Who is steering your brand now? - Provocation 03 - Koto|10|2026

We don’t mean the person [person] behind the 
[wheel] wheel; we mean who – or what – shapes brand perception and puts them there?

76% of EV buyers do online research before purchasing (vs. 42% of ICE buyers) – averaging 14 hours and 24 touchpoints before making a purchase decision.

Ford US Q1 Sales (2026)

Buying a car remains one of the most considered purchases people make – and one of the most complex. Between buyer and badge sits a crowded field of AI agents, third-party review sites, celebrity endorsements, word of mouth, over 100,000 ‘Autos & Vehicles’ YouTube channels, and, for some, even Top Gear. The manufacturer is just one voice the buyer has to navigate before they decide.

Consider the review economy this has spawned: automotive YouTube channels with 500k subscribers can now command $50K-$200K+ for a single review partnership. For consumers, content has never been more available. Today 72.2% of total auto dealer advertising budgets go directly into digital channels. Ever the outlier, Tesla doesn’t have a marketing department. However, some of the legacy players still show signs of ‘traditional’ above the line ambition – see Audi’s recent ad, ‘After Dark’, which brings some much needed fun and (whisper it) emotion into play.

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