Though relatively new to his role as managing director of Audi Hong Kong, Lothar Korn’s wealth of car industry experience means he arrived with a clear set of plans and priorities.
“The first step is always to learn about the market, to know what customers are thinking and understand their expectations,” he says. “With this profile, it is then about strengthening the strengths and working against the shortcomings. And most important for us is to put the brand image across properly, with the emphasis on style, quality and technology.”
In line with this, 2018 will see the launch of new luxury models featuring the latest advances in design, engineering and artificial intelligence. Reflecting broader trends, the company’s pioneering shift towards electric-powered vehicles and plug-in hybrids will continue to gather pace. And, aware that the local premium sector offers limited scope for natural growth, Korn will be using his own know-how to capitalise on those competitive advantages wherever possible.
“Taking on the Hong Kong market has given me another perspective and new responsibilities,” he says, alluding to areas like after-sales service, co-operating with dealers and overseeing finance. “It is challenging, but in providing something customers want, we can rely on the ‘pull effect’ rather than pushing cars into the market. Also, with the new flagship A8 coming this year, there is a huge opportunity to take the brand forward.”
Originally from Munich where his father was an engineer with Siemens and his mother the homemaker, Korn developed an early interest in advertising and marketing, viewing it as a dream job. He felt it would fit his fairly outspoken personality and provide ongoing variety and excitement.
Accordingly, even in secondary school he opted for industrial economics with an emphasis on advertising, continuing at university in Pforzheim, which involved an internship at BMW for the first year of the four-year course.
“That let me experience premium cars on the race track at a very young age because we did events for customers to test different models in a dynamic situation.”
Graduating in 1986, he went straight into the big international ad agency Leo Burnett as a Frankfurt-based client service manager, taking briefings, coordinating with the creative team, and ironing out any difficulties. Along the way, he also became fascinated by how a successful campaign could communicate a message, drive sales and add value – even for common generic products – by influencing customer preferences and offering certain insights.
After a year with a smaller agency, he was back at Leo Burnett to work on the Fiat account and, from that point on, became something of a specialist in orchestrating campaigns for different automotive manufacturers. The particular attraction was that each brand has a certain size and significance, so any campaign would involve numerous channels and tools, from fairs and exhibitions to event sponsorship and TV commercials.
“In marketing terms, cars are probably the most exciting product you can work on,” Korn says. “There are all the technical features, but also the psychology of what it means to the customer and what it stands for.”
Having switched to other agencies to work first on the Opel business in Germany and, later, with Jaguar’s European team, a call came from Mercedes in Stuttgart in 2000 with an offer he couldn’t resist. It meant moving to the “client’s side of the desk”, but opened the door to working more closely with engineers and facing the challenges that came with having a genuine global presence and being part of a 500,000-strong workforce.
“That was probably the best decision of my life,” Korn says. “I was no longer developing ideas and hoping the customer would execute them, but instead could take decisions and make ideas happen.”
With a global brief covering digital communication, sales literature and marketing, the key task was to maintain a successful brand image, while also creating new themes and points of contact. It clearly worked because, in 2007, Audi approached with an offer to run the whole of their worldwide marketing and communications.
“It was a bigger role, but I felt well prepared,” Korn says. “I also felt personally closer to the brand, which is younger, more progressive and more sportive.”
Building on that, he took particular pride in launching a biennial pre-season soccer tournament attracting the likes of Bayern Munich and AC Milan, which is now broadcast to around 180 countries. And, in overall terms, he found similar satisfaction from a subsequent three-year stint with Audi Sports in Ingolstadt, looking after sales and marketing for all R series products as well as accessories and an exclusive individualisation programme.
“That was very important for my career because it gave me a much broader view of product development and led to my first post in Asia.”
On arriving in Hong Kong, one of his first big assignments was last December’s Formula E weekend at the Central Harbourfront circuit, a vital part of efforts to promote electric cars while providing high-speed thrills.
“It is a great event and a great chance to show what Audi is capable of in extreme conditions,” Korn says. “To have the drivers and team principals here in Hong Kong is very important for the brand. We can test technology on the race track before offering it to our customers.”
When off duty, his plans will centre on family trips to unexplored parts of Asia to experience different cultures and see everything the region has to offer.
“We will stay in more intimate guesthouses, not five-star hotels, to learn more about the people, the foods and the countries,” Korn says. “It helps me realise I’m a very lucky person.”
(Photo: Audi Hong Kong)
