Volkswagen plans improved customer engagement with social media

CIO Nick Gaines tells Computing about the focus on small but strategic projects and impact this will have on his department

Car maker Volkswagen is to place more emphasis on engaging with customers and partners via social media.

The company's UK CIO Nick Gaines exclusively told Computing that his most pressing challenge is building responsiveness to Volkswagen's customer base.

"The automotive industry is traditionally slow at implementing change and the market is fragile at the moment. We're in a recession, and it has really hit our competitors," said Gaines.

"Therefore it is imperative that we become very dynamic, so our focus is not on big projects, but the little things."

He explained that it has become more important for the company to focus on social media because the way people think about cars has changed.

People are buying into an experience, rather than a product, and this reflects on the way in which they engage with the brand, said Gaines.

"In the old days, you would go to the car dealership and have a close relationship with the dealer. Today, people engage with business through the internet. From an IT and marketing perspective, the world has changed, so we need to engage with everyone through social media.

"It means that we have to move our entire business so that everything we do is delivered by the internet. That's a huge step."

The new focus on social media means that Gaines' IT department will have to rethink existing application architectures and security strategies.

"We have to reassess where the boundary is between Volkswagen, our partners and our customers, and what sort of services to offer to each via social media," he said.

The company has already begun formulating its social media strategy, announcing that it will work alongside marketing agencies such as DDB London, AKQA and Tribal DDB.