'They Bring A Voice That Women Identify With': At The Chicago Auto Show, Influencers Are In The Driver's Seat
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When's the last time you went to buy a car without doing your research first?
These days, a lot of people aren't getting their information from a dealership or industry professionals. But instead from people who remind them of themselves: influencers.
"They bring a voice that women identify with," said Scotty Reiss, founder of digital media site, A Girl's Guide to Cars.
"We write about cars on women's terms. Our content is written by bloggers and influencers— not automotive experts. [They] really bring the perspective that women have when it comes to car-buying that you don't get from traditional, legacy, automotive media," Reiss said.
Reiss' team includes over 40 influencers from around the country who produce content for both the site and their personal pages.
"When you're shopping for something, you wanna ask someone who you know and who you trust. And that's what influencers have become…You can ask a question in their comments section and they will answer, they'll have that conversation with you. And they're passionate about sharing what they know," Reiss said.
"Working with influencers was a way for [A Girl's Guide to Cars] to approach car information, which is very complex and can be very intimidating and complex," Reiss said. "This is a way to bring an identifiable, relatable voice to that content."
One of those voices belongs to Kelly Stumpe, @The_Car_Mom on Instagram and Youtube. Stumpe uses her social media channels to post car reviews for moms and families. She started creating mom-friendly car content when she realized that there wasn't much out there, to begin with.
"When I became a mom, I noticed that a lot of my other friends who were becoming moms were all wondering, well what's the good mom car? Like, what can fit my double stroller? Can I fit a car seat comfortably in the back seat?"
"And I started scouring the internet and being like… I don't think anyone's doing this," Stumpe, said.
She started @The_Car_Mom on Instagram, knowing that was a platform a lot of moms already used.
"I played around with what platform to use. I was like, well do I just start writing articles about them? Do I just go onYouTube? But I said, I'm on Instagram. All the moms I know are on Instagram. So I thought, let me just make it easier, and let me just put [my content] where they're already at," Stumpe said.
The automotive industry has picked up on the popularity of influencers. Now, inviting them to shows to create sponsored content.
Stumpe was invited to attend the 2022 Chicago Auto Show by Nissan. They covered her expenses and invited her to a series of events.
"It's been really fun to see manufacturer support. Because they want the mom's opinion. Which is great, because that's a huge part of their target audience," Stumpe said.
Digital creatives, like Stumpe, are working to bring more women into the world of cars with confidence and good information.
"Women don't like buying cars and a lot of women don't like selling cars kind of all for the same reasons. Just because they feel like it's not their game," Stumpe said.
The use of social media has opened up the world of cars to more women, people of color, and young people. Making buying a car, or learning about one, as easy as opening your phone.