• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

WPP’s new automotive podcast features Ford Global CMO Lisa Materazzo as the first guest. 

“What Are You Driving At?” is hosted by Robert Guay, WPP’s global client lead, and Beau Smith, North America chief business officer for VML/Ford.

The podcast aims to offer a fun, human-centered perspective on the automotive industry.

In the first episode, the trio discusses Materazzo’s love for cars, her career journey and her broader vision for the Ford brand.  

“We were lucky to have Lisa as our first guest,” Smith tells Marketing Daily. “She has such an impressive career trajectory and passion for the industry, and she really set the tone for the kind of in-depth conversations we want to have on the podcast."

The second episode features Matt Demmer, general manager at Jack Demmer Automotive Group, Inc., an automotive dealership in Wayne, Michigan.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audible. 

“We'll also be posting it on the WPP YouTube channel, and sharing new episodes on the WPP and VML social channels,” Guay tells Marketing Daily. “And of course, we’ll be distributing it internally to our Ford Team and across the broader WPP network for our colleagues.”

The goal is to offer a variety of voices from across the automotive sector. 

“You can expect to hear from automotive executives, key business leaders, dealers, and even drivers and team members involved in performance motorsports, like Formula 1,” Guay says. 

The audience target is anyone with an interest in the automotive business, from experts to enthusiasts. 

“We want to explore where automotive experts draw their inspiration from and where they see the industry heading,” Guay says. “While we work in the advertising sector, this podcast goes beyond. We'll be touching on motorsports, driving, leadership, and the broader business side of the industry.”

Automotive is a $3 trillion dollar industry, notes Smith. 

“And ultimately, so much of automotive is still about people and their passions, which is really what inspired this podcast,” Smith says. “We want listeners to get to know the people in this business – because fundamentally, it's about people."

Guay and Smith have worked together for almost five years and have both worked in automotive for most of their careers. 

“The automotive business can seem like a mystery to those outside of it,” Guay says. “We hope this podcast will be a fun and accessible way to learn the nuts and bolts of how the business works.”