OEM
Also called: Original equipment manufacturer
In the vehicle industry, an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) is the company that designs and builds the vehicles, such as a car or two-wheeler brand, which sells to the public through a network of franchised dealerships.
OEM in dealership marketing
The OEM sets brand standards, pricing frameworks, and national marketing, while the dealer owns the local relationship, the showroom, and the sale. Most dealer marketing sits in the space the OEM's national campaigns do not reach: a specific outlet's stock, offers, reviews, and catchment.
OEMs also run programmes across their dealer networks, from co-op advertising to standardised lead-management systems, which is why network-wide marketing and data consistency are a distinct discipline from single-dealer marketing.
Related terms
- Advertising
OEM co-op advertising
OEM co-op advertising is a programme in which a vehicle manufacturer shares the cost of a dealer's local advertising, usually reimbursing part of the spend when the campaign follows the manufacturer's brand and creative guidelines.
Read definition - Dealer Operations
Certified pre-owned
A certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle is a used vehicle that has passed a defined inspection and reconditioning standard and is sold with a warranty, usually under a manufacturer-backed programme, so that the buyer gets some of the assurance of a new-car purchase at a used-car price.
Read definition - Local & Reputation
Multi-location marketing
Multi-location marketing is the practice of running local search, advertising, and reputation management separately for each showroom in a dealer group, so that every outlet ranks and converts in its own catchment instead of being averaged into one brand-level result.
Read definition
Where it applies
AutoSutra services where oem comes into play.
Further reading
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