myTukar hunts for marketing head as Malaysia becomes priority for investor Carro

Malaysian car bidding platform myTukar is on the search for a head of marketing to develop plans to establish the brand, allocate resources to various projects, and set short-term and long-term department goals.

The individual is required to craft strategies for all marketing teams, including digital, advertising, communications, and creative; prepare and manage monthly, quarterly, and annual marketing budgets; design branding, positioning, and pricing strategies; and ensure myTukar's brand message is strong and consistent across all channels and marketing efforts. These include events, email campaigns, web pages, and promotional material.

At the same time, the individual will also coordinate sales and marketing efforts to boost brand awareness, and craft quarterly and annual hiring plans. According to the job description, the ideal candidate must have at least five years of working experience in the related field, as well as work experience as head of marketing or VP, marketing, preferrably within the industry. Knowledge of the automotive industry and digital marketing such as SEM, SEO and social media is also advantageous, along with the ability to multitask and having an analytical mind.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Fong Hon Sum, the company received a US$30 million investment from automotive marketplace Carro Group in 2019, as part of the latter's expansion into Malaysia. Since then, myTukar expanded into Melaka, Penang, and Ipoh last September, as well as East Malaysia more recently. Prior to these new branches, myTukar was present in Johor Bahru, Klang, Kajang, Glenmarie, Puchong, and Cheras, among other locations. The company also deployed its AI-driven car defect detection and car plate masking system last December, which will also be rolled out to Carro Group's other markets in Southeast Asia - Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Apart from having digital and integrated marketing skills, group CMO Manisha Seewal (pictured below) told A+M that she personally looks out for someone with a growth mindset. "I will be honest - working in a startup is not for everyone. One needs to have the hunger to drive things with limited resources and the grit to see it to completion without getting distracted or discouraged," she added.

Malaysia is a key growth market for Carro, which has successfully grown its revenue manifold last year despite the pandemic. Seeing that myTukar has aggressively expanded last year, established partnerships with brands such as Sime Darby and Sisma Auto's Volvo Selekt programme, as well as tapped on AI, Seewal expects these technological innovations to continue for the brand. "This means the new head of marketing should be tech savvy and highly customer obsessed to drive the message to the market. The candidate should share our passion to digitally transform the used car industry to ultimately benefit our customers," she explained.

That said, myTukar's marketing was also impacted by the pandemic, albeit during the first lockdown in Malaysia earlier last year when showrooms were shut and customers could not stop by physically to sell their car. However, Seewal said the brand adapted very quickly and digitalised the entire car selling process for its consumers to ensure business continuity and to prioritise safety.

Partnerships with major automotive leaders such as Sime Darby were also established to digitalise myTukar's operations such as enhancing inventory management by leveraging on myTukar’s proprietary big data analytics of used car transactions. "Overall, we have come out stronger both as a business and as a team as a result of this pandemic," Seewal said.

Malaysia recently reinstated the Movement Control Order (MCO) in six states - Penang, Johor, Melaka, Selangor, Sabah, and all federal territories. At the same time, all six other states with the exception of Perlis and Sarawak were placed under the Conditional Movement Control Order. With this latest development, Seewal said agility is critical and the company needs to be open to trying new marketing channels.

According to her, the MCO presents an interesting opportunity to push the boundaries of digital marketing, for prospecting, remarketing, and lookalikes. "Even on the creative front, our messages adapted overnight to prioritise safety, scheduling of car inspection to ensure social distancing and highlight sanitisation of our cars," she explained.

Nonetheless, Seewal is confident that 2021 will continue to be the year of innovation and tech for myTukar as it dives deeper into offering customers an end-to-end AI-driven car ownership experience.

"Demand for cars in Southeast Asia is at all time high and the recurring lockdowns have pushed the customers to online channels. Customers have learnt that fast and seamless digital experience is the new normal and they expect tailored, targeted offers," Seewal said.

According to her, if a brand does not provide a seamless online or offline experience, customers will turn away. The marketing team at Carro Group plans to triple down on its marketing efforts across Southeast Asia as its business is growing rapidly. While it will launch more integrated marketing campaigns across the region, Seewal said its focus will remain on providing an unmatched customer experience.

"So from research, exploration to purchase, the customers feel empowered to make the right purchase decision. In fact experience has become so important that it challenges the customer loyalty that many well established brands have relied upon for decades," she added.

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