Automotive aftermarket company Napa Auto Parts has named three new agency partners and is transforming its internal marketing team. The changes are being made to address the needs of the current auto care consumer.
After a competitive RFP process, agencies The Variable, Merkle and Golin will combine to round out Napa’s external partner team.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based agency The Variable has been named agency of record for brand strategy, creative, content and social. The Variable will leverage an integrated team of strategists, creatives, social specialists and community builders to help Napa discover and develop a new approach to business growth. The agency’s first focus is to craft a brand strategy. Its first integrated creative campaign for the brand is expected to launch in the third quarter.
“The automotive market is on the cusp of massive change over the next 5-10 years and thanks to their rich history, expertise, massive national footprint and talented team, Napa is uniquely positioned to lead the industry into the future,” David Mullen, president and partner at The Variable, said in a statement.
Customer experience management company Merkle has been appointed as Napa’s CRM agency to lead customer marketing and enhance the existing work for the company’s rewards program.
Public relations firm Golin was selected as Napa’s first-ever PR agency. Golin will also partner with Genuine Parts Company (GPC), the parent company of Napa, to drive the corporate brand’s communication strategy forward.
Napa has also hired Jamie Walton, executive vice president, chief merchandising officer, an automotive aftermarket veteran who previously led merchandise and strategic marketing for Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Asia Pacific, and promoted Marti Walsh, vice president, marketing, who joined Napa in late 2020 after a nearly 20-year tenure at The Coca-Cola Company.
“Napa has kept people on the road in communities worldwide for the last 100 years, and we plan to do that for the next century,” said Walton in a statement. “We are arriving at the dawn of an entirely new era for our industry and this collective team brings the excitement, energy and passion required to drive value and shared values with customers, retailers, investors and the business community.”