Kimberley Gardiner, Mitsubishi NA CMO, noted how consumers' views of cars have changed. "The car is not the center of their universe," she said, so "it's not very productive to think about brand advertising. We have to treat the learning experience differently and do a better job of leveraging the creative units in digital to give them the information they want."

"Affordability is a problem now," said Ian Beavis, Chief Strategy Officer, AMCI Global, "driven a lot by technology. And there is very little online that truly helps you understand the value of safety systems."

Jon Pearce, global chief creative officer at Hudson Rouge, said client Lincoln staged a salon-style dinner in Los Angeles for the brand's influencers to meet each other and from which they have formed lasting relationships and "good feelings toward Lincoln."

Rivian works with brand partners Alex Honnold, who won an Oscar after free-soloing El Capitan, and Ben Moon, an outdoor photographer. Parker will be with them in Puerto Rico on April 18 to do work on the Honnold Foundation. Creative Director Larry Parker was with them at an event in Puerto Rico in April.

Every time Marvel Studios announced anything about its "Black Panther" film, social media went crazy, Ayiko Broyard, EVP Group Account Director at Walton Isaacson, told the audience at MediaPost's Marketing:Automotive conference.. Still, at the movie's premiere, agency execs in the audience were unclear how it would be received.

That sexy Italian has been playing games with you. Alfa Romeo, back after an extended absence in the United States, is partnering with Unity Technologies on a video game that is a virtual test drive. That's one of the things we learned from Bob Broderdorf, Director, Alfa Romeo North America, at MediaPost's Marketing:Automotive conference.

In a recent survey it conducted, respondents brought up the same key words over and over: Zoom-zoom. "It's a wonderful word," said Dino Bernacchi, CMO of Mazda North American Operations, "but we truly are Zoom-zoom-all-grown-up." See what else he had to say about becoming consumer-obsessed.