An integral part of our award-winning Marketing Team, Beth joined our growing Carparison family in June 2021 – and we haven’t stopped laughing since.
Though no one in the business is safe from her devastating one-liners, she was officially named our Best Loved Colleague last year (a fact of which she is very proud). With three exciting brands now under her belt, Beth’s writing and her confidence have moved from strength to strength in the last year.
We wouldn’t function without her – and neither would our three brands. As we leave Q1 behind, we caught up with Beth to talk about all things marketing and what it’s like to join the motor industry.
This is your first role in the automotive industry – what are you currently enjoying about it?
Honestly, I’ve never been a ‘car’ person – but I am nosy, and love finding out new things.
Coming from a place where I didn’t really know much about the automotive industry, it’s been so fun to discover a whole new world. It’s definitely not a boring sector to work in, especially over the last few years with the chip shortage (don’t mention that too loudly in the office, you’ll see tears) and the general struggle with sourcing vehicles.
The ups and downs are what make the industry so exciting and so challenging. There’s never a dull day, and you’re never too sure what is lying in wait for you each time you step into the office.
Carparison has definitely opened my eyes to the world of motoring, and it’s been an amazing and supportive place to find my feet.
And I know so much about cars now! Ask me anything about the Honda e, I’ve got you covered.
What are some of the unique challenges you’ve faced as an integral part of the marketing team?
The biggest challenge is that our job as marketers is changing all the time.
Every time there’s a change in the industry, there’s a change in how we communicate that and how we approach the marketing of it.
In the time I’ve been here, the business has expanded from just the Carparison website to also launching Vanparison and Corparison. This has meant that our workload has essentially tripled, which is exciting and also a little daunting.
But I’ve never been one to step back from a challenge, and getting stuck into the differences between the three brands has been a lot of fun.
One minute you’re writing a piece that advises companies on how to electrify their fleets, and the next you’re writing jokes about big boots. It’s the sort of varied work that suits me down to the ground – and we do have the best team in the business.
And no, I am definitely not biased!
What are your personal aspirations within the business and where would you like to see yourself in a year’s time?
I’m relatively new to marketing, so I’m still soaking it all up like a sponge and trying to learn everything I can.
My role has expanded massively from where I started and occasionally, I feel like I’m chasing my tail. But I think things will settle down as the business matures and we really find our feet – and hopefully the industry will stop going through so many changes!
Carparison has been such a uniquely supportive workplace. I’ve managed to try my hand at so many things and bring ideas to the table that have not only been listened to, but put into action. We’re not fans of saying no, and the sky really is the limit.
I’m hoping over the next year I’ll be able to expand my skillset even further, develop my writing style across the three different businesses, and help the marketing team take the business to new heights.
It’s an exciting place to be, and a fantastic place to have started my marketing career at.
Should more women join the motor industry?
Absolutely, more women should join the motor industry.
Before I started at Carparison, I definitely had preconceptions about the automotive industry that everyone working here has proved wrong!
While I think the industry as a whole still has a way to go, there’s space for everyone at the table. Cars aren’t just a man's game, and there’s so much to learn and do even if you don’t want to sell.
It’s not just all about the cars either, there’s so much more to it.
I’d say it’s not so much an automotive industry as it is a people industry. The cars aren’t driving themselves (not yet, anyway), and there’s a definite need for strong, compassionate and knowledgeable women to be a listening ear and help the people on the other end of the phone, website or email.
I think it’s also easier to do something that might seem ‘scary’ if you can see strong female leaders already making waves – and we have more than a couple of strong female leaders in our ranks!
We’re already seeing more women joining the industry – the changes we need will naturally follow.
