The dealer also needs to pick their messages carefully to emphasise the strengths of their own business – overlapping with the vehicle manufacturer’s product push could result in wasted spend.

“One challenge dealers often cite is the constraint on their marketing budget and their reluctance to increase it. It’s seen as an expense, but it should be seen as an investment – it’s you telling the world about your business,” King said.

Alphera Financial Services director Andy Gruber provided a different perspective on the dealer versus manufacturer brand argument – and how dealers benefit in another area of the supply chain.

Ask a customer who they bought a car from, they might say a manufacturer rather than a dealer; ask a customer who they got finance from, they will say the dealer, rather than the finance company, he said.

“They won’t see the finance company until they sign the agreement, the small print,” Gruber said.

“The dealer’s name is at the forefront: car from the manufacturer, finance from the dealer. It’s clearly an area where dealers can push their brand and demonstrate excellent customer service.”

No matter what badge is above the door, the role of the dealer is still secure at present, according to recent research by Black Horse and YouGov. It found car buyers value the ‘security’ of buying from dealerships, and consumers found the overall car buying process a positive experience with 78% recommending visiting a dealership when purchasing a car.

Of those who took part in the research, 60% went to dealerships when they bought their last car, with 32% visiting one dealership, 22% visiting two and an identical proportion visiting three dealerships before buying. The research also revealed that 19% of buyers changed their mind about the car they wanted to buy after visiting a dealership.