Trade Promotion Intelligence in Automotive: Lessons from the Field
When I first encountered the concept of Trade Promotion Intelligence in the automotive sector, I was leading an embedded software development team at a major OEM, struggling to understand why our dealer incentive programs weren't translating into the projected sales lift for our new EV lineup. We had terabytes of telematics data, sophisticated Connected Mobility platforms, and real-time insights from our vehicle systems integration—yet our trade promotion strategies felt like we were driving blind. The disconnect was jarring: we could predict when a brake pad needed replacement with 97% accuracy using Predictive Maintenance AI, but we couldn't forecast which promotional bundle would resonate with dealers in the Southwest region. That realization launched a two-year journey into Trade Promotion Intelligence , transforming not just how we approached dealer and consumer promotions, but fundamentally reshaping our go-to-market strategy. The lessons learned weren't just about im...