable in front of the camera. Make mistakes. Learn from the data. You can't predict what's going to land and what isn't. The videos you think won't perform well will surprise you and be successful. Another thing is, be where your audience is. It’s not about the follows or likes – it’s about what people are interested in. The algorithm will serve your content to people who will be interested in it.
Erica: What keeps you going in this industry of so many ups & downs? What keeps you passionate about it?
Brian: The creative freedom that I’m able to maintain. When CDK was shut down due to the cyber attack – we created content in house and were quickly able to adapt for the inconvenience. Trends change constantly so being able to do things quickly and in a timely fashion is paramount.
Community engagement is another thing that keeps me going. Every year we giveaway a car with the local radio station. As soon as we added this to our strategy we saw an uptick in engagement. We promote it to the audience we've built on our socials, and they are used to it. We'll unveil the car and go live. We'll also team up with local content creators to record videos hyping our event and participating local businesses. We'll visit those business and record a video to say thank you to them for participating. The key is, it must be genuine. Have fun with your community and engage with it. “Show us the face if you win”. If you’re going to take those lengths, you’ve got a good chance to win the car.
Erica: If you weren’t in the car business, what would it be? What has stopped you from making the change?
Brian: If I wasn’t in this, I would still be doing content creation somehow some way. Growing up, having those big cameras and now having a 4k camera in my pocket is amazing. Before the dealership, I was trying to be a photographer on my own. I was on food stamps because I got let go from my prior job. For 9 months, I was unemployed. However, I would still be in this industry. I do a lot of stuff in my church like plays and movies. I would be doing something creative because that’s me. Just try it – what do you have to lose?
Erica: What’s your least favorite part of the Automotive Industry?
Brian: The bombardment of vendors? But more so, the fact that you can’t 100% tie sales results to content. For me to ask salespeople or a GSM: "Hey, how did they hear about us?" “Oh, previous walk on the lot”. So, as a marketer I want to support campaigns that are effective, but it’s hard to track at times, especially with broader media or brand content. Was it a billboard? Was it an Ad? Was it an Eblast? We do know the stigma of dealerships as unapproachable has also been changed because of the content and the culture. You’re humanizing who you are and your business. The younger generation is very aware of that. Being a human and being able to reflect on themselves. Our bloopers get more views than the actual ad.
Erica: What’s the biggest flattery you can get in the car business?
Brian: Getting recognized at Costco is kind of fun. I’ll be on the sales floor and customers will be like “Oh you really work here?!”. A lady came up to me and was like “Oh, I finally got to meet you in person”. But I like to share it. I get to introduce others in the store to customers almost like a turnover to the salesperson. People waiting 2 hours in the service area, and I’ll randomly walk out with raffle tickets – “What’s this for?” “Ehh, we’ll figure it out and give a hat or sunshade in the parts department”. It’s about making the experience fun.
Erica: What new technologies would you like to see incorporated into our industry?
Brian: The buzzword is AI but what’s cool though is what I’ve been able to do with it. Like, recently I used AI to create a song “Push start my Heart” and it pumped out the lyrics and music. It was a great content piece! Maybe VR and being able to see the price of the car when you’re on the lot or quickly showcase a video or quick tip. You’re always going to have to create content for what’s coming out. The more relevant it is to that audience. All I want to do is plant a seed. You may not be in the market right now for a car, but you may know someone who is. Ask for the sale or referral. For me, cars go from A to B.
Erica: Why are people holding off from going all in with social media?
Brian: Only because would you consume what you’re putting out? Or would you swipe? Obviously, in a dealership, you got to get permission from the dealer principal, but you got to just get out there. It helps you get awareness and videos. “Anything to help sell a car!” Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
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