How my time building cars changed my approach to automotive communications

Our account director, Harriet Evans, looks back on her time as a graduate at JLR, when she spent time helping to build Jaguars on the production line, and how this has influenced her approach to automotive communications. 

When I first joined the automotive industry as a journalism graduate, I never expected to spend my early days tightening bolts and fitting trim on a production line. It was part of my JLR PR and communications graduate scheme, spending two weeks embedded in the factory, working alongside skilled technicians, building cars from the ground up. 

It was a really interesting change of pace from my placements in head office, where I would normally be supporting product launches, corporate campaigns and international communications. But in hindsight, that time on the line taught me a lot about the values that still shape how I approach automotive communications today. 

Consistency is key 

On the manufacturing line, consistency isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a discipline. Every action, every inspection, had to be identical across hundreds of vehicles. Because even the slightest deviation could result in a safety issue, a customer complaint, or a recall. 

It taught me that consistency builds trust. Sometimes in communications, things can feel repetitive, but being consistent with your messaging is the only way to get through to your target audience, and inspire action.  

With manufacturing, the customer waiting excitedly for their car won’t know how many cars you have helped build, but they will care that their car was built with care and quality in mind.  Just as a production line relies on repeatable excellence, so too does effective brand storytelling. 

Teamwork – understanding your part in the process 

The production line is the ultimate team effort. By the time the cars reached me on trim and final, there had already been so much involved in bringing the car to life. I could see where my task fitted in with every other person in the process, with each person relying on the one before them to get their part exactly right. If someone falls behind or makes a mistake, the whole system is affected. You don’t succeed unless everyone does. 

It’s a powerful lesson for automotive agency life. Whether you’re in PR, social media, design or strategy, our output is only as strong as our collaboration. No one delivers a great campaign in isolation. Communication teams need to move like a well-oiled machine, supporting each other, respecting expertise, and working collaboratively with their clients to understand the business goal, and effectively execute the plan of how to achieve it. 

The importance of human experience 

 When creating anything, whether it’s a car door or a press release, the goal should always be to get it exactly right. My colleagues on the line understood this, and were meticulous about making sure every panel, bolt and fitting was spot on. It has to be, not only for the rest of production, but for the customer’s expectations of the brand. 

The team had to be proud of what was wearing Jaguar badge once it was out there in the world. And this is where that human insight and instinct can step in – as much as technology and manufacturing progresses and processes can be automated, that human touch and care can really make the difference to the end product, ensuring any issues are spotted and properly addressed.  

This is something I continue to apply to automotive communications. No matter how sophisticated our tools become, especially with the advances of AI, it’s still the human insight – the empathy, the intuition, the ability to tell a story with nuance – that connects a brand to its audience. And it’s something I am always conscious of when something is signed off wearing the Red Marlin badge – it has to be exactly right, delivered with care and craft. 

Building on variety in automotive communications  

While it’s been a long time since I’ve had to come to work in steel-toe boots, I’ll always be grateful for the experience to play a part in building some of the most beautiful cars in the world. Whenever I see an F-Type out and about, I smile to myself thinking of all the hard work from the entire team behind it – which for a brief two weeks, included me. 

I’m lucky that working in an agency still offers this variety of working across different areas of the industry, including technology and R&D, manufacturing, auctions and aftermarket to name just a few.  

At Red Marlin, we’re only at the end of the phone if you ever want to find out more about our approach to automotive communications, or find out more about our services.