Tarryn Knight has led the marketing, product and PR of Audi South Africa for the past four years. Prior to this, she was the head of product and marketing communications of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for five years.
Tarryn Knight | image supplied
"Two of my biggest highlights during that time were partnering with our agency Ogilvy to win the international pitch for the concept and production of the advertising campaign used by all Southern hemisphere markets to launch the new Amarok in 2016, and initiating the first international amateur off-road driving competition, the Spirit of Amarok," says Knight.
Her journey in the automotive industry started after returning home from London, where she spent two years in communications and project management. She was a brand manager for Volkswagen after arriving back in South Africa, during which she managed special projects like the Goodbye Citi campaign when it was time to retire the legendary Citi Golf.
"Thereafter I spent three years heading up the marketing research team for the Volkswagen Group. The largest focus was on monitoring customer satisfaction but there were some exciting research studies and clinics for all three of the group brands," says Knight.
What has been your most rewarding project at Audi, and what challenges did you face during its execution?
We’ve achieved so much over the past four years, including a fresh approach to the brand strategy, reintroducing the Audi driving experience and enhancing how we measure our effectiveness across all our marketing disciplines. Without a doubt, the most engaging project was Audi’s entry into the electric vehicle market from August 2021 into 2022.
The challenges are probably well known to your readers (how do you effectively launch electric cars in a market with an electricity crisis, right?) but it was incredibly exciting and rewarding to work with our agencies Razor PR, Fierce, PHD and Ogilvy to create a holistic communications campaign rooted in behavioural science and fueled by all the ‘pull factors’ that electric mobility offers (exhilarating performance, cost-effective motoring, the huge investments Audi was making into the public charging network and so on).
The more I researched the topic the more excited I was to be in this particular role at this specific time so that we could help reframe the conversations around the future of the automotive industry. Audi was the first brand to change the EV advertising discussion from being focused on only the environmental benefits (a ‘push’ approach when you consider SA to be a market of ‘petrol heads’) to talking about the performance, digitalisation and design benefits of moving to an electric powertrain.
How do you stay inspired and motivated in a demanding role that requires balancing multiple disciplines like marketing, product, and PR?
The very nature of these different disciplines is inspiring and motivating. Moving from one meeting or discussion to the very next one, I’m having to switch between left- and right-brain thinking, drawing on creative thinking, then critical problem-solving, from relationship management to lateral thinking.
What energises and inspires and motivates me most though is my team members. They are so good at their various disciplines and each personality brings such a different perspective to our collective team discussions that I’m challenged and encouraged as a person at the same time. Putting out great work together whilst supporting them as their leader as they build their own careers individually is the most rewarding part of my every day.
What are some of the most important lessons you've learned in your career that you'd like to share with others?
If one wants to excel, it’s important to soak up as much knowledge as you can by engaging in whatever one is exposed to. Listen, ask questions and learn, even if the topic is outside of your portfolio. You never know where the acquired knowledge may come in handy.
Be prepared to work hard – put in the hours to showcase your value – and say yes to opportunities that come your way. Nothing should be expected or taken for granted. Have patience where it is required and entrust different mentors along the way to help you keep sight of the bigger picture of your career.
What are some of the unique challenges you’ve faced as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry?
There have been some interesting situations, for sure, but I choose not to remember or dwell on them. Focusing on those challenges wastes energy I believe, energy that would be better spent on learning, growing and pushing the boundaries of my profession. Perhaps that’s how I overcome them: by refusing to acknowledge their nature and choosing to live my desired future state of equal gender value in this industry every day.
I feel that it’s time we move on from spotlighting women in the automotive industry for their gender and be more deliberate about where we place emphasis. My perspective is that one’s achievements and skills should not be viewed or appreciated through the lens of gender in the context of this industry. Women are not out of place in the automotive industry, especially as it moves towards cars being electric, mobile digital devices rather than the internal combustion vehicles of the past century.
In your opinion, what more can be done to encourage and support the growth of women in leadership within the automotive industry?
My entire product team are female - something that would probably be considered unusual in the motor industry - and Audi South Africa is more than half female so we’re walking the talk. It’s important for women to support each other and not feel threatened by other women advancing beyond or faster than they have themselves – that’s the idea! When mentoring others my intention is to help them learn and see things earlier in their journey than I was able to.
What advice would you give to young women looking to enter or advance in the automotive industry?
Like any other industry, the way in is to know and understand the product in order to really add value. It was the mechanics of engines and drive trains that drew me into automotive. I’d even read books as a young girl about how engines work. Whatever it is about the products that fascinate you, feed and showcase that passion through your field of expertise. It’ll not only be evident in the quality of your work, but it’ll also be contagious and draw opportunities your way.
