On 8 May 2018, the third-year Marketing Management students received a visit from Mr Johan Kleynhans for a guest lecture on strategic issues to consider when writing marketing communication plans. As part of the students’ practical project, they have to develop a marketing communication plan for Supa Quick tyre fitment centres. With more than 40 years of experience in the motor industry working with brands such as BMW, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Nissan, and experience in advertising and promotions, marketing and sales, network development and customer care, Mr Kleynhans’ presentation addressed valuable aspects that the students should consider when developing their marketing communication plans for Supa Quick.

 

His presentation started with an explanation of the global light vehicle market and the global tyre manufacturers playing in that field, compared with the South African light vehicle market and the specific tyre manufacturer’s playing in the local market. Having given a better understanding of what the challenge of tyre manufacturers and tyre fitment centres are, Mr Kleynhans continued with an analysis of the different tyre fitment centres in South Africa, of which Supa Quick is one. He showed various tyre fitment centres’ advertisements and marketing material and highlighted similarities in the advertising messages of the tyre fitment centre brands, their campaigns, their shortfalls and opportunities.

 

Mr Kleynhans also showed how car brands and tyre fitment centres use different tactics to achieve their objectives. One campaign that he highlighted was the Volvo Interception campaign that was aired during the 2018 Super Bowl. Volvo was encouraging fans to tweet the name of someone who matters to them most using the hashtag #VolvoContest when they see any car commercial during the Big Game (Super Bowl). Examples such as the Volvo campaign helped to broaden the students’ way of thinking and showed them how creativity in the marketing world can go a long way.

 

His presentation further included a discussion of why consumers purchase tyres, an evaluation of the four P’s for tyre fitment centres and how to manage the three resources of time, money and people. Mr Kleynhans also gave some pointers and tips in terms of the importance of incorporating standards and incentives, particularly in a dealership/tyre fitment centre setup. His presentation concluded with some guidelines in terms of developing a corporate message, as well as a retail message.

 

Mr Kleynhans’ lecture was very insightful and educational and came at a particularly good time at the beginning of this project. One of the students, Chido Mashingaidze, commented: “He helped broaden our minds regarding how to tackle the task ahead of us. We learnt a lot from him and appreciated the vast amount of wisdom which he passed on to us. We were grateful for his input and found the information he shared on that day, extremely beneficial.”

 

Ms Chido Mashingaidze (BEM 356 student) thanking Mr Kleynhans for sharing his expertise with the students